Appeal
Part of: The 12 Principles of Animation
Appeal is one of the 12 principles of animation: the quality that makes a character interesting to watch, distinct from prettiness or conventional charm and closer to the magnetic draw an actor brings to a screen.
An appealing character holds the eye. It does not need to be conventionally attractive or even sympathetic; villains and grotesques can have appeal too. The quality comes from clear design, distinctive silhouette, expressive proportions, and a personality that comes through in pose and movement.
Appeal is hard to fake and hard to add later. It comes from the character design phase and is reinforced or undermined by every subsequent stage. A weakly designed character cannot be saved by good animation; a strongly designed one is hard to ruin.
On work like Inchstones, the cast of Tubies characters were built for appeal from the design phase: distinctive shapes, clear personalities, expressive faces, a recognisable family resemblance. The animation then carries the appeal into motion, with the principles of exaggeration, anticipation, and follow-through keeping each character's personality alive.
Appeal is also a directorial discipline. The director's eye for which take is alive and which is dead, which pose works and which does not, is essentially an eye for appeal. It cannot be taught from a book; it is built from years of observing what reads on screen.
Related
Related concepts
Related services
Sources
Academic papers, recognised industry standards, and canonical industry texts that back up claims in this entry.
- The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. Thomas, F., Johnston, O., Abbeville Press, 1981Supports: Appeal as 12th principle
- The Animator's Survival Kit. Williams, R., Faber & Faber, 2001Supports: Appeal in character design
- Character Animation Crash Course!. Patmore, E., Focal Press, 2008Supports: Appeal from design phase
- Timing for Animation. Whitaker, H., Halas, J., Focal Press, 2009Supports: Appeal via silhouette, poses
- Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques. Parent, R., Morgan Kaufmann, 2012Supports: Appeal in expressive proportions
Frequently asked questions
Can a character be appealing without being likeable?
Yes. Many of the most appealing characters in animation are villains or anti-heroes. Appeal is about magnetism, not warmth. A well-designed villain whose every move reads clearly has appeal, even when the character itself is repellent.
How is appeal different from cuteness?
Cuteness is one route to appeal but not the only one. Tough characters, ugly characters, and grotesques can all have appeal if they are well-designed and clearly directed. Cuteness without underlying design rarely sustains; appeal does.
Where does appeal come from in design?
Distinctive silhouette, strong proportions, clear personality readability, and expressive face design all contribute. The character has to read clearly in a small thumbnail at speed; the appeal grows from there. See our work on Inchstones for an example of an appealing branded character family.