Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The characters in the animated film
The Incredibles
(2004) are some of the
most well-defined and well-rounded personalities that have ever been seen
in animation. They transcend their physical appearance and are emotionally
complex. It is because they are so completely believable that the audience
becomes emotionally engaged.
In the film we see the characters take on several guises. One of the main
characters is Helen Parr; in her everyday role she is a typical young American
woman, though in her role as superhero she is Elastigirl, doing her bit in
the fight against crime. As Mrs. Incredible she is wife to Mr. Incredible and
the mother of three children; she is the glue that keeps this family, with all
its pressures and stresses, together. She is no simple superhero with special
powers (however impressive those powers are); she is a real person and
as such is completely believable and engaging. We see her, as a mother
and housewife, trying to do the best for her family, balancing the different
needs and demands of everyday experience—the school run, the trip to
the market, feeding the baby, keeping a home, and being a loving wife to a
loving husband. When she discovers evidence that she mistakenly reads as
the infidelity of her husband, she reacts and behaves in ways based on her
emotional responses. We feel her anxiety, disappointment, and anger. In the
performance of this character we witness animation as acting. The complex
emotions she exhibits are the motivating factor behind her actions.
These psychological and emotional motivations bring about the shifts in
movement and action that determine the nature of an animation and a
performance. For animators (actors), these psychological and emotional
aspects of animation take the greatest time to master. Perhaps we never truly
master the craft of acting for animation; perhaps we merely develop and
refine our abilities. This is the height of our craft.
Even in the most humble of animated action, the psychological state of
a character may be in evidence. The nature of a walking figure will vary
depending on the mood and temperament of the character walking. According
to the veteran animator Richard Williams, a regular walk cycle conforms to
march time and is completed over 12 frames. Although this may provide a
reasonable walk cycle, it is a little simplistic to suggest that
all
walk cycles will
be of the same duration. A character that is unhappy or depressed may walk
more slowly (certainly not in march time), taking shorter steps and completing
the cycle over many more frames. A walk undertaken as a result of a character
being elated, let's say at the news that the individual has just won the hand of a
beautiful woman, would probably result in the figure walking rather faster than
normal and with a lighter step, perhaps even quicker than march time. The
point here is that these walk cycles, though still modes of locomotion, will all
vary depending on the psychological and emotional state of the walker.
For the most part animators deal with the issue of animated movement that
asks for action and animation in their subjects. The use of acting, certainly
acting that demands the highest level of emotional engagement, is less
