Inanimate Objects Research

One of the most recognised and successful inanimate object animations is Pixar's lamp and jr lamp. John Lasseter in an interview for BBC documentary 'From Pencils to Pixels' stated  "It is important to identify its face and head." In the obvious case of the lamps it is the lamp shade which is the head and the bulb representing the face.



Paul Lavey's 'The Lascivious Broom' however focuses on using the broom head to move like human legs giving the broom its character which is also successful.



After looking at these two animations it is clear to see that areas of the object that could relate to the human anatomy is what gives the object its structure and can establish how the character might look or move.

Character Research: Animated Melancholy Characters

When looking into animated characters with a melancholy personality the first character that came to mind was Eeyore, the gloomy, depressed stuffed donkey from Winnie-the-Poo. This character could influence my melancholy step ladder by his posture and manner in which he moves. Eeyore is presented as being depressed by his slouched posture and his limbs, ears and even eyes being droopy.

Tex Avery's 'Droopy' is another character which shows the traits associated with a melancholy personality. Droopy's name comes from the obvious droopy face associated with a basset hound dog which express sadness.