Reviews (1)

A must have!
Just received the book and it is absolutely great!!!From preproduction art to the finished product on screen, This book has everything you want in a "making of" art book. A must have for any animation fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animated Films    2. Animation    3. Cinema/Film: Book    4. Film & Video - General    5. Film & Video - Reference    6. Performing Arts    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Films, cinema    9. Performing Arts / Film / Reference   

Reviews (6)

'Thought I'd Died and Gone to Cartoon Heaven
Like many of my peers, as I grew up, my interest in animation gravitated toward the full animation of the Golden Age: Robert McKimson, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, et al, for a long while disdaining any form of animated minimalism, even the kind represented in this book. By the age of 7 or 8, we had come to associate Top Cat, Deputy Dawg, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and all the minimal animation that had once been among our favorites with shoddy cheapness. (Even as a small child, I remember several of us sitting around talking about cartoons, and laughing to scorn at the way the same background tree kept passing every couple of seconds in Hanna-Barbera chase scenes. We wondered, did they think we weren't catching that?!) 'Limited animation', those dread words, became poision for all us growing young animation fans.
For moderns only!!
Because the style was bastardized by budget-minded network television to grind out cheesy Saturday-morning fare, modern animation has severely negative connotations for a great swath of the general public. Indeed, much of the production work beginning in the 1960s was farmed out to sweatshops in Mexico and Korea where the animation fell into the hands of lowly paid, barely competent novices. (That practice continues to this day, with such eyesores as The Simpsons.) However, in the "complacent" 1950s, when the style was developed, it was highly original and sophisticated and brought into movie theaters and television ads by Disney expatriates and left-leaning malcontents looking for a new edge. This highly anticipated book by Amid Amidi is a visual feast and an incredibly well-researched documentation of "cartoon modern" and comes with the highest recommendation. For companion videos, I also recommend some titles from Something Weird Video, notably Beer Commercials From The Golden Age Of Television, which features some priceless Mister Magoos and other "off beat" ad shorts. Also from SWV, check out their series of Hey Folks!-It's Intermission Time for other great modernistic stuff. But at Amazon's discounted price, put this wonderful book in your hands first.

Every bit as good as expected...plus!
The author, through his blog and elsewhere, has made a passion of the brilliant, colorful, and grandly stylized types of cartooning and animation that came to prominence largely in the 1950's. This book--intelligently written and organized, and magnificently illustrated--strikes me as having been a genuine labor of love. It's just about perfect.
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Subjects:  1. Animated films    2. Animation    3. Art    4. Art Criticism    5. Film & Video - Amateur Production    6. General    7. History & Criticism    8. History - Contemporary (1945- )    9. History and criticism    10. Photography    11. Techniques - Cartooning    12. United States    13. Comic book & cartoon art    14. Comics & Graphic Novels / History & Criticism   

Reviews (53)

Good animation book
this book as the title says runs over the princibles and methods of animation. in this book YOU DO NOT LEARN HOW TO DRAW!!! you only learn how to animate, but what you learn on the animation will be infintely useful.richard kind of writes a auto biography the first 40 pages which tells about his journey through animation. it's exciting but the meat of the book is after that. how much he goes into detail in the animations is incredible. he talks about important cartoon techniques such as anticipation,action, reaction. also he talks about weight to make your characters look fat pick up heavy objects etc. like i said before you do not learn how to draw ,but you learn how to animate well. if you want to put these animation skills to the test i suggest picking up preston blair's cartoon animation
The animator's Survival Kit
This is a very good book for any animators. From this book, I have learned how to animate people walking and build up special characters as the way they walk.

THE Book to Get For Any Kind of Animation.
The Animator's Survival Kit is not specific to any one kind of animation, instead it is focused on the art of animation itself. As it says in the title, it's a manual for the methods, priciples, and formulas for animation. These basics of animation apply no matter the media being used.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Animation (Cinematography)    3. Art    4. Computer Animation    5. Computers - Desktop Publishing    6. Film & Video - General    7. Performing Arts    8. Techniques - Cartooning   

Editorial Review

If you have been using After Effects for years, have just started using it, or are considering using it, get this book. Written by Trish and Chris Meyer, perhaps best known for their monthly motion-graphics column in Read more

Reviews (66)

Questions Answered
Excellent book.I can't put it down.It's giving the answers to my questions. The AE manual is dry with short descriptions.AE CIB is OK for teaching where to click etc.This book tells the whys, hows, etc.Detailed but easy to read.

Too Difficult For Beginner
Well, I bought this book after the glowing reviews. But in all frankness, I found the beginning chapters and tutorial to be very difficult to follow. The authors do write that in this book, you are immediately thrown into the AE process...they weren't kidding.
If your serious about making a living using Ae
I Have the videos ...I have the books, they are all collecting dust except for this one.Trish and Chris Meyer are the Ae guru's.I have been using Ae for about 2 yr.s and I have dramatically increased my income because of this book. Now all the :30 and 1:00 commercials I do are done in After Effects.I strongly recommend this book for an intermediate to experienced editor wanting to break into motion graphics and compositing.This book is guaranteed to raise your IQ (and could quite possibly help in raising your income). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Cinematography    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books And Software    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Computers - Desktop Publishing    9. Data processing    10. General    11. Interactive & Multimedia    12. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    13. Special effects    14. Computer graphics software    15. Image processing: computer animation   

Reviews (15)

Worthy for those with some previous experience...
If you're looking for an in depth detailing on how to use Maya this book isn't for you, I'd suggest reading the Maya Saavy series instead.As hobbyist Maya user for the last two years I did find this very interesting though. Unlike many technically oriented books, it visually illustrates the different parameters of the tools and methods. The examples are vivid, large and well labeled. Such as the paint effects section, you can see the difference in choosing tube length and the possibilities you have by applying pressure sensitive strokes. The back is filled with case studies and the various ways Maya is integrated into daily CG work, such as the classic Bingo animation or the morph targets used in Vampire the Masquerade game. Just what I needed to start using Maya
Before I purchased "Art of Maya" I looked through it at a local bookstore. I was impressed with how clearly it laid out a series of quick tips and techniques. As others have noted, it is not a "manual" nor does it claim to be. But, it shows many important techniques that a new user to 3D and Maya can get going on creating with Maya in a relatively short period of time. In many instances, the techniques shown helped clarify areas of operation that I did not understand via the built-in tutorials that came with Maya. I still have much to read in this book. I highly recommend it.

the contents is not suitable for the title
the printing is very beatiful,the cover is attractive, butRead more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer Graphics - General    4. Computers - Desktop Publishing    5. Desktop Publishing - General    6. Film & Video - General    7. Interactive & Multimedia    8. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    9. Performing Arts    10. Computer graphics software    11. Computers / Computer Graphics / Design    12. Image processing: computer animation   

Reviews (6)

AMAZING ART ANIMATION

A fantastic example of concept art for anybody!
Apart from the fact that my copy was close to pocket size, i thought that this book was fantastic. Not only does it come filled with amazing concepts, it also is accompanied with the Lion King Storyline. As an illustrator and student animator, it is a wonderful addition to my resources. The sketches through to the complete full colour images are for any Lion King fan, artists or just someone wanting a beautiful coffee table book. If your from overseas like myself and cannot get these kind of books in Australia, i reccommend Amazon and their associate stores. Buy this, its great.

Best of the "The Art Of" series!
I received this book as a birthday present last month. To say the least, Iwas overwhelmed with all the artwork in this book. I love it! The artworkand production animation is breathtaking! It's a really awesome book, I'dget it if I were you! You can't go wrong with "The Art of The LionKing"!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animated Films    2. Animation    3. General    4. Juvenile Fiction    5. Lion King (Motion picture)    6. Performing Arts/Dance    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Techniques - Cartooning    9. Walt Disney Company    10. Individual artists    11. Juvenile Fiction / General   

Reviews (4)

ANOTHER FOR THE LIBRARY
This book can be compared to others such as "The Art of The Lion King" or "Prince of Egypt: New Vision in Animation," which are both great to own.Even if you're not a fan of the movie, this book still overflows with beautiful artwork: concept sketches, background paintings (which are my personal favorite), production stills, and many other treats. It also talks a bit about the making of the film, including the animation department's trip to Paris.
hunchback
im actually 14 but still lol x
A great book for animation fans and art lovers
The focus of this book was certainly ART, as it provides stunning pictures of Mideval Paris from historical archive that Disney artists meticulously researched before finalizing the background scenery.We also get a glimpse of the profiling of the psychology of each character, and their interaction that drives the story.However, at this price, I wish that they had CD-ROM version that catered to the sophisticated fans of animation art who are very interested in all of the gory technical details. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animated Films    2. Animation    3. Art    4. Cartooning    5. Film & Video - History & Criticism    6. Film - Animation    7. Film - History & Criticism    8. History and criticism    9. Hunchback of Notre Dame (Motio    10. Hunchback of Notre Dame (Motion picture : 1996)    11. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    12. Techniques - Cartooning    13. United States    14. Walt Disney Company    15. Art / Cartooning   

Editorial Review

Whether or not you've got a background in traditional character animation, Read more

Reviews (14)

Not In Depth
The Structure of the book is very complicated, it's as ifconstructed from many different articles written for some 3D application. And many of the information is very software specific. There are many examples but not a single complete advanced tutorial. Many chapters copied from Doug's old book LW5.0 character animation. There are many other books on Character Animation much better than this.1 out of 5.

Too many applications attempted; spread too thin
Overall this was a very helpful book. My main "problem" with this book is the author's attempt to cover so many applications so specifically. As a Lightwave user, I am still left in the dark aboutLightwave's bones in character animation; which is one of the main reasonsI purchased the book. Only the very basic setup was covered as a tutorial.How about something more complex such as a "hand" with limitedranges, fall-offs and strengths...?The version 5.0 and 5.6 is jumpedbetween frequently...then Hash...then Softimage.....Max.... For characteranimation theory this is a good book but if you are trying to actually be acharacter animator using only one of the apps (such as Lightwave), then Isuggest doing alot more reading from other books and web tutorials.Forthe price this book is good but no great wonder. I did learn from it; onlynot as much as I thought I would have when I bought it.

It is a good book, perhaps the best of its type but...
It is a good book, perhaps the best of its type, and it could certainly be much better, in ways other readers have pointed out. But it has one fatal flaw for a book that should be computer platform agnostic - the CD-ROM isWindows only. What about all the Mac and UNIX people in the 3D Industry? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Bks - Desktop Publishing    3. Computer Books And Software    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computer animation    6. Computer graphics    7. Computers    8. Desktop Publishing    9. Desktop Publishing - General    10. Microcomputer Graphics    11. Word Processing - General    12. Computer graphics software    13. Image processing: computer animation   

Reviews (1)

An excellent overview by an excellent author.
The long-awaited sequel to Tony White's ANIMATOR'S WORKBOOK is worth the wait.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - General    5. Computers    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Computers / Computer Graphics / General    8. Image processing: computer animation   

Reviews (2)

Best Book Ever!
When I first saw Monster House I instantly fell in love with it. Then I heard about this book. And When I finished mowing lawns and asking my mom for a dollar 28 times (LOL) I finally got the book. I love it so much. It includes many other suprises. If you love Monster House. BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

Packed with TONS of stuff!
I have quite an extensive collection of "Art of" and "Making of" movie books but I have to say, this one is the most fun out of them all! Yes, it has all the things that went into the making of the movie, such as preproduction artwork, models, all the things you'd expect to find in a "Art of" book but it's also packed with an ample supply of extras, such as real post-it notes, trading cards, various booklets... it took me a while just to go through all the little extras. A nice surprise!
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Cinema/Film: Book    3. Film & Video - General    4. Horror Films    5. Monster house (Motion picture)    6. Performing Arts    7. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    8. Specimens    9. Toy and movable books    10. Films, cinema    11. Performing Arts / Film / Reference   

Reviews (4)

Decent start in Flash Video
As someone who has been working with video in Flash quite heavily recently at work, I was eagerly anticipating this book to be released.At first I wasn't disappointed as the book has a great intro to video.It goes through a relatively thorough explanation of video and how it works on the net, talking about progressive and streaming downloading, and so on.As the title suggests, this book is a Foundation book so it is not code heavy and is perfect for beginners.
Great way to get started with Flash Video
Written in a friendly, non-intimidating way, this book is a good way to get started in Flash Video, including using alpha channels. Keep in mind this in not an exhaustive guide that will teach you all you need to know to complete a full project; rather it is a sampler, giving great ideas and some tantalizing tastes of what you can do with Flash video. So keep in mind you will need to study some other books and articles too to actually complete a video project, and so I suppose my only advice for the next edition is this: sprinkle references to the other sources that can help the student go beyond the trial level. But again, this is a starter book, as well as an idea book, and there is no other book that puts it all together like this does in one place.

Awesome for Beginners, Ideas for Experts
First, I love the glossy colored pages and I hope other technical books follow this trend.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computer Graphics - Flash    5. Computer Programs    6. Computers    7. Computers - Desktop Publishing    8. Design    9. Web sites    10. Multimedia   

Reviews (6)

One of our TOP TEN Books on the Walt Disney Studios
Words simply don't do justice to this book.It must be held in one's own hands to fully appreciate the investment that went into producing this masterpiece celebration of animation history. A wonderful insight into the creative process
Too often in animation titles, the storyboard element is relegated to a minor footnote. This book presents a wonderful insight to the creative process of animation film making. Many animators and students collectresource material from feature films, and storyboard examples are rare andtreasured items. As a storyboarder myself, I was in awe of the beauty andclarity of these works, many I was seeing for the first time. However,anybody with an interest in art or animation will enjoy this book. It is anamazing and definitive collection.

Outstanding!
I have most of the 'Art of' books and, though this is a little more pricey than the others, it is worth every cent. It is refreshingly reassuring to finally have a Disney art book NOT written by a Disney staffer, but by afilm academic. It was great to read about the men who worked alongside Waltand knew him for all his faults as wellrather than the godhead he hasbecome to the company. This book, while showing page after page ofbehind-the-scenes miniature masterpieces that went into making the classicearly features, also describes the not-so-happy endings that such chemistryproduced among Disney and his storymen sometimes. It also covers thelatter-day storyboard masters like Chris Sanders and the Brizzi twins. Ihave ambitions of being a Disney storyboard artist someday and this book isperfect inspiration. More than worth it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Animation (Cinematography)    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Film & Video - General    6. Performing Arts    7. Storyboards    8. Techniques - Cartooning    9. Walt Disney Company    10. Performing Arts / Film / General   

Reviews (1)

As good as the Christmas one
If you own the Christmas edition one then the Great Pumpkin one is in the same format.It has interesting facts, two piano score pages,and the colored story of it.It is worth your money and is good for any Peanuts fans collection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Television program)    3. Performing Arts    4. Performing Arts/Dance    5. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    6. Television - History & Criticism    7. Television Plays And Programs   

Reviews (1)

STILL my favorite drawing book
My copy of the original edition of Force has seen plenty of wear and tear since I try to always keep it handy when I'm drawing. But that one's going into retirement for this new expanded version.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Computer Animation    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computers    7. Figure drawing    8. Force and energy    9. Miscellanea    10. Technique    11. Techniques - Drawing    12. Art / Drawing    13. Graphic design   

Reviews (19)

Really good!
Well, I must say that this book is very very good. Nice tutorials, some are dificult, but with some practice, you're there! Good information horribly presented
This book is in dire need of an editor, preferably one with Maya experience. While it is obvious that Mr. Choi posesses a vast knowledge of Maya, his skills at communicating this knowledge are severly lacking. Grammatical errors abound, and his prose is often repetitive and confusing, if not downright incomprehensible. Many of the images are utterly superfluous, and sometimes they even contradict the text. Also, on a number of occasions, the information given is just plain wrong. Going through the 800+ pages of this book was an utterly frustrating exercise, and as such, I have already advised several friends to stay away from this book.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT... READ IF YOUR PLANNING ON BUYING
MAYA Character Animation by Jae-jin Choi is a book that covers a huge amount of information and advanced techniques.This book is not a good choice if you're still a beginner but it's not so hard to understand either.It is exellent if your intermediate.It does have some good new tricks for advanced users.
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Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Computer Animation    3. Computer Bks - Desktop Publishing    4. Computer Books: Desktop Publish    5. Computer Graphics - General    6. Computers - Desktop Publishing    7. Desktop Publishing - General    8. Film & Video - General    9. Interactive & Multimedia    10. Multi-Media Hardware & Software    11. Performing Arts    12. Computer graphics software    13. Image processing: computer animation   

Reviews (5)

The perfect item of choice for any who dream of breaking into the business
If it's an animation career you're aiming for, don't set your sights without consulting YOUR CAREER IN ANIMATION: HOW TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE. Animation is now a big-ticket industry to be in offering big opportunities for new artists - but conversely, it offers far more complexities than in the past. 100 professionals from the industry provide their tips and experiences through interviews with an award-winning filmmaker, creating a comprehensive guide that follows a career from school to the real world. From networking tactics to unemployment and learning on the job, YOUR CAREER IN ANIMATION is the perfect item of choice for any who dream of breaking into the business.
ALL Animators should read this
I have been engaged with animation for over 10 years now.It is a lifestyle that if one is to embrace it as a career, one understands that not every day is drawing funny pictures in sequential order and making a living.It is a lifestyle that requires a great deal of passion, but a good sense of aspects that go beyond the desktop computer or drawing board.Your Career in Animation: How to Survive and Thrive is an excellent read for any person who takes the career of animation as seriously.He discusses the parts of this career that many have yet to witness and interact with.I know that many of his stories of angst and frustration are true to form because I have been in those very same positions; contracts, work environment, burning bridges categories, etc.I do not read books every day, but I found myself surfing this book quickly because if you are someone who truly truly wants a life in this business as I do...take it from me, David has been there.He writes on a very personable level and communicates his thoughts as humanly as possible without pulling punches and not hitting you too hard with the truth that comes with this life.If you are an animator and you take even a hint of this career seriously, you would be a fool not to pick this book up.

A must read for anyone considering a career in animation.
John Serpentelli, my son's mentor in the industry, gave this book to him as a parting piece of wisdom. He's off to college this fall. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Levy shares invaluable information about the industry...what it's really like, as well as the importance of networking and nurturing relationships.Serpentelli took my son to a festival in Japan while still in lower school to receive an animation award. Were we crazy to let him go? Maybe...but there he made his first connection...an afternoon with Ray Harryhausen which he has never forgotten and even included in his college application.From a true insiders perspective Levy also covers the realities and the basics of job hunting.Even if you are not in the animation industry Levy's book is a must read...Sending the resume and/or an email just isn't enough to land the job! Thank you David. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Animation (Cinematography)    3. Business Aspects    4. Career Planning (General)    5. Careers - Other Specific Fields    6. Careers / Job Opportunities    7. Cinema/Film: Book    8. Film & Video - Direction & Production    9. Performing Arts    10. United States    11. Vocational guidance    12. Advice on careers & achieving success   

Reviews (12)

Best of the Series
This book does a beautiful job of showcasing the concept art behind the movie. The majority of the art uses pastels as a medium, but there are also examples of pen and ink, pencil sketches, sculpture, digital wire frames, and more.But, if you're looking for actual frames of the finished movie, this is not the product you want.
An Excellent Book . . .
My favorite of the Pixar "Art Of" books as well as one of the best "Visual Development" books I've ever seen.Overflowing with story sketches, conceptual drawings, visual development artwork, character designs, thumbnail drawings, color and background keys - nearly all of it classic, 2-D artwork.Excellent and informative text regarding the importance of good storytelling in film.

Great Illustrations
Don't need to be a Finding Nemo movie fan to ownthis book. Great illustrations throughout this book. Every illustrator or art enthusiast should have this book in their library. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animated films    2. Animation    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Finding Nemo (Motion picture)    6. Illustrations    7. Popular Culture - General    8. United States    9. Walt Disney Company    10. Art / General   

Reviews (5)

So you want to see how to make sausages...
For most Disneyland guests, the nuts-and-bolts details behind the many attractions will ruin their illusions.Most people who are shown the tricks behind stage magic cannot get over feeling cheated.If you had to watch the process of making sausages from birth of the meat animal (pig or whatever) to the grilling of your breakfast in the restaurant kitchen, odds are that you'd enjoy your oatmeal instead.
Don't buy this for the art
The previous reviews gave me the impression there would be great concept art in this book. Instead the few artworks are completing lacking in imagination, technical skill and the "Disney" design feel. The artworks have a '70s look about them, with psychodelic pastel rainbow streaks smeared across what would otherwise be dull sketches. Take away the colour and the line art is woeful. This guy cannot even draw a decent Mickey Mouse (a half talented 10 year old could do better). The best visuals herein are the photos of the theme park. Don't waste your money on this guy ... like Disney did.

Nice behind the scenes look.
After a recent trip to Disney World, I became captivated by all that went on there and immediately went online to find any behind the scenes books that might be lingering about.Designing Disney was a great read from cover to cover.Written by John Hench, possibly the longest serving Imagineer, you're given insight into some of the things that went into creating the enchanting parks that we all know and love.
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Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Animation    3. Antiques & Collectibles    4. Art    5. Artists, Architects, Photographers    6. Design & Drafting    7. Design - General    8. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    9. Antiques & Collectibles / Americana    10. Films, cinema    11. Gift books    12. USA   

Reviews (3)

Definitely Disney
Having just returned from Disneyland with my two granddaughters age 4 and 7, this was the "quintessential Disney"...it will continue to bring back the memories of our visit and the pop-up is just fantastic. It is not however, a book for the little ones to use without guidance....the pop-ups need a little help and little hands probably wouldn't work. It's worth the wait though, for now, we look at it together.

Beautiful Book
A beautiful, clever and well engineered book. Minus one star for it is missing some of the best classic moments especially Cinderella magically transforming into her ball gown.

Pop up book for Disney collectors
This book is pretty simple, 5 pop-up pages of scenes from different Disney classics from the Walt Disney era.All representing what the author explains as the "quintessential elements of Walt and his work" - romance (Lady and the Tramp), adventure (Peter Pan), friendship (Bambi), fantasy (Pinocchio), and music (Snow White).
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Subjects:  1. Animated films    2. Animation    3. Biography & Autobiography - Performing Arts    4. Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)    5. Film & Video - Animation    6. Juvenile Nonfiction    7. Juvenile literature    8. Pop Arts / Pop Culture    9. Specimens    10. Toy and movable books    11. Gift books   

Subjects:  1. Animation    2. Children's Books/All Ages    3. Cinema/Film: Book    4. Disney characters    5. Film & Video - Reference    6. Performing Arts    7. Performing Arts (Specific Aspects)    8. Reference - General    9. Walt Disney Company    10. Juvenile Nonfiction / Reference / General