Friday 9 January 2015

Glen Keane Characters

Glen Keane is one of Disney's most well-known artists. He has animated characters such as Tarzan, The Beast (from Beauty and the Beast), and Pocahontas.

I found a talk that Keane did in front of a some people about the hardest character he's had to animate. Starting from 1:48, he compares drawing Ariel with Pocahontas, saying that Ariel has a much rounder, traditionally Disney face, whereas Pocahontas has high cheekbones that face outwards and much thinner eyes/facial features. It's clear to me that a characters look can reflect their personality and background story as we make assumptions based on their looks.
For example with Pocahontas, with her much thinner and straight facial features they give the impression that she's a more serious character, whereas Ariel is the opposite with her round, happier face.



After watching a few of his rough sketches and animation tests, I can see the small details that he adds in which makes the animation even smoother. Her movement the clip below makes her look happy and dreamy - the subtle movement in her shoulders as she talks suggests that she's slightly embarrassed but happy at the same time; her tail flows in a wave which follows through from her top half, which exaggerates her feelings through her actions.



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