In Chapter 5 of Illusion of Life, Walt Disney says “In most instances, the driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character--or else all three. Therefore the mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them.”
What Disney is saying from this quote is that before a character even moves, the mood, attitude, and personality of the character dictate the expressions before, during, and after the movements. A Perfect example of this principle can be seen in the 1934 Mickey Mouse Cartoon "Playful Pluto" as shown in the textbook.
As shown in the picture above, Pluto gets a piece of fly paper caught to his behind, and Pluto's expression changes from surprised, to angry, to frustrated as the paper gets stuck on his ear as he struggles with it using his paws.
It is absolutely astounding to see so much detail in such a short time, and how it easily conveys expression messages to viewers with ease. I notice this "mood" detail a lot in the videos of aspiring animators on Youtube as well. There would be extremely short shots of an emotion, but it helps transition the characters current mood state, making scenes with the character flow well and feel "real."
All these emotions can be clearly recognized by the movements of his ears, tail, and eyes. Walt Disney and his crew did a marvelous job at understanding the world around them and translating it into drawings and animations.
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