Review of Literature

http://www.pixar.com/behind_the_scenes/World-Building#

This gives me a look at how Pixar approaches environment design. The thought process behind the world creation is amazing. I aspire to make my environments as detailed and thoughtful.

http://www.pixar.com/behind_the_scenes/Character-Design#

Pixar is famous for creating amazing characters. Going through several sketches of a character is not uncommon. I may end up modeling and rigging a new character for my project, so I will probably go through a similar process.

http://www.pixar.com/behind_the_scenes/Tractors-and-Cows

I feel that a cartoon appearance would compliment humor. Using this example, maybe I can take two different items and 'fuse' them to make a silly, but still functional prop. This can apply for any new characters I make as well.

http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/insidedwa/productionprocess

I went to the Dreamworks animation site and looked up their production process. I may incorporate voice work in my animation. Dreamworks first records the voices, then animates based on the voice actors' mannerisms. They use these movements as reference for the actual animation.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665008/the-inside-story-5-secrets-to-pixar-s-success

Although these ideas are mostly intended for a team, I still found them to be useful. I especially found advice #3 helpful. Since my animation will be story driven, I am sure that there will be some points that may be confusing to people. I have to understand why they don't get it rather than overhauling the whole thing.

https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/monro.html

Since I am going for humor in my animation, I decided to look up the theory behind comedy. I believe each of the three theories explained in this webpage will help me choose the style of comedy I am looking for.

http://thelaughbutton.com/features/animation-standup-comedy/

The animation style is different in this example, but I want to somehow incorporate similar punchlines into my work.

http://azurestorm.wix.com/alexsutcliffe#!portfolio/c1han

The underwater environment is amazing. The use of lighting gives the environment a very futuristic feel. The mechs also add to the mechanical environment.

http://sharkswithjetpacks.blogspot.com/

I liked this animator's work. He is adept at creating highly detailed sci-fi objects and environments. I am going for a 'cartoon' aesthetic so I probably will not create props at this high detail. However, this gave me many ideas, especially for robotics.

http://area.autodesk.com/showcase/images/scifi_environment

What I liked in these pictures were the Tron car models. I hope to model futuristic vehicles for my project to fit into the sci fi environment. Also, they fit into a section of the story I have in mind.

http://www.creativecrash.com/maya/tutorials/animating/c/page-turn-animation

I think it would be interesting if my animation was contained in a storybook. If I do go down this path, I think this tutorial may prove useful in the future. I hope to make it so the user can flip the page to the next scenario.

The Color of Magic Terry by Terry Pratchett

I only read a couple of the first pages in this book, but what I read was witty and imaginative. The fantasy setting is intriguing, and the characters have a lot of personality. I want my story to have a similar charm as this.