Animation

Hey everyone,

I'm currently developing my own adult-oriented indie animated pilot called CARTOON VIOLENCE, it's basically "Looney Tunes meets Jackass". The pilot itself will be split into two kinds of releases: individual segments uploaded as YouTube Shorts, and all segments compiled into the 16:9 pi...

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Hey everyone,

The animation is about a group of four anthropomorphic animal buddies filming stunt videos and uploading them online, with some additional slice-of-life elements outside of their stunt videos to balance things out. But their lives are still very chaotic, very raunchy, and very ridiculous. The four buddies include Jimmy Hopsville (the name of the impulsive rabbit with a name that parodies Johnny Knoxville), Nutsack (the nickname for the anxious squirrel who tries to be the straight man), Scales (the nickname for the laid-back snake who also films their stunts on his cellphone), and Squat (the nickname for the short duck who is the destructive and chaotic gremlin of the group).

Visually, I intend to use a mix between cel-shaded 3D graphics and 2D vector graphics in Blender, and I would use Blender's Grease Pencil tool to animate "boiling line" outlines for the characters (in case you don't know, boiling lines are outlines that are constantly moving, almost like what you'd see in the show "Ed, Edd n Eddy"). I'm also hoping to go for limited character animations akin to a mix between old Hanna-Barbera cartoons and something like "South Park".

I have attached a behind-the-scenes picture of a working background for my animation that I made in Blender, which uses both 2D vector graphics for the building and sky while the ground and pathways are 3D objects meant to give an idea for my approach to the art style for this kind of animation. It's not entirely finished yet as I intend to add more propts to the background like trees or trash cans.

My question for this post is about the background: does it look like it would look coherent with the kind of art and animation style I'm going for based on what I previously described?

I would appreciate any honest feedback. Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I'm currently developing SPHERES, a dialogue-free animated short (around 10 minutes) set in an alien world built entirely from simple geometric shapes.

The story follows 12.66666666666666666666666666666666π, a small alien born with a crack in his shell whose job is to organize the stars i...

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Hi everyone!

I'm currently developing SPHERES, a dialogue-free animated short (around 10 minutes) set in an alien world built entirely from simple geometric shapes.

The story follows 12.66666666666666666666666666666666π, a small alien born with a crack in his shell whose job is to organize the stars into perfect mathematical patterns. His curiosity leads him to question the rigid logic of his society, and through play and imagination he unintentionally creates the constellations we know today—getting himself into trouble with a civilization obsessed with order, symmetry, and calculation.

Visually, the film uses a minimalist 2D style that simulates depth through gradients rather than actual 3D. The aesthetic blends Memphis design, stylized abstract art, soft pastel colors, and a subtle 90s CRT television grain. Every character is built exclusively from simple geometric shapes.

Since the short has no dialogue, everything is communicated through animation, timing, body language, and changes in simple geometric forms.

I'm currently working on one of the supporting characters, Monitor, a floating supervisor. It's essentially a sphere with a single eye that also functions as a display screen. Instead of having a traditional face, it expresses emotions through very simple geometric transformations and movement.

My question is about the character's readability.

-Do these expressions communicate clearly at first glance?

-Without dialogue, would you immediately understand what Monitor is feeling or trying to communicate?

-Are there any expressions that seem confusing, ambiguous, or too subtle?

The animation itself will be fairly simple, so I'm trying to make sure the character designs and poses do as much storytelling as possible.

I'd really appreciate any honest feedback. Thanks!

Leonardo Ramirez

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2 people like this
- Dwayne Williams
- Lina Coutinho
3 weeks ago

Great discussion Lina Coutinho but I'm not sure that we can or should redefine what it means. According to the Cambridge dictionary, the word "anime" means "Japanese films made using characters and im...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

Anime is distinctly animation made in Japan, something like ATLA is “anime-esque.” So still a cartoon but with a strong anime influence.

I agree, everyone wants to be anime lol

GINA TOUMA

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2 people like this
- Lina Coutinho
- Dwayne Williams
3 weeks ago

It’s a fascinating debate! Historically, "anime" is just the Japanese word for all animation, but globally, it has evolved into a distinct artistic philosophy.

While Western "cartoons" traditionally le...

Sergey Martinov

4 weeks ago

This is a beautiful animation, and the music fits it perfectly. Thanks so much for sharing!

Michael Teisan

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1 person likes this
- Sergey Martinov
4 weeks ago

Thank you Sergey Martinov I didn't do the animation or the dialogue or sfx, but everything that's music I did Including the ridiculous songs lol.

Joshua Powell

3 weeks ago

Michael Teisan I really enjoyed listening to this. The music felt incredibly polished and fit the animation naturally without ever overpowering it. I especially liked how it shifted with the emotion o...

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Evan Anglin

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2 people like this
- Ashley Renée Smith
- Chase Carmichael
2 months ago

I absolutely love this post, Ashley Renée Smith . A character that has stayed with me especially in animation is the character, ZAZU from the Lion King. While The Lion King as very close ties to Shake...

John E. Bias

2 months ago

I'm going to go back, way back. The 80s and the television premiere of "Robotech: The Macross Saga." The main character, "Rick Hunter," stood out to me for a reason I couldn't explain when I first wat...

Whitney Davis

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1 person likes this
- Ashley Renée Smith
1 month ago

Oh this is a good one! There are so many however the first to come to mind is Tiana (although she’s a frog most of the movie). I have a 6-year old daughter and to watch her come live to see a Disney P...

Christopher Humphrey

1 month ago

John E. Bias a family member said he was almost traumatized after Ricks death when he was growing up. I never understood until, decades later, I decided to watch it. Even as an adult it was hard to wa...

1
1 person likes this
- Ashley Renée Smith
4 weeks ago

For me, it's Taz, the Tasmanian Devil from (Looney Tunes).

I think it's his pure chaotic energy—the incredible speed, the deep, gravelly voice, and, of course, his ability to spin like a tornado. He's...

Cyrus Sales

Gasem Habibian اگر ترجمه من دقیق نیست، عذرخواهی می‌کنم. تمام تلاشم را می‌کنم.

با این حال این پست بیشتر درباره فیلمنامه و نویسندگی است (با فرض اینکه ترجمه درست باشد). ممکن است اگر در «Screenwriting Loun...

Gasem Habibian

سلام وقت بخیر امیدوارم خوب باشید مرسی از شما

Really makes me think, the environment and how it is animated really matters in movies. I am not going to say I am invested in the plot to a kids movie, but, it does look like a movie I could watch wi...

1
1 person likes this
- Banafsheh Esmailzadeh
1 month ago

For me, it's the combination of satire, pop culture references, and the chemistry between Shrek and Donkey. Their personalities are complete opposites, and Eddie Murphy's timing still makes me laugh e...

What is "anime" for you?

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Spheres concept and character sheet

فیلمنامه

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