CRITIC(PINTOFF- CROSSBOW):The Criticwon the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.
1963
THE SWORD AND THE STONE RELEASED:The Sword in the Stoneis the 18th animated feature for Disney. It is loosely based on the novel The Sword in the Stoneby T.H. White.This was the last animated feature released while Walt Disney was still alive.
1963
IVAN SUTHERLAND OPENS THE WAY TO COMPUTER ANIMATION:
In computer animation, Ivan Sutherland’s doctoral dissertation at MIT opened the way to interactive computer animation. He also created Sketchpad, which was the first extensive interactive drawing program.
1963
or is he perhaps a high-school dropout? These things will have a great effect on how the character interacts with others who he feels are not in his league or who he could never live up to.
Evolutionary cycle This is the character’s lifespan. Obviously, if you are dealing with humans, you know the basic lifespan, but many times animation is working with aliens, animals, or even characters from another time when lifespans were much shorter.
Culture This refers to the character’s belief system. This weighs heavily on the character’s mind even if he no longer believes in how he was brought up because it’s the only thing the character knows—it’s what he was taught since he was a child.
Food/eating The food that your character eats can reveal how he regards himself and his body. Is he an athlete who can only eat certain things? Is he an out-of-work truck driver who loves chili dogs?
Nocturnal Is the character a night owl? Does he like to stay up late?
Family Values? Size? The family structure plays a heavy role in forming who your character is and how he perceives his place in the world. If he came from a big family, he might be loud and boisterous from trying to be heard. If he was an only child, he might be more introverted and shy, keeping to himself.
Money Is the character wealthy? Poor? Destitute? Filthy rich?
Profession What does the character do for a living? How does that contribute to his goals or hinder him from attaining them?
Body structure This attribute totally affects how the character moves and how he is perceived by others. Is the character big and lanky? Does he walk funny? Is he tiny and does he go unnoticed?
Flaws (fatal) We spoke of flaws earlier. Flaws are crucial to showing humanity. Flaws also can bring the demise of the character and be the obstacle between the protagonist and his goal.
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COMPUTER MOUSE IS INVENTED:The computer mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute after exten- sive usability testing.
1963
OSCAR FOR THE PINK PHINK
(DEPATIE-FRELENG):The Pink Phinkwon the Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. It was the first Pink Panther animated short released by United Artists.
1964
BAKSHI DIRECTS GADMOUSE THE APPRENTICE GOOD FAIRY:
The first cartoon Bakshi directed, this has been described by one cartoon buff as “probably about the best- designed Terrytoon since Gene Deitch left.”
1964
Idiosyncrasies What makes the character different? This is how you create a memorable character. Does he smoke a pipe? Does he point at his head when he talks? Does he have a stutter? These are the juicy bits that will make your character, no matter which archetype you choose, different than the rest.
Atmosphere How does a church versus car-wreck atmosphere influence the character? The char- acter might have had experiences in which he reacted out of the norm because of his past. Maybe he had a mom who was in and out of hospitals all his life, so he just can’t bear to go into one.
Goals What does your character hope for? What does he desire more than anything? How can he make that happen? What does he need?
Dreams What are your character’s dreams? Dreams are lofty ambitions that we think about doing but that are just high enough that they might be out of reach. Unlike goals, dreams seem to be further into the future. Dreams and goals are similar because dreams soon become our goals as we get closer to making them happen.
Trauma Has your character experienced trauma? Trauma is something that happened in the past that affects how the character acts. These adrenaline moments stay with us for a long time and make us think about what we want and what we believe in.
Talent Does your character have a talent? What makes your character different than all the other characters in the story?
Addictions Does your character drink? Smoke? Do drugs? Have an addiction to pain pills? These things can help or hinder your character from reaching his goal.