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| The Entertainment Review |
| By: William Joyce and Amid Amidi Publisher: Chronicle Books |
The average moviegoers probably have no idea what it takes to create an animated feature film. They simply sit in
their seat, eat their popcorn and enjoy the visuals without giving a second thought to the efforts put into an amazing
finished product. From the initial idea to the final execution, there is an art to animation. “The Art of Robots” takes
the reader on a journey from the first thought of the film through all of the steps to get the film on the big screen.
Those who pick up this book will find out a lot of interesting information about the creation of the film and its
characters. One interesting fact is that the animators found inspiration for the characters and worlds in everything
from Civil War costumes to Art Deco coffee pots. They looked through garages, used appliances and musical
instruments, looked inside watches for their inspiration. While the world is fantasy, there were the machine elements
and materials to work with.
When considering the look of the film, along with creating the look of metal and paint, the artists had to use visuals to
help grasp the audience’s attention. Readers will quickly find out that it was no mistake that to good guys are
rounded while the bad guys have sharp points and angles. Also, the city looks much cleaners and more sleek than
Rivet Town.
A lot of care was taken in building the film’s hero and the characters that he would meet throughout the duration of
the film. Rodney had to take the shape of a star whose presence would cause the audience to feel something and
with whom they would be able to relate to. The animators talked about creating performances for each of their
characters. The smallest details, such as the shape of someone's lips, determine how much a character will be able
to express their emotions. Viewers may think it would be hard to get a stubborn actress out of her trailer, but trying to
make a robot's face move enough to express a feeling but not so much that it is overdone is a difficult task. Every
move, even the blink of an eye is there for a purpose and communicates something essential about the character or
moment in the film.
Readers may go through this book once to read about the making of the film, but the book is bought for the pictures.
The front cover alone is enough for someone to want to pick up this book and look through it. The pictures in the
book are amazing. Great care has been taken to show everything from initial sketches to final characterizations.
Readers will see the creative process before their very eyes, the evolution of a look and the detail from sketch to CG
model to screen. The characters of the film come to life as the progress from one stage to the next. The landscapes
of the settings are especially striking, with the full expanse of two pages to stretch out in great color and detail.
Anyone that is into animated films and the process that is take to create a film of this type will want to pick up a copy
of “The Art of Robots,” if for nothing other than to look at the amazing visuals that are offered. Readers will leave
with a great appreciation for the work that the artists do. This book is a great addition to any bookshelf.
their seat, eat their popcorn and enjoy the visuals without giving a second thought to the efforts put into an amazing
finished product. From the initial idea to the final execution, there is an art to animation. “The Art of Robots” takes
the reader on a journey from the first thought of the film through all of the steps to get the film on the big screen.
Those who pick up this book will find out a lot of interesting information about the creation of the film and its
characters. One interesting fact is that the animators found inspiration for the characters and worlds in everything
from Civil War costumes to Art Deco coffee pots. They looked through garages, used appliances and musical
instruments, looked inside watches for their inspiration. While the world is fantasy, there were the machine elements
and materials to work with.
When considering the look of the film, along with creating the look of metal and paint, the artists had to use visuals to
help grasp the audience’s attention. Readers will quickly find out that it was no mistake that to good guys are
rounded while the bad guys have sharp points and angles. Also, the city looks much cleaners and more sleek than
Rivet Town.
A lot of care was taken in building the film’s hero and the characters that he would meet throughout the duration of
the film. Rodney had to take the shape of a star whose presence would cause the audience to feel something and
with whom they would be able to relate to. The animators talked about creating performances for each of their
characters. The smallest details, such as the shape of someone's lips, determine how much a character will be able
to express their emotions. Viewers may think it would be hard to get a stubborn actress out of her trailer, but trying to
make a robot's face move enough to express a feeling but not so much that it is overdone is a difficult task. Every
move, even the blink of an eye is there for a purpose and communicates something essential about the character or
moment in the film.
Readers may go through this book once to read about the making of the film, but the book is bought for the pictures.
The front cover alone is enough for someone to want to pick up this book and look through it. The pictures in the
book are amazing. Great care has been taken to show everything from initial sketches to final characterizations.
Readers will see the creative process before their very eyes, the evolution of a look and the detail from sketch to CG
model to screen. The characters of the film come to life as the progress from one stage to the next. The landscapes
of the settings are especially striking, with the full expanse of two pages to stretch out in great color and detail.
Anyone that is into animated films and the process that is take to create a film of this type will want to pick up a copy
of “The Art of Robots,” if for nothing other than to look at the amazing visuals that are offered. Readers will leave
with a great appreciation for the work that the artists do. This book is a great addition to any bookshelf.
