Animation Fundamentals: Strategically Stupid

Evan M.
Evan M.
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read

Strategically Stupid is a short animation by Piemations about a fox sheriff named Todd Hayseed and his Deputy Sean. Together they stop a gang of snakes from robbing a bank in the classic wild west style, but told with a comedic twist. And while not having as exaggerated a style as other animations, Strategically Stupid still shows the elements an animation needs to effectively convey a pleasing viewing experience.

One scene in particular that portrays theses elements well is the bank fight scene.

As shown in the frame, Piemations has done a nice job staging the characters so the situation is easily read. Since the snake is in motion, he is the initial focus, but as he lands within a close proximity to Todd, they both become the focus. Their facial expressions make it clear of the conflict that Todd is going to react to the snake. Stretch is also featured in the snake’s head to show he is moving in a downward diagonal direction.

Anticipation followed by arcing is shown next, as Todd bends his knees and jumps backward in a concave arc while the snake’s bat curves outward clockwise. This is coupled with follow through as Todd’s tail continues to move even after he has already landed.

To finish off the exchange in the scene, Todd returns fire by kicking the snake across the bank. Piemations makes it a point to wait until after the snake has completed his swing before Todd kicks him, which is another way the staging of the scene is done correctly. There is also a brief pause between Todd landing after his jump and kicking the snake, further establishing one action finishing and another action beginning. This helps to ensure that the audience has enough time to process the action without too much happening on screen at a time.

Lastly, Piemations has designed each of the characters to have a certain appeal. They aren’t too detailed, but their round faces and colorful designs make them appear in a cute, toony way so the audience always has something of interest to watch.

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

Evan M.

Written by

Evan M.

Artist and writer who loves cartoons.

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

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