Modelling “Race”: Human diversity in character design and movement
summary
Argument: anatomy-driven decisions change whether characters read as respectful build skeleton then muscles — used dissection, CT scans, animal biomechanists and comparative skull measurements to alter faces, gait and proportions in Lion King, Tarzan, Dinosaur, Pocahontas, Mulan and Strange World. Practical fixes include add mammal facial muscles to dinosaurs so they emote, animators practicing knuckle-walking for Tarzan, and adjusting head breadth by measure skull profiles front-to-back vs side-to-side. Outcomes: designs become readable and less caricatured, but required producer battles, new rigging and occasional compromises for marketability.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Introduction
- 8:49Juvenile proportions
- 15:56Gender differences
- 25:28Race as social construct
- 32:01Caricature vs character
- 42:17Asian features in Mulan
- 51:50Diversity in Strange World
- 57:32Q&A
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