Storyboard

The storyboard below helps illustrate the narrative to the animation. The main theme behind the story is that overcoming fear has its rewards. As cartoons are often used to in store beliefs and values in kids, I thought I would attempt in with my animation.



Storyboard Annotation

1 - Character is introduced hiding in the jungle. There are roaring sounds to infer that something is chasing him. He will demonstrate through body language and facial expressions being scared. This will firstly help the audience warm to him. It will show a vulnerable side to the character that will help the audience support him.

2 - Character will emerge from the jungle, creeping out slowly, checking he is not being followed. He will then step on an object, possibly a rock. This is so the emotion of pain and anger can be shown through body language and facial expression, with accompanying groans.

3 - Character enters a nearby cave as he wants to sit down and check out his injured foot.

4 - Mysterious eyes appear in the cave with accompanying roaring sounds. Through out the animation the mysterious animal will never be shown. This is to cut down on the modelling side of things so animation can be focussed on. Using sounds and showing the characters reaction to those sounds should be enough to infer the animal's presence. The cave will be partially lit through a crack in the ceiling illuminating the character. This will allow the character to be shown and his reactions to be obviously noticed, without seeing his ambient surroundings. Fear emotion will once again be shown by the character.

5 - Character overcomes his fear and shows aggression towards the animal. He then chases the animal into the shadows. Noises to infer a fight is going on, but not letting the audience know who is winning.

6 - Character emerges from cave with a new tiger fur attire. Puts on a pair of sunglasses to suggest he feels confident and cool. Walks off into the distance with a confident stride. This scene should comical.

Character Design

Below is a sketch of the character I am going to create. I have decided to go with a tribal man (name yet to be decided). One of the main reasons for this choice is the fact that he will not speak words, only grunts and groans. This means the animation can focus on the body language and facial expressions to communicate his emotions to the audience. This also means that the audience do not have to speak a particular language in order to understand the cartoon. This is important when Disney channels are available in 165 countries and in 33 languages. The other reason this idea was chosen was because it is something a bit different and I think could be interesting and comical.

The sketch makes my character look slightly evil / scary. This is due to my lack of drawing ability. He will be modelled to look friendlier, so he doesn't scare the intended audience.

Disney Research / Mood Board

On doing some research into Disney characters I discovered that Disney create many human and non human characters but often give them very human personalities even if they are non human looking. The newer Disney films created by Pixar Studios seem to be completely different from the more traditional Disney films. The main way in which they differ from 2D drawn type cartoons of the more traditional to the 3D looking graphics of newer films. This is probably down to the technology that has been available to Disney studios over their history but is an important change to note. Pixar characters are still usually non human but the films have an element of realism to them. The way in which this is achieved is by primarily realistic use of physics on objects in the films. The scenery is also more realistic looking and their is clear attention to detail.

There tends to be more comedic element in newer Disney films as well as the characters having more personality. The use of detail that is achieved in newer Disney films helps convey the feelings and emotions of the characters in a way the older films could not and certainly helps to build the characters persona and relationship with the audience. All of these findings need to be taken into consideration when designing my new Disney character.

The mood board below helps illustrate the wide range of Disney characters.