Animation is a well-known medium seen frequently in games, films, and TV shows, but how much do you know about what goes on behind the screen? Most of us grew up with Disney films to teach us empathy and morals, but in this rapidly changing digital age, most audiences don’t stop to think about the people and work that go into the final product they play or watch. This workshop aims to expose audiences to the tedious and admirable process of animation, in order to rally support for animators in the industry and gain a greater respect for the medium.

History & Distinction

The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson, published in 1997, is regarded as the foundation of modern-day animation. While there have been significant advancements in animation technology throughout the century following, the core principles stay the same. The book is vibrant and colorful, and displays the passion and technique that went into crafting well-known films in Disney’s early career, such as Pinocchio, Snow White, and Bambi, among others.

However, in recent years, the love and respect for the craft has been rapidly fading. The 2D style of older Disney movies has been switched out for computer-produced 3D films, which isn't inherently a bad thing. However, this switch to digital has created an expectation for artists to work faster and harder for little to no reward. The Michigan Daily’s article The Fight for Animation states the modern animation industry is “infamous for treating their employees poorly with subpar pay, inhumane working hours and an established crunch culture that has ruined many worker’s mental and physical health,” (Yang). Many animators are finding themselves out of work, and the industry is becoming increasingly cruel towards the artists that make the work possible, which makes it all the more important to bring awareness to the subject.

Methods

Thomas and Johnson coined the “12 principles of animation”, a list of concepts that act as the backbone for a successful animation. These principles also acted as the backbone of our workshop, with the first several weeks dedicated to analyzing and replicating the techniques demonstrated in them. Many of the principles go hand-in-hand with one another, which allowed us to blend them seamlessly into the lessons through small hands-on animation exercises.

Animation is a very time consuming process, which created some technical challenges for the workshop. After we went over the basics of the 12 principles, the rest of the course was dedicated to two major projects: a smaller scale independent animation, and a larger, collaborative “multi-animator project” which can be seen on display as our final ArtsFest creation. The framework of these classes was determined by what was required to be included in the projects (length, techniques, specifications, etc.), but since animation is used to bring the artist’s imagination to life, I opted for a more student-led approach. For our projects, I set up several polls so that the students could have a say in what style, color, and concept the animations would be in so they could decide the direction of the project. This capstone is theirs as much as it is mine. 

Audience & Impact

My goal for this workshop was to expose my students and the viewers to the dedication, love, and passion that goes into animation. Due to its scope and the nature of the program, animation is a subject that’s rarely touched upon by the Art Scholars programs. Running a workshop gave me the opportunity to share an interest of mine that has fueled me for many years with people that might not have much experience with it. Being able to bring illustrations to life through animation is something I love dearly, and through the workshop, my students have been able to expand their technical and imaginative skills. Finishing my capstone is a little bittersweet. It has definitely been a rough journey, but I hope both my students and the viewers reading this can walk away having learned something new!

References

Curtis, Scott. Animation. Rutgers University Press, 2019.

Hagan, Andrew. “Painting with Pixels: The Art of Communication Using Animation and Visual Effects.” Fusion Journal, no. 16, 2019, pp. 5-22. http://www.fusion-journal.com/painting-with-pixels-the-art-of-communication-using-animation-and-visual-effects/ 

Schlosser, Ralf W., et al. “Effects of Animation on Naming and Identification across Two Graphic Symbol Sets Representing Verbs and Prepositions.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, vol. 57, no. 5, Oct. 2014, pp. 1779–91, https://doi.org/10.1044/2014_jslhr-l-13-0193. 

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. The Illusion of Life : Disney Animation. 1981. Hyperion, 1995.

Yang, Lin. “The Fight for Animation.” The Michigan Daily, 1 Oct. 2024, www.michigandaily.com/arts/digital-culture/the-fight-for-animation/. 

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank the 11 students who attended my workshop every week. They were endlessly patient with me through technical difficulties and my own awkwardness, and I was really impressed with their work during the semester! I’d also like to thank my TA, Queen, for the support she gave me, and the Arts Scholars directors for the opportunity.