MOANA | Moana & Maui Shot Progression | Animation Breakdown | 3D Animation Internships

PROCESS BREAKDOWN. Here’s a glimpse into my animation process for one of the shots I animated on Moana. Page 2-3- THUMBNAILS: After discussing the storyboards and the layout with the directors, I usually go straight to thumbnail sketches. I explore poses and expressions for the characters through rough and simple drawings. It’s the “blue sky” phase where I’ll try lots of different ideas. Some questions I ask myself while planning: What is the character thinking and feeling? How can I make the attitudes and actions of the characters unmistakably clear? Can I communicate my ideas in less key poses to simplify my shot? How can I show contrast? How will I make the expressions appealing and entertaining? Are my acting choices specific to the character? How would Moana react to hitting someone vs. how Maui would react? I believe Chris Williams did the story boards for this shot which were so good. They really informed the vibe I was trying to go for in animation. Page 4-5- RESEARCH: I studied footage I found on YouTube of people getting punched in the face, so that I could better understand face punching physics haha! Notice how on impact, his torso is completely still as the head moves over! That’s something I made sure to add to my animation. The second video is one I remembered seeing a couple years ago. It’s a real life example of someone punching someone without thinking, so I thought it would be interesting to step through and study what’s going on in his body during that moment. The voice talent of Moana, Auli’i Cravalho, visited us animators a couple of times. One thing I noticed about her was that her hands were very expressive and always moving as she talked. That’s why I made the decision to do those crazy hand motions at the end of the shot. It’s a choice that was specific to her character, and appropriate for that moment! Page 6-7 - REFERENCE: I’ll act out the scene myself. My thumbnail drawings will usually give me an idea of some of the key poses, while my video reference will give me ideas for body mechanics and subtle face acting. Not all my ideas will make it to my animation. For example, in my reference I thought it would be cool to have M ---- Thank you for watching and Subscribing! Contact with Allen Ostergar IV Story Artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios ✨MOANA Shot Progression playlist: 👉 Subscribe 3D Animation Internships channel: WANT TO GET FEATURED? All CGI artists, studios or schools who would like their work featured or published on Channel please apply below. We’re looking for 3D Animation Internship, Animation Breakdown, Animation Progression, Animation showreels etc. Contact us here → 3DAnimationInternships@ #Moana #MauiAnimationBreakdowns #MoanaShotProgression #3danimationinternships