Unit 04- Slapstick Characters in 2d and 3d Animation

Once again I went around searching for some more Slapstick characters as I am using comedy as topic, I am trying to absorb little tips regarding face expressions, postures and movements which help convey what I really want. As I said before, Cartoon Animation and Animator's Survival Kit books are extraordinary helpful as they possess numerous tips for face expressions.
Although, we are not doing a animation exactly, more like a compilation of stills. I researched some 2d and 3d animations who have as main characters Slapstick.


2D Animations

It reminded when I used to watch Looney Tunes or Tom & Jerry, a perfect example of Slapstick characters until 1952 is The Coyote and Road Runner, where infinite accidents used to happen to the Coyote, which would make us laugh.


The Coyote & Road Runner





Another great 2d Animation is Tom & Jerry, a fame that last for generations, because despite any episode tell the same story, the cat against the mouse, the accidents are the strong points in them, also the fact that one of our characters is all the time falling into accidents is what calls the audience to actually laugh and stay in front of the screen for short periods, with no sound at all apart from the sound effects.


Also to highlight the beautiful animations and the Sketches.

Tom & Jerry



The postures and movements expressed in this episode really helped my research, as the characters, from pain, jump to Awe, to cry, to fear.


P.s- Trivia: the song sang in there despite being sang in Spanish, the original version is sang by the famous Brazilian Singer Carmen Miranda in Portuguese.



3D Animations

More recently with the technology evolution, the 3d also borrowed all the techniques of the early cinema as well as of the 2d Animation.
A good example is a Short Film presented to us in one of our Maya Classes, Our Wonderful Nature, Although the short film as a narrator telling the story at the beginning, when it arrives to the action part, the story is only told by the characters themselves as well as the camera angles. The different expressions are really well done in this particular animation and adding a little bit more of fun, already transmitted by the scripting and the camera work.

Our Wonderful Nature




Another character that most of the people may identify is the Pixar's success Wall-e, the whole feature is based on robots and as we know they do not speak so the challenge here implanted was to create a moving as well comic story with only gestures or once again expressions.
As I have seen in the making of Wall-e documentary, for all the movements they had to look at funny artists of Silent Cinema Era, Slapstick. to know how to convey emotions and funny scenes, actually to know how to communicate with our second language.
Wall-e is an amazing recent example of how CG Animation is used not only to portray the character but also to show its emotions.
In my opinion, Pixar succeeded in convey that, creating feeling throughout the whole audience.

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