Understanding Animation - Paul Wells

'Animation' comes from the latin word animare which means "to give life to". Well describes this further by stating that animation is the "artificial creation of the illusion of movement". He suggests that animation should convey meaning, not just replicate real life.

Throughout the reading, Wells questions instances of "realism" within animation and whether or not it's necessary for a successful piece. The video above is from Felix Revolts which was analysed in the text. It shows Felix the Cat protesting against injustice acts and he acts as a leader for social change. Wells outlines that this theme is unusual for animation, since it's usually distanced from morality and the real world. Animation should be a freedom of expression set in an ideal, fantasy world. According to the reading, Walt Disney and his company were more concerned with commercial success than artistry. Disney wanted his characters to be realistic. I don't think this is necessarily a bad think because realistic animation is more believable. Wells defines this style as hyper-realism. The design, context and action correspond to those of live action. The characters, objects and environment are also similar to conventions of the real world. Moreover, the sounds are diegetically appropriate and fitting with the visuals. Wells compares different Disney films and how 'realistic' they are. Firstly Pocahontas was considered revolutionary for being based on real life people. In constract, Fantasia was more abstract and experimental.

Wells briefly mentioned Squash and Stretch animation which I decided to research a little further.



This is one of the 12 principles of animation and is used to emphasise the velocity of movement.