How Pixar's Movement Animation Became So Realistic | Movies Insider

Summary

The video explores Pixar's journey in advancing animation technology from 'Toy Story' to 'Soul.' It highlights how Pixar evolved its rigging and animation techniques, introducing complex controls for characters' movements and emotions. The script covers key innovations like Geppetto, which allowed rig reuse, and technologies like 'Goo' and 'ground locking' for realism in human and non-human animations. The video emphasizes how Pixar's focus on capturing real emotions, through tools like finger contact rigs and muscle simulations, has pushed animation boundaries, particularly in detailed scenes like music performances in 'Soul.'

Takeaways

• 🎬 Pixar has evolved its animation technology significantly since 'Toy Story,' allowing for far more realistic character movements.
• 🎨 Rigging involves adding a skeleton to character models, enabling animators to pose them like puppets or dolls.
• 🕹️ Early 'Toy Story' characters had hundreds of controls, but by 2019's 'Toy Story 4,' characters like Woody had over 7,000 controls for more nuanced movements.
• 🐠 Pixar introduced reusable rigs with 'Toy Story 2,' allowing for faster and more efficient character animation.
• 🎭 Facial expressions became more advanced with movies like 'Finding Nemo,' where animators connected control points to make expressions more lifelike.
• 🦸 Mr. Incredible from 'The Incredibles' featured an advanced rig with layers of muscles and skin to create realistic human movements.
• 🚗 Ground-locking technology developed for 'Cars' helped animate characters like the counselors in 'Soul,' who needed to move smoothly across uneven surfaces.
• 🎹 In 'Soul,' Pixar captured real musicians' performances and applied them to characters using highly advanced finger and hand controls for authentic piano playing.
• 🐙 The complex tentacle movements in 'Finding Dory' were achieved using simulation technology, later used to animate other characters like Dante in 'Coco.'
• 👀 Pixar continues to push animation boundaries, using groundbreaking techniques to create both realistic and imaginative movements in characters like the counselors from 'Soul.'

Q & A

How did Pixar achieve the realistic movement of fingers in 'Soul'?

Pixar used reference footage of musicians playing instruments, combined with advanced rigging techniques that controlled hand tendons and finger movements. Each finger had 292 controls to accurately reflect the nuanced motions required for piano playing.

What technological advancements allowed Pixar to create more nuanced character movements in 'Soul' compared to earlier films like 'Toy Story'?

Over the years, Pixar developed more sophisticated rigging systems, including the introduction of Geppetto and Presto, which allowed for more complex controls. 'Soul' characters had significantly more control points than early Pixar films, with Joe's hands alone having 292 controls, compared to Woody's entire body having only 596 in 'Toy Story'.

What role did the rigging and modeling department play in character creation at Pixar?

The rigging and modeling department at Pixar creates the inner skeleton (rig) for characters, allowing animators to control their movement like a puppet. These rigs are customized to each character's specific needs, enabling realistic motion.

How has Pixar's use of rigs evolved since 'Toy Story'?

In 'Toy Story', rigs were built from scratch for each character, limiting movement. By 'Toy Story 2', Pixar introduced Geppetto, which allowed animators to reuse and adapt rigs for multiple characters, making the animation process faster and more nuanced.

How did Pixar make the sea lions in 'Finding Dory' look realistic?

Pixar repurposed dog rigs for the sea lions in 'Finding Dory,' folding the legs into flippers. This allowed the sea lions to have believable movements while saving time on rigging.

What technological breakthrough allowed Pixar to animate the challenging tentacle movements of Hank in 'Finding Dory'?

Pixar used advanced rigging and simulation techniques for Hank, creating dynamic tentacles that could move independently while affecting other parts of his body. The rig also had 350 suckers that were simulated for more realistic movement.

Why was simulating human muscles and skin important in Pixar films like 'The Incredibles'?

Simulating human muscles and skin allowed Pixar to create more realistic human characters. The Goo system enabled real-time reactions of skin and muscles, particularly in challenging areas like shoulders, to make movements appear natural.

How did Pixar manage the animation of musical performances in 'Coco' and 'Soul'?

For both films, Pixar used GoPro cameras to capture reference footage of musicians playing instruments. In 'Soul', they went further by developing a piano rig that could play automatically in sync with the audio, while animators focused on matching hand movements with the music.

What made animating the counselors in 'Soul' particularly challenging for Pixar?

The counselors were designed with a simple 2D look but required complex animation due to their fluid, shape-shifting forms. Pixar introduced new controls like tension controls and used techniques like ground-locking, originally developed for 'Cars', to manage their movement.

How does Pixar balance realistic animation with imaginative elements in their films?

Pixar focuses on making emotions and character expressions feel real, even when the characters or movements are highly imaginative. By combining realistic motion with artistic exaggeration, Pixar ensures the emotional core of the characters comes through.