Principles of animation

Initial Character Design and Storytelling

When creating a character and story, its important to treat them as if they are a real life person, as this often allows people to relate to the perils a character faces, and gives the story a sense of depth, believability, and immersion. Some things we were taught to consider this lesson when creating a character for our works is the External and Internal features of a character... 

External features
-is the character human, animal or object?
-What do they wear?
- How do they move?
- Whats the first thing you notice about them from a distance


Internal Features
-What do they like to do?
-What do they fear?
-What emotion do they most often feel?
-How would they respond if trapped in an elevator?


As well as this, we were also taught to consider what the character wants compared to what they need. What do they want most? What do they want to become? What might they need in order to succeed? Story elements also need to be considered, like what obstacles your character will face, and their features, behaviors and thoughts will all affect the outcome of those obstacles. The stakes for a character also need to be considered, as how they will act when faced with a moral, social or physical conflict will often affect themselves in some way, and often has the power to change their world forever.

Out of my favourite films, I've decided to use Rapunzel from Tangled to analyse for her personality and Internal/external features, as well as various other aspects that were taken during her characters design process.


One of the most iconic parts of Rapunzels character design is her extremely long golden hair. The way she moves is also very energetic and bouncy, but still somewhat restrained by all of the hair she has to carry with her. Her outfit is also very recognizable, as she wears a purple feminine looking dress, which is a noticeable staple of Disney princesses. Her outfit also matches the time period in which the movie is set, and allows her to run and move freely.

Her Internal features also differ from a lot of Disney princesses of the past, as she is given a strong personality and has many hobbies and skills, most notably art. She is also shown to have a lot of curiosity and wonder for the world around her, due to her sheltered upbringing. I believe if Rapunzel did happen to be trapped in an elevator, her curious personality and tend to problem solve would lead her to try and figure out a way to escape, if that failed, having grown up most of her life in a small isolated house would probably mean she could calmly wait till help arrived.

In Tangled, one of the biggest obstacles the protagonist faces is trying to escape her evil 'mother's control and to gain her freedom and achieve her own dreams. Her arc starts off as simply wanting to see the lanterns, but quickly turns into a chaotic adventure when she realises how great the outside world  she doesn't wish to go home. In the middle of her arc, she feels betrayed and goes back to the world she has always know, but by the end of the story she manages to break free of her captors influence and choose freedom for herself.

The stakes for Rapunzel were very high, as at the end she was prepared to trade her freedom to save someones life. While she needed freedom, she was willing to abandon that need for the well being of another person.

At the end of the lesson, we also began to work on some character designs of our own. We were encouraged to sketch quickly to get basic ideas down, and to play around with different shapes and forms to make up the silhouette of the characters faces. The appearance of the character should also match the personality and Internal Features of the character, so while many may debate over whether visuals or story should take priority, both should be equally considered during both practices. I only managed to sketch out a handful of designs in class, but during my spare time I plan to continue sketching ideas and concepts for characters to develop, as well as finding an artstyle that is recognisable and easy to work with.