By Meghan Warner

Actual Hand- Distortion

I chose distortion for the use of an actual hand because the artist uses their own hands to directly interacts with the claymation at the end of the film. The artist of this animation is Guildies and it is a showcase of their talents in claymation, containing many motion effects and not really having a central “plot”. I believe the artist uses their hands in this piece to show the scale of the objects they’re working with as well as showcase their dedication to claymation.

Distortion (actual hand at 1:21)

Indexical- Isle of Dogs

I chose this clip from Isle of Dogs for indexical because despite the animation being clearly stylized, many elements of the dogs feel very organic or unique. There’s a lot of clear passion put into the animation and actions of the dogs. From the expressions to the fur moving as though it’s being blown in the wind, the film clearly shows indexical quality. The film was created by Wes Anderson with artists from 3 Mills Studios. This specific clip of the animation depicts a dog fight over food scraps on the trash island. I believe the film was created to be indexical to draw in the audience and fit in with the style of other Wes Anderson films.

Isle of Dogs (good example of the fur being windblown 1:02)

Illusion of life- Aristocats

I chose Aristocats for the illusion of life due to the incredibly smooth and detailed animation that makes the animated cats appear incredibly lifelike. Even if they don’t always move like real life cats, the animated drawings feel very alive and fluid. The full film was created by Disney, this specific clip is a pencil test of the cats speaking to each other. The illusion of life is common in old Disney films, most likely as a way to enchant and impress the audience.

Aristocats (0:15 is a great example of fluidity, also looks like the Milt Kahl head swaggle)

Sources:


ARISTOCATS Pencil Test- pencil test of a 2D animated film, uploaded by Andrea Deja, August 18, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbXrTebZQq8

Isle of Dogs official clip “Ok, it’s Worth it”- Clip of a stop motion film, uploaded by Searchlight Pictures UK, Feb 7, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lxqzem01IU

Distortion, A stop motion film by Guldies- Stop motion short film, uploaded by Guldies, Jan 22, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZqIQmdSa1E