Animation Principles Presentation: Appeal

The first example of appeal that I would like to draw attention to is Gru (00:00:46-00:01:10) from Despicable Me. Gru's character stands out significantly from the rest of the people in the film. He is not appealing in the form of attraction, but in the form of being interesting to look at. He has a very round head, essentially no neck, a pronounced nose, thick eyebrows, dark eyelids, a thick body, and long and scrawny legs and arms. The other characters look considerably more like your average human, whereas Gru's body is not a realistic body type. All these factors make it very obvious that Gru is a relevant character, as well as draw the eye to him.

The next character I would like to draw attention to is Spongebob (00:01:06-00:01:24). Spongebob is a very distinct character. He is the only rectangular shaped character in the whole series, he is a very vibrant and happy yellow color, his mouth and eyes are enlarged, and his facial features are overly expressive. Practically everything about him makes him stand out from the rest of the characters and draws the focus of the audience.

The final character I would like to discuss is Aang (00:02:05-00:02:39) from Avatar the Last Air Bender. While Aang is more similar to the rest of the characters than the previous two mentioned, he still has key characteristics that make him stand out and appealing to the eye. With the bald head, arrow tattoos, distinct air bender clothing, occasional glowing of eyes and tattoos, slightly enlarged eyes, and expressive facial features, Aang has a very unique look to him. His enlarged eyes create a sense of kindness and innocence, kind of like puppy dog eyes, which compliments his personality. All the other features create a clear distinction and implication of importance to the viewer.