Notes on Acting in Animation

This article discusses the impacts of introducing animators to acting skills on successful animation filmmaking. The necessity of acquaintance of animators with acting art is one of the most important issues which successful producers of animation film have considered, but limits and conditions of this acquaintance should be defined. Certainly, animator’s awareness of acting art is different from theater player’s awareness of this art and of course it should be so. In this paper, the author tries to depict the scope and type of animator’s awareness of acting art. Classification of acting in animation in two categories namely: “believable acting” and “interesting and attractive acting” have not only been accepted as a rule in animation, but also is used in defining boundaries of acting in animation comparing other arts. Nowadays, the necessity of acquaintance with acting in animation is one of the most fundamental discussions in production of animation films, but there are only a handful of complied sources in this regard. In addition, the author has tried to study the practical effects of acting on animation products by bringing opinions and views of some successful animators and individuals involving in animation art along with the theoretical discussion about acting issue. The methodology of this article is based on analytical comparison of the methods used in big animation companies in order to create a successful animation play. Conclusion of this article emphasizes on the necessity of paying attention to acting issue in new animations.