It’s been a little while since I’ve written about animation, so let’s jump back into it! A few years ago, I was practicing 3D animation by following along with Chiara Porri’s great beginner exercise list. Number 20 on the list was “drinking”, which had you focus on anticipation and arcs. If you’re a long time reader, you might remember my “Juice Box Heist” animation. That was made specifically for that prompt. Here’s a little refresher (pun totally not intended):

Overall, I’m super proud of this one! I love some of the acting choices I made, and I think the motion is pretty clean. That being said! I do think it’s missing something that my previous attempts at this prompt did have. After all, this wasn’t my first attempt at a drinking animation!

I concepted and blocked out two previous animations before I landed on this one. So let’s talk about them! They both included an important animation/acting decision that the Juice Box Heist does not have; Imperfection!

A great and relatable performance should involve a character making some sort of mistake, or showcasing a flaw. This can add interesting contrast to the story, and better connect the viewer to the character. Here’s my first example, featuring Link from The Legend of Zelda games. Throughout the actual games, Link has been portrayed as having a few different personalities. But for this animation, I wanted to contrast the cool and confident warrior persona with his more goofy, clumsy side.

Not too bad of a recovery, but definitely not what the character first had in mind! The cool and casual poses in the beginning quickly change to frantic and concerned when things don’t go to plan. This mistake instantly creates more depth to the character, even in this super short clip.

I remember watching Kiki’s Delivery Service as a kid, and noticing how many times Kiki stumbled and tripped throughout the movie. It was never the focus of a shot, but just a little something to add to the character. You can see this happen throughout the Studio Ghibli filmography; imperfect characters making little mistakes.

While I don’t always nail it, I have tried to include this idea in a lot of my animations. I’ll ask myself, “What mistake will this character make?” or “What is this character struggling with in the scene?”. The former question is address in that Link animation, but let’s take a look at the latter question.

Godzilla. King of the Monsters. Destroying enemies with his deadly atomic breath. Tearing across cities, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Sounds dangerous, but also sounds….tiring? What if Godzilla is rampaging on a hot summer day in the city? Does this guy feel the heat?

He does! At least in this little animation block out. This time it’s less about what mistake the character is about to make, and more about how they address what they’re struggling with. A tired and dehydrated Godzilla? He’s gonna want a refreshing drink!

Connect the viewer to the character! Whether they’re the hero of time or the king of the monsters, there’s going to be something imperfect about your character. It makes them relatable, and it makes them human (even if they’re a 100 meter tall lizard)!

Well, that’s all for now! Thank so much for reading and see you next month!

Tribal Link by Christoph (The Stoff) Schoch
Godzilla Rig by Truong CG