Friday, September 12, 2008

SNOW WHITE: Grumpy Stomps Out

Today's post gives us a look at the interplay of background art pieces within a scene.

Snow White says to Grumpy: "Well, aren't you going to wash?"

He turns his back, stubborn...

Snow White, sweetly teasing says "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

At which point Grumpy sticks his tongue out at Snow White, then stomps off and walks right into the door.

When he stomps off we see Snow White at the left, with most of the shot's background art revealed.

In particular, note the wood bench and the wonderful pillar.

This recreated pan is the entire length of the scene. Once again, pay attention to the bench and pillar, and the different perspective. Disney was a masterful cinematographer. He understood the dramatic impact of pans, zooms, fades, and camera angles. The B/G art played a pivotal role in heightening these camera techniques.

In a tighter shot within the scene, we see the same area, with the nearly identical but definitely different background art, with subtle but noticeable variances in lighting and details. Notice the difference in the fruit bowl and the different draping of the fabric hanging out of the cupboard drawer. Intriguing continuity anomalies...

7 comments:

  1. Hey, you know what TV show had some awsome animation backgrounds? Samurai Jack, from Cartoon network

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  2. Rob,

    Thanks for pointing out the change in the fruit bowl and the cloth. It's an interesting cheat that helps maintain continuity of space without being too literal about it.

    I'm sure many have done it, but now that you've pointed it out, I'll probably look for it more consciously.

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  3. Brilliant watercolor backgrounds! Snow White and Pinocchio have some of the most artistic and atmospheric BGs ever.

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