The Stories Within Animation

A good story is what makes an animation really come to life. Where would disney films be if their stories weren't on par with their beautiful? I've seen some beautifully animated short film projects before, but a lot of them lacked in story depth to really have them stand out. In the animation business, when a studio comes up with a plot that they think is good enough for their movie, they move on to sequences. In the book The Illusion of life: Disney Animation by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas (1981), they address how a sequence serves in animated films:

Our feature films always seemed to end up with about 14 sequences. No matter how each started out, whether with high adventure or complicated stories, by the time we developed and balanced and streamlined and edited we ended with little more than a dozen. At least two sequences would have been cut out after we started production, and something else would have grown to sequence length and been inserted even later….The fact becomes quite important when a picture requiring many incidents in different locales is being considered. (pp. 368)

 When it comes to writing a story for an animation, studios have to be certain that they don't bombard the audience with action that lacked any narrative. Without narrative, an animation would not be anywhere near as interesting if not done correctly. There are some movies, like Disney/Pixar's WALL-E that spends a good portion of the movie using character movement to show emotion rather than using any words. Character development is a major player in producing a good animation.

To avoid making animations too exciting or too dull, guidelines were created:

1.     Avoid scenes or activities that are only continuity. If there is a mood to be established or scenic atmosphere is needed, then the continuity can be secondary to the pictorial effect.

2.     Avoid expository scenes. If the scene’s purpose is to get a character to talk or explain the plot, avoid it. Instead use a narrator or title to do it.

3.     Make sure the story incident or situation is really interesting. This could be easily achieved by the actors simply letting their personality and decisions form the backbone of narrative, but make sure the situation is strong enough to invite audience investment.

4.     Be sure the characters have an opportunity to come to life, find the entertainment in the situation and character.

5.     Look for places to show the characters thinking. Show them changing attitude, and look for ways to show more facets of their personalities; they should grow through the film.

6.     Ask yourself, “Can the story be done in caricature?” In which can the story be believable, but not realistic?

7.     Tell your story through the broad cartoon characters rather than the “straight” ones, i.e., the side characters.

By following these guidelines, Disney produces multiple movies that contain very well done stories, the most latest being the movie Zootopia.