Animation Lessons From "The Road To El Dorado"

The Road To El Dorado was a Dreamworks picture that I worked on back in the late 1990s. I was assigned to animate Tulio, one of the two lead characters, supervised by lead animator James Baxter who I had worked with a decade earlier on Who Framed Roger Rabbit in London.  It was a great experience, and I learned a lot, especially about the use of live action reference to create believable animation. 

Live Action Reference

The Road To El Dorado was a buddy movie with two human characters - perfect for shooting live action reference. One of the first shots I was given was the one at the front of the reel above - Tulio and Miguel do a high five, then a chest bump - then Tulio picks up Chel, spins her around, and drops her - a very complicated action shot.  How to get it done?

Start with a Video Camera

Dreamworks had a video camera for the animators to use (we had no iPhones back then), and I persuaded two Canadian animators Kyle Jefferson and Cameron Hood to act it out (both were extroverts and I figured they'd be up for it) so I could captured the action on video.

Then, using a portable TV and VCR I had in my office (we all had private offices at Dreamworks back then) I was able to trace the action in a blue pencil off the screen, holding the drawings down with a peg bar taped to the VCR.

Rotoscoping

It was in effect a crude kind of rotoscoping - but it worked. Once the blue pencil was done, I could go over the rough sketches in graphite, tightening up the timing and making sure the action worked.  

Live Action Workflow

Most of the other shots on the reel above were done the same way - starting with live action to get the mechanics right, then getting the motion polished and tightening up the timing.

The beauty of starting with live action is that, if you get the live action right, you know the animation will work.  Studios want you to hit your deadlines, and a live action pipeline will get your shots approved every time. 

Using Live Action Reference in Animation

1990s TV & VCR 

For more information on how to use live action reference to create believable animation, follow the links below:

• Using Live Action Reference to Plan Animation
• How to Use Live Action Reference to Plan Animation
• How to Fix Floaty Animation Based on Live Action
• Live Action Reference with Pernille
• How FrameStore Animators Use Live Action for Animation
• A Great Inexpensive Tripod for Filming Animation
• Endless Reference - Live Action Reference Resource for Animators
• Edward Muybridge - The Animator's Photographer
• How Disney Animators Used Live Action to Animate "Frozen"
• Live Action Reference for Character Walks

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