How Animated Film Is Made

Many people know what it is to watch an animated movie - you probably watched some as a kid, or maybe even still do! But how exactly does animation work? What are those weird little characters called? And how long does it actually take to make one movie?

Well, today we’re going to look at all of that - but first, let us establish something important about this medium.

All films are stories, so studying film can help you understand how story-telling in cartoons works. Just because they aren’t real doesn’t mean that their rules don’t apply.

When someone says “animation,” they usually refer to two things:

Traditional 2D cartooning

3D computer graphics

With these, what most people call anime isn’t really part of the category; that term refers to American comics (think Looney Tunes) with very few 3D elements.

This article will focus only on the second type, which is more common. So if you’d like to study Japanese cinema, start here!

But before diving in, there is one key thing you need to know: every time you see a character in an animated movie, they are drawn using a technique called drawing.

Drawing is the basis for everything else involved in making a movie, including writing scripts, designing costumes and props, sculpting figures, painting backgrounds, etc.

Visual development

The next step in creating an animated film is visual development. This includes developing all of the characters, environments, and scenes. Character designs are refined and redesigned until they feel complete.

Character design can be tricky as there are many different styles that exist. It is important to know your style before starting to create yours!

For example, if you like cartoon-style characters, then that will play a big part in how you draw them. Or if you like real-life or human character design, then that will help you get ideas for what kind of shapes and features your character has.

Characters also need their own individual voice. What tone do they have? Are they funny or serious? All of these qualities should be considered when designing them.

Lastly, make sure to use proportion rules when designing characters. Make sure to include detail but nothing too much that it becomes distracting. Proportion rules such as equal proportions between arms and legs, etc.

Art direction

When creating an animated movie, one of the first things that get done is the art design. This is the process of deciding how your characters look and where they are in the story.

Art directors typically start with the script and then research previous works similar to what you’re making so that they can draw inspiration from those designs. They may also do some preliminary character studies or even pose different versions of the same character!

After designing all the characters, settings, and sequences, artists write their own little notes as to why each element is important and who it will benefit. These are called “production drawings” because they help determine the final looks for the scenes and individual elements.

Then, when everything is completely designed, animators begin work by drawing prototypes of every scene and sequence.