Animation &Animation Artifacts &Disney 25 Aug 2008 07:38 am
Pinocchio moments
Bill Tytla was an amazing character in animation history. I think, far and away, he was onto something that few other animators ever tried to face. He used the drawing, including all aspects: volume, dynamic tension, weight and graphic distortion, at the service of the character’s acting.
I intend, in another post, to draw a comparison with him to Jim Tyer and Rod Scribner.
For the moment, let me show off these great drawings lifted from John Canemaker‘s wonderful book, The Treasures of Disney Animation Art.
(Click any image to enlarge.)
Look at the distortion in these two drawings – 2 & 3
Talk about breaking of joints, talk about stretch and squash,
talk about every possible animation rule and see those rules
stretched to the brink in these great drawings.
This guy was the master of all masters.
Tytla not only knew the rules but used them to create an acting style
that was on a par with the best of the Method actors of his day.
His kind was never equalled, and I don’t expect to see
anything comparable in cgi. I suppose I can hope.
What a treasure.
Of course, this is Stromboli’s wagon interior. It’s a beauty.
What a magnificent film!
on 25 Aug 2008 at 9:04 am 1.Mark Mayerson said …
I really look forward to your comparison of Tytla, Tyer and Scribner.
You will never see movement like Tytla’s in cgi, but by the same token, you’ll never see it in live action, either. You wouldn’t say that Olivier or Brando are inferior to Tytla because their bodies lack the same degree of flexibility. It just means that live actors have to rely on different techniques to achieve their effects.
The same goes for cgi. If cgi animators haven’t developed those techniques yet, that doesn’t mean that cgi acting won’t eventually evolve into something as powerful as live or drawn acting.
on 25 Aug 2008 at 9:22 am 2.Vince Gorman said …
I just watched Pinocchio again this weekend and there is definitely a presence felt when Stromboli is on screen. Wonderful character animation! Pardon my ignorance, but was Tytla the only animator for Stromboli, or supervisor of that character? Also, I think it’s worth mentioning that the voice performance for Stromboli too had a unique, dynamic quality. Thanks for posting these great drawings, I shall study them closely.
on 25 Aug 2008 at 9:25 am 3.Michael said …
I have to agree with you, Mark, about CGI acting. However, I love drawing and painting and 2D offers that form and the unique ability to move those graphic forms.
on 25 Aug 2008 at 9:31 am 4.Mark Mayerson said …
Vince, there is only one Stromboli scene that is not credited to Tytla in the studio records. In Stromboli’s wagon, the early close-up of Stromboli pushing the stack of coins with his knife is credited to Bill Shull. All the other Stromboli scenes, when Pinocchio is performing and in Stromboli’s wagon, are credited to Tytla.
Shull was Tytla’s assistant at one point, so he was familiar with Tytla’s approach to animating.
on 26 Aug 2008 at 3:12 am 5.Eddie Fitzgerald said …
Beautiful animation and the background painting was gorgeous!
on 27 Aug 2008 at 12:10 am 6.Scott Harpel said …
One hopes that Disney pulls all the stops when Pinocchio come out on Blu Ray, the thought of the most expensive film per foot finally being shown in a format that can reveal all the time effort, and money put into every inch will be glorious.