Top 10 Inspirational Animation Quotes
We get it, when it comes to animation we’ve all been stuck for inspiration before. While scrolling aimlessly through Pinterest can help, having some words of wisdom from some of our favorite artists often gives us the creative boost we need to keep going!
We know some who have framed their favourites or even permanently inked them on their skin if they’re really hardcore. Be sure to check out our suggestions for some of the most inspirational quotes about animation before you go crazy and get your needlepoint pen or tattoo gun.
“I made tons of films. I did animation for my friends’ films. I animated scenes for fun. Most of my stuff was bad, but I had fun, and I tried everything I knew to get better.” – Pete Docter(*10*)
Here’s one for those of you just starting out from writer, producer, director and animator Pete Docter. He’s worked on huge animated feature films including Monsters Inc, Up, Inside Out and Toy Story. We love it because it shows how important determination is at the beginning of an animator’s career and reminds us to always remember to have fun in what we do.
“Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.” – Norman McLaren(*10*)
Animation has the ability to create illusions of movement using a series of images. This is an advantage over other art forms. This quote reminds us that we can get lost in storyboarding and forget to see the movement created when our individual drawings flow together. Don’t just draw for the sketch, but the movement!
“Nothing’s occurring in animation – you manufacture everything.” – Gore Verbinski(*10*)
Another short one from Gore Verbinski. He is the director of Rango and Pirates of the Caribbean as well as The Ring. His filmography includes animation, so the quote speaks to how much you can do with this form when compared to a longer live action feature. Animation is a way to do almost anything. You can’t help but be creative and make it happen. So go do it!
“A lot of the time in animation is spent getting the story right – that’s something you can’t rush.” – Jennifer Yuh Nelson(*10*)
Jennifer Yuh Nelson is an artist and storyboard director best known for her work on Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. This was the one we had in mind when we wrote about how to create the perfect storytelling board a few weeks back. If you still need convincing of the importance of story…
“If you’re sitting in your minivan, playing your computer animated films for your children in the back seat, is it the animation that’s entertaining you as you drive and listen? No, it’s the storytelling. That’s why we put so much importance on story. No amount of great animation will save a bad story.” – John Lasseter(*10*)
Remember your audience and what’s important to them! Once you have a solid story, use all the tools available to enhance your story. Big flashy visuals may seem like the most important piece of the puzzle, but keep your audience’s entertainment at the forefront of your process. John Lasseter is chief creative officer of Pixar and Walt Disney AnimationStudios and DisneyToon Studios
“What I love most about animation is, it’s a team sport, and everything we do is about pure imagination.” – Jeffrey Katzenberg(*10*)
Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks AnimationHe certainly knows a lot about animator management. He truly understands the spirit of an animation studio that works together to create something impossible by itself. We love this idea and it’s one that is explored further…
“I am an animator. I feel like I’m the manager of an animation cinema factory. I’m not an executive. I’m rather like a foreman, like the boss of a team of craftsmen. That is the spirit of how I work.” – Hayao Miyazaki(*10*)
Hayao is sometimes called the Walt Disney Japan. He co-founded Studio Ghibli, an animation studio and film production company. He is an extremely talented animator, director, producer, writer, and writer. He stresses the artistic aspects of animators and how they work together to create something truly unique.
“Doing animation is closer to pretending than anything else you get to do. It’s much more like when you’re a kid putting on a character.” – Diedrich Bader(*10*)
Diedrich Bader, a voice actor, is involved in voice acting for animated series like Batman and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. He’s coming from a slightly different perspective than us here in the studio and we love the way he interprets animation in his work with this quote really emphasising the imaginative aspects of animation.
“I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” – Walt Disney(*10*)
This goes hand-in-hand with the storytelling quotes. Your audience experience must be your primary focus at all times. It is essential that entertainment happens with your story. Anything else you can add to your animation that doesn’t disrupt this experience is an added bonus. Walt Disney’s genius lies in his ability to tell a great story, which is then enhanced by memorable music and high quality animation.
That’s just about all for this week! If you have a favourite quote that you’d like to share or maybe you’re a fountain of animation knowledge yourself – leave us a comment in the section below and maybe, we’ll call on you for part 2 one day!
We’ll leave you with one last quote, this time from Fudge’s very own Creative Director, Dan Weaver from our interview with him last week:
“Animation is imagination.”(*10*)
