What animation did Gerard invent?

From the perspective of design, a brief analysis of the characters, symbols and theme design in "Zootopia"

Bumping candies talk about emotions

Original

p>

2020-3-1 15:09 · High-quality emotional realm creator

A Disney animated film co-written and directed by Ricky Moore, Byron Howard, and Gerald Bush "Zootopia" earned US$1.5 billion globally and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. It also had a great response in the Chinese film market. During its popularity, the Douban score once rose to 9.4 points. It can be said that it is a movie A masterpiece that wins both word of mouth and box office.

The film mainly tells the story of Judy Rabbit, a girl from a small town, who perseveres, overcomes many difficulties, and finally realizes her dream of "becoming an excellent police officer." The main story line seems to be similar to that of most Disney movies. Animated movies are much the same, but this movie can touch audiences of all ages around the world because of its world-leading production technology, which presents the audience with vivid visual effects, a highly realistic viewing experience, and reflects reality. The world and profound themes that metaphor real society.

This article will start from the perspective of design and talk about the film design techniques behind this almost perfect film from three aspects: the film’s characters, symbols and theme design.

1. Character design - perfect passion with the audience

The characters in animated films are not only the key to the success of the film, but also the core and soul of the film. They can become An enduring symbol of animated film.

As a viewer, what animated characters have had a profound impact on you when you think back? For example: Crayon Shin-chan, Baymax, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Superman, etc. These characters will become the impressions and complexes that many viewers will linger on throughout their lives.

The success of "Crazy Animals" in character design is reflected in its combination of movie themes and the presentation of high-quality character image creation, infectious personality traits, and deeply rooted emotional connotations. .

1. Image creation - details determine success or failure

In order to design a more realistic effect, the production team spent 18 months traveling to Africa to personally study the shapes and habits of various animals. , characteristics, and explore animal personalities and behaviors with zoologists from various places. Attentive viewers will find that Judy's actions are different in different emotions. Her nose would twitch rapidly when she was nervous or on high alert; her ears would move before her body when she heard a sound behind her.

In order to present more textured and thicker animal hair, the production team carefully studied the characteristics of the animal's fur through a microscope and the different effects of light on the fur, and finally decided to use iGroom software for the first time. to complete this difficult task. In the film, the chubby, donut-eating Officer Leopard uses this technique, with his thick, realistic-looking fur speckled on his face.

In order to more realistically show the scene of 64 species of animals living together in the same city, the production team restored the true proportions of the animals. In the movie, the high-speed train carriage has three doors designed according to the size of different animals; on the first day Judy reported to the police station, when Chief Niu asked everyone to sit down, Judy could only see two ears when she sat down.

Disney technical director Stiller Cheng said in an interview: "The workload is simply impossible to calculate in numbers."

This masterpiece, which took 5 years to produce, is presented on the screen not only with the world's leading production technology, but also with the team's endurance to strive for excellence and to achieve the ultimate in details.

For the audience, the various rich and vivid characters in the film can, on the one hand, bring better visual enjoyment and enrich the audience's aesthetic style; on the other hand, they can give artistic appeal and vitality , so that it can better achieve emotional intimacy with the audience, thereby effectively conveying the emotional value of the film.

2. Style design--art comes from life

What is style design? In fact, it is one of the most intuitive factors in the movie, which is the design of the characters’ accessories, clothing and images. This is an art that presents abstract things to the audience through vision, and it is also the vitality of animated images.

What makes this film clap for seconds is not only the realistic and detailed character images, but also the personality art given to each character by the designer. These arts are derived from our real life and can directly Touch the hearts of the audience.

Yak Yax is a naturalist, so the designer gave him a messy, sloppy hairstyle surrounded by a swarm of flies, and also gave him a beaded necklace; Director Niu In order to make the clothing design more reasonable and realistic, the production team specially let people with strong physiques and well-developed chest muscles wear police uniforms. They found that the first button of the collar could not be buttoned, so the corresponding collar of Chief Niu also Opened the first button.

Producer Clark said that comedy is always the magic weapon to attract audiences to buy tickets.

This style is not only funny and cute, but also has a sense of reality similar to human traits. Only after an animated film first meets the audience's entertainment needs can it then convey the film's deeper thematic value.

Seizing the main line in an unconstrained design is the basis for successful styling design. These "silent languages" can not only reflect the character's profession and identity, but also give the character unique personality characteristics to a certain extent, which can help promote the changes and progress of the plot.

2. Symbol design - extra points for movies

In symbolic interactionism, the most basic concept of symbols is everything that can represent a certain meaning of people, such as: language , words, actions, objects and even scenes are all symbols.

Animated films make extensive use of symbols, which helps express the deeper meanings the film is intended to convey. The design of environmental symbols in this movie can be said to be very imaginative. The design of these symbols not only increases the entertainment of the film, but also generates artistic value beyond the theme of the film, bringing huge emotional touch and passion to the audience.

1. Brand symbol-Easter egg surprise

Another reason why this movie has a huge reputation is that almost every audience can get something interesting in the movie. The surprising design is the implantation of a copycat brand. In addition to real advertising partners Target, Uber, Google, Subway and yogurt brand Yoplait, the film also virtually introduces product symbols familiar to the audience.

For example: the street advertising slogan "JUST ZOO IT" is a copycat of the NIKE brand's slogan "JUST DO IT"; the "ebmy" of Beay is a copycat; a mobile phone with a bitten carrot logo is a copycat of the Apple mobile phone ; The ipaw used by Tiger on the train is a copycat iPad; the prototype of singer Xia Qiyang is Latin singer Shakira.

The placement of these copycat brands not only did not arouse the audience's disgust, but instead became Easter eggs waiting for the audience to open. While the audience was surprised during the movie viewing process, they also wanted to watch the movie again with the answers.

These familiar symbols from the audience’s lives increase the sense of immersion in the movie, and through copycat methods, they add more grooves and laughter to the movie. This is undoubtedly a creative move.

Advertising placement is an important way for movies to recover costs, but it must be based on the premise that it does not destroy the beauty of the plot. The core competitiveness of Disney animated films is the ability to tell stories. Only by taking the story as the main line and inserting advertisements based on the needs of the movie scenes can the film be given extra points.

2. Tribute to classics - nostalgic feelings

In addition to innovative brand placement, many plots of the movie also contain Easter eggs that pay tribute to classics. The production team restored the classic designs to allow the audience to While laughing, I also felt extremely moved, such as:

The swivel chair that the gangster boss Shrew is sitting in and the Italian accent he speaks when he appears are from the classic American gangster film starring Marlon Brando "The Godfather" pays homage; when the bouquet-stealing Weasel Duke sells pirated CDs, the CDs next to them imitate "Big Hero 6", "Rapunzel", and "Wreck-It Ralph" are paying homage to Disney animated movies; even the last The big star "Xia Qiyang" also paid tribute to the Latin queen - Xia Laqi in her style.

The film's reappearance of old classics evokes the best memories deep in the audience's hearts. For most people who grew up with Disney animated films, this tribute awakens our Years of "Disney" feelings have achieved a perfect nostalgic emotional connection between the film and the audience.

This design with ulterior motives not only reflects the film production team’s great enthusiasm and high respect for art, but also demonstrates their pursuit of art and their contribution to the continuation of the art cause.

3. The design of the theme idea - the extension of the value of the movie

What this movie presents to the audience is not only the visual effects of high-level production and the powerful viewing experience, There is also the film's high degree of restoration of the human real world, and through the ups and downs of the storyline and the changes in the relationship between the characters, it reflects the profound themes and rich cultural connotations.

1. Inspirational theme - everyone can be who they want to be

Disney animated movies are no longer just a routine about a prince kissing a princess and living happily ever after. This is no longer the case. It is a fairy tale written only for children, and gradually turns into a secret garden that everyone cannot bear to abandon. Here, everyone can become who they want to be.

It is this theme that is conveyed by the two characters Judy and Nick in the film. The film uses the contrast method to express the growth of the two characters more profoundly.

The little character Judy dreams of becoming an excellent police officer, but her parents’ disapproval, ridicule from her country peers, and prejudice and lack of respect from the chief cattle officer form a counterforce that confronts Judy’s persistence and bravery. This is in sharp contrast to the three honors Judy later received: the first time, she was awarded the police badge by the mayor as the top graduate of the police academy; the second time, when she uncovered the "truth" of an unsolved case, she was awarded the police badge. Interview with a reporter; for the third time, as an excellent police officer, I gave an induction speech to new police officers.

Nick became delinquent because of the prejudice and insult he suffered as a child. His image of "stealing, skating and selling popsicles to make money" and "laughing at Judy's dreams" contrasts with his later transformation and growth. : Nick helps Judy inside the criminal gang to uncover the truth of the unsolved case step by step; at the end of the film, Nick accepts Judy's invitation and officially joins the police force.

Everyone has unlimited possibilities, dare to think, dare to try, abandon prejudices and old ideas, and become yourself. Except Judy did it, so did Nick.

Just like a slogan in the film: Everyone can be whoever they want to be. (Everyone can be anything.)

The process of the protagonist confronting the contrast between dreams and reality is the process of improving their cognitive ability of the environment and themselves. In this process, the audience feels "deja vu" Under the mentality, there is an emotional connection with the film invisibly. In this "non-preachy" way, the film conveys the most profound themes and values ????to the hearts of the audience.

2. Cultural metaphor - returning to truth, goodness and beauty

As an important creative and expression technique in movies, metaphor is conducive to deepening the expressive power of visual art and language art in movies. It can not only make the character characteristics It is more vivid, and it also serves to highlight the theme and deepen the audience's interpretation of the deeper connotation of the film.

The film is a metaphor for the real world. The name of Zootopia is composed of zoo (animal city) and topia (utopia), and the "humanized" animal life in the animal city is the real world of human beings. The epitome of the symbol, implying the harmonious existence among all races in human society.

Prejudice and discrimination are also themes that feature prominent metaphors in the film. As the plot develops, the contradictions and disputes between herbivores and carnivores in Animal City, Judy's identity from a small town, and the ridicule Judy received when she wanted to become a police officer all metaphorically represent racial discrimination in real society. Geographic bias, occupational bias, and gender bias.

As a comedy animation, "Zootopia" not only uses metaphors to express many problems and ills in the real world, producing a laughable and ironic effect, but its real wisdom lies in telling the audience It expresses that these problems, prejudices and discrimination can actually be broken.

Judy and Nick finally broke through all kinds of prejudices and realized their dream of being police officers; as the unsolved case was solved, the herbivores and carnivores in Animal City also broke through the peaceful coexistence of discrimination, and the film finally What we want to promote is the return of human society to truth, goodness and beauty.

4. Conclusion

The reason why "Zootopia" has achieved both word-of-mouth and box office success is indispensable for the strong behind-the-scenes work and creative attitude of the production team to strive for excellence.

For a good work to be passed down to the world, it not only requires advanced production standards to create an unforgettable character image for the audience, but also requires careful creation of the character's personality, giving the character a soul that can enter the audience's heart, and achieve perfection with the audience. ***Affection.

The artistic presentation of this animated film is almost at the top of all animated films in the past. The thinking the film brings to the audience, the value it leaves to the world, and the extension of art are not just 109 minutes, but eternal.

Reference:

"The behind-the-scenes production process of Zootopia is revealed. Why are there only mammals?" 》

"The Value Presentation of Subliminal Symbolic Interactionism "

Search

Zootopia spin-off drama

Chinese version of Zootopia 2

How much Nick dotes on Judy

Zootopia Season 2 complete episodes

Does Nick like Judy

Role recognition and positioning