Book Review of The Disney Animation Illusion of Life: Authors Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas

“There is something magical in the whole process that comes from every act of creativity, individually and collectively, that transcends the single steps of production. It’s more than drawing and more than idea.

Possibly it’s the love we feel for characters so heroic, so tender and funny and exciting – all of them are entertaining but yet each different, each thinking his thoughts on his own and experiencing his own emotions. That’s what makes them so real and that’s what makes them so memorable.

And its also give them the astounding illusion of life!!!”

You are at painting exhibition. You are looking at a beautiful drawing … all senses are becoming numb for a while … its like energy coming from that picture and pervades every vain in body… you are going deep and deep in that picture … totally immersed in that moment.. Every picture speaks silently in ears… like sometimes we hear silence speaking for itself… for that block of time like time has stopped, world around has stopped for a moment… suddenly all senses come alive again and we found ourselves in that picture like a stranger… every bit of picture is steady… though its just water in picture we can hear its sound.. We can feel the mood of picture…we can hear our heartbeats…and finally the magic moment ends… but what will happen in that picture after this moment? The essence of moment is right there and must be perceived… but its not there… next painting is something else…

And that’s where THE MAGIC OF ANIMATION comes somewhere from heaven and that stasis between moment is over…

ANIMATION gave life to things that are supposed to be just images and nothing else…

Almost 100 years ago … in 1906, J.Stuart Blackton made the first animated film, “Humorous Phases of Funny

Faces”.

Though animation was born, it doesn’t have the meaning that we have today. I.e. though unconsciously but we have something different perspective for it.

Animation was used for small gags, comedy and mostly one or two dimensional characters.

The 3 dimensional characters have Thoughts, Actions and Emotions!

The early cartoons lack emotions strongly. Likewise in Road Runner the Antagonist Must know after 3 or 4 tries that he never going to catch Road Runner… But he doesn’t stop at all.

Its two dimensional, He has thoughts (how to catch Road Runner) and he plans and execute it (Actions) but doesn’t feel bad when he fails… though he does we don’t care instead we laugh at it …

So in Animation creating three dimensional characters that has Emotions exactly like human were introduced by Disney, and people felt strongly connected to them and without their (people’s) age group. When innocent Dumbo (baby elephant) (Film Dumbo) can’t meet his mother and when he is exiled from his community we really feel bad. I would have almost cried in the scene where his mother touches him from prison and can’t see him and Dumbo wants to stay with her but he can’t …

See these are not just cartoons they are much more than that. One studio brought revolution to Animation. They made us laugh, they made us cry, and they made us excited. It’s “Walt Disney Studio”

There was something special magic ingredient and magic touch in Disney films that created and creates the illusion of life!

Some may call it Disney Style,

Then what is Disney Style? What’s so special about Disney Studio Movies? How they brought revolution and new meaning to Animation? How exactly the films were made? Who made all that movies so special? What is exactly Animation?

All those questions are answered in the book “Disney Animation: Illusion of Life” written by two Legendary Animators from Disney Studio, two of Disney’s “Nine Old Men”

Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston.

It’s actually a research and not just book that has paramount importance on its own.

In Preface, they say that

“Our original intension had been to write a book on how to animate, hope we could offer some inspiration rather than something to copy.

The book is written for the student who wants to know how Disney Animation is done; for historians who wants to know why it was done that way ; for the artist who has never realized the potential of animation as profession; and

For the General Public who still wonder “what really makes them move?” ”

The book basically deals with two parts; Development of Disney Studio and Development of Animation. Both parts are pure Gold.

We get astonish with the efforts of learning, developing animation and creating the magic touch.

It’s like we traveling through time and being at exactly in Disney studio with all these great guys around. The language used by Ollie and Frank hypnotize us so strongly.

While absorbing each and every word I felt like, I’m the new young animator at Disney studio; it’s my first day in studio. I’m overwhelmed, I’m kind a scared and suddenly a strong and convincing voice comes from my back; time stops like it did in Mahabharata at Kurukshetra, for Arjuna and Both these Legends(Ollie and Frank) are taking me to journey on the quest of finding illusion of life!

At the start of Disney Studio, artist had the habit of hiding there art procedures like a secret, no one wanted to share the artistic process. But the great leader Walt (Disney) broke that habit. He gave birth to animation process, where everybody was sharing their skills with each other, guiding each other. Every ones work was pinned on the board, anybody was free to comment on it. That’s how they as group started improving their work.

Walt had so many gifts as he was great leader, one of them I think most important was that he always had succeed in finding the actual talent in his people and assigning the right job for them. It’s not just the right job but it’s like that finding ones dream job!

All that principles of Animation Squash and Stretch, Overlapping, Line of action and all that we use today as the base for any Animation, was Established or Discovered in Disney Studio. But remember that this wasn’t like one day discovery it took large time, huge efforts, hard work, dedication, passion, many sleepless nights produced it.

The concept of Storyboards is also discovery of Disney Studio.

The aim of the studio was to entertain people without their age group. Create memorable characters.  The Walt Disney Studio is the perfect example of “Learning Organization” which never stopped improving and discovering something new in Animation.

They worked hard to give life to the characters and Involving Audience.

In this book many memorable incidents are recorded. There are no hard and fast rules for any art form, but Disney Animators had given their basic principles on how to work on story, sounds, drawings, motion study, expressions, creating gags, working with animals, studying them, studying people, creating water, fire, and storms using colors.

Somewhere in book Ollie says that “… we always tried to specify all in one statement that has all that needed  …”

This book tries to explain why Walt was a great leader, he always, always pushed his men beyond their abilities and they produced miracles. No doubt these great legendary animators give all credit to him.

This book is not like some boring history or science book that has boring procedures and boring dates.

It’s full of passion, motivation, and excitement, full of joy, full of craziness, full of positivism, love for animation, creation, anticipation changes, and discoveries!

I just want to state most important fact here that, do you know that it’s in the blood of warriors that their each and every bit from their body to soul is filled with war skills. It’s not something you be, it’s something you are and which is more than humanity.

Same is here in animation, Walt clearly states that

“You know, the only way I’ve found to make these films is with Animators

– because you can’t seems to do with book keepers and accountants”

These Animators were different than normal people they had creative minds, great skills and pure innocent heart of small kid; they behaved like kids that’s amazingly crazy!

At point where Ollie remembers that “… Back in the thirties, sometimes we climbed on table and over the chairs and allover the room chasing imaginary cats or villains or whatever…”

They had a great sense of humor and heart that had ocean of emotions for their work and creations that flow through their films even through this book and you can feel it when you read through it.

Here we realize that Walt believed in his Characters and Audience so much that he always tried to strengthen the bond between them.

Walt Disney Studio always gave something new to people. When we look at their first 3 films all were different, distinct, and won every ones minds.

First Snow White and seven dwarfs then Pinocchio and after that Fantasia in which studio achieved new milestone for special effects.

These guys really worked hard, so much that one can’t even believe. They worked hard on stories, characters, drawings, sounds, animation, and camera. When we go through book we realized that it’s not at all easy as it seems.

Studio had fixed procedures and the work is done precisely and dedicatedly in each small area.

Walt used to say that everybody has to contribute something otherwise they become laborers.

No doubt at the end when they used to see the final film on screen everybody used to feel and say that “He is MY character”

The story men, Animators, Director, Stylist, layout men… and all.

And finally audience! 😉

“Unless everyone feels this closeness to product, the dedication will not be there and necessary care will not taken to ensure that the end result will be the finest anyone can do”

Here is the chapter that tells us that how the film is used to made from scratch. A complete journey from pencil to big screen.

When we go through it we realize their consistent hard work, passion, and love for creations.

Again in this book, Ollie and Frank teach so many concepts exactly telling how the legendary scenes or characters in animation were created which is extremely helpful for us.

You might be wondering how hard they used to work?

Just look at this ,

Animation film has 24 frames per second rate, for each frame there are 4 drawings,

So in this way there are 96 drawings for 1 sec.

For the film of 80 minutes long total drawings will be 4,60,800.

But these are final finished drawings, when we include all that are inspirational sketches, story sketches, layouts, drawings from animators, from assistants, from inbetweeners the number becomes almost

25,19,200!

(In book they have given exact nos for each drawing individually like for drawings from animators = 5,76,000)

Can you believe it how hard it was for them!

But they were no ordinary people and that’s what makes difference.

In studio they studied live action movies for motions and real actors for expressions. At the time Bambi they brought dead deer and studied its structure. For the scene Bambi was born they witnessed the real miracle of deer giving birth to baby, they waited for hours in late night for that!!!

They dedicatedly worked hard to make their characters a real character in audience’s mind. They worked hard to involve audience that’s make the Disney Animation Studios films different than any other studio.

The biggest power behind the success was Walt Disney himself and “His Nine Old Men” (They were All Legendary Animators in Disney Studio worked as a great team for many Years)

Walt Disney sculpted the Classical animation with his men, though he is no more in book they hope that Animation World is waiting for their leader.

(I think he is back, The Creative Head of Pixar Animation Studio, John Lasseter reminds me of Walt’s presence. More on that later.)

Actually at start I was overwhelmed to write review for a Legendary Book, believe me I have every right to be, and you will realize when you will go through it.

It will be another book if one wants to write the review for it, but it will be like messing with the pure gold essence of book.

So finally I sum it up with Ollie’s and Frank’s Words they conclude like this,

“There is something magical in the whole process that comes from every act of creativity, individually and collectively, that transcends the single steps of production. It’s more than drawing and more than idea.

Possibly it’s the love we feel for characters so heroic, so tender and funny and exciting – all of them are entertaining but yet each different, each thinking his thoughts on his own and experiencing his own emotions. That’s what makes them so real and that’s what makes them so memorable.

And its also give them the astounding illusion of life!!!”

Mahesh

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