Customer Reviews

Animation Book (1988 Edition)

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I make short films and teach film and video, (as well as computer art), and "The Animation Book" made me weep gentle tears of joy.

Not only is it full of the information that both the beginner and the more advanced animator will use, it is an inspiration. It has stills from some of the best independent animations around, as well as pages Laybourne prompts the reader to draw in and rip out.

After reading the intro and flipping faster and faster through the pages, I felt a very powerful need to animate - right now! I haven't felt this excited about what I do in years, and I can't say I've ever found a book that has thrilled me so.

Just to make certain I wasn't being overly sentimental, I put this book in the hands of several non-animating, and highly cynical individuals. One by one, each succumbed to the charms of the little drawings of equipment and then distractedly searched around for a pencil, so they too could begin the exercises.

This was written in 1979, and Laybourne does quite an admirable job of discussing computer technology of that time. But this book rightly focuses on hands-on, experimental work with garage sale equipment; the wonderful animations an individual can make in his/her kitchen.

I want every student, every friend, to get this book, especially those working with new technology. It's a terrific antidote to the superficiality so often imposed by the ever-changing computer. "The Animation Book" encourages playing with ideas and aesthetics, a delightful reminder of what makes moving images amazing.

The Animation Book seems geared for professional animation students or the serious amateur, not the casual viewer of Saturday morning fare. The book explores many techniques such as flip books, cutouts, clay, drawing directly on film, and a host of "experimental" gadgets. However, the emphasis is on cel animation, and, in particular, the equipment required to produce it. I especially enjoyed Laybourne's suggestions for homemade animation stands, and inexpensive choices for cameras, editing equipment, and production planning. The author devotes almost no space to artistic concerns but there are plenty of other books for that. Much of the content of this book has been made obsolete by computer graphics which plays an ever-increasing role in the industry. However, if you would like to take a stab at making your own cartoons the old fashioned way, this book will provide much of the technical information you will need.

The Animation Book was an extremely informative book that tells you straight-forward what you want to know. It is great for novices, intermediates, or advanced. Some supplies are supplied to help you, and a list of additional resources is included