Chapter 6 - Magic: The Art of Animating Pixie Dust

Abstract

This chapter begins by summarizing the importance of “magic” in the history of filmmaking and animated films, and providing a brief overview of some of the incredible digital special effects that have been achieved in the latter half of the 20th and the first decade of the 21st centuries. Gilland then goes on to assert that despite these phenomenal CGI achievements, the fundamental magic of classical animated pixie dust is best created by the old-fashioned methods of hand-drawn animation. This approach gives the animator greater control over varying the special complexity, surprise, and movement of pixie dust movement, and enable him or her to create something new and special. CGI pixie dust, on the other hand, is more time-intensive and expensive to create, and offers less control to the animation artist—although it has its place, especially when creating large-scale effects. The chapter concludes with a step-by-step illustration of how to animate pixie dust by hand, with illustrations and support from the books website.