A behind the scenes image from the Disney animated film Encanto has revealed a trick that wouldn’t have been possible in a live-action movie.
A behind the scenes image from Encanto reveals an interesting trick that animators were able to use that would not be possible in a live-action film. Encanto was released in 2021 and became the latest in a long line of successful Disney animated films, grossing over $250 million worldwide at the box office and receiving widespread critical acclaim, especially for its unique portrayal of transgenerational trauma. The film’s subsequent massive numbers on streaming platforms mean that an Encanto sequel has a good chance of being made.
In a recent post on Twitter, Crimson Mayhem pointed out a little known trick that animators can use that is not possible for live-action filmmakers. Check out the images in the tweet below:
The tweet shared a still from Encanto in which the main character, Mirabel Madrigal, is holding up magical emerald shards. That image is compared to a wide shot that illustrates how the animators had to stretch Mirabel’s arms to freakish lengths to get the proper composition for the shot that’s actually in the film.
What Advantages Does Animation Give Filmmakers?
The animated BTS image juxtaposed against the final product speaks to one of the major advantages that animated films have compared with their live-action counterparts. The size and shape of real life people and props can be hard to mold to filmmakers’ specific wishes. However, when characters and props are animated, they are completely malleable and can be formed and extended in ways that fit the director’s vision while seemingly maintaining the proportions and realism of what the audience sees, like in the above example from Encanto.
Another big advantage for animated filmmakers is how much easier it is for them to depict large set pieces in their films. While traditional 2D animation was very tedious and expensive, the type of 3D animation that has been popularized in recent decades by Pixar and DreamWorks is a lot quicker and cheaper to get done. This means that stories can feature big battles and explosions in great detail without blowing up the budget or worrying about getting something wrong and having to spend the money to redo an expensive live-action sequence.
Simply because of the medium, directors of animated films like Encanto are also afforded a lot more creative license for their stories by audiences. Because people are watching something animated, their suspension of disbelief is much easier to tap into, which opens up many avenues for filmmakers both in terms of narrative and in terms of how they want to present the elements of their films.
Source: Crimson Mayhem/Twitter
