Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
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36 KEYFRAME used Fry as a consultant on the original The Bad Guys, the second movie in that franchise also sought to keep things grounded. "Sometimes with animation, it might be so detached from reality, audiences watch from the outside instead of feeling like they're in it," says Sans. In the script for Ralph Breaks the Internet, only one moment—looping around a Circus Liquor store—was boarded and approved for the entire Slaughter Race sequence. For the rest of the route, Warner mapped it out in 2D first, then collaborated with Layout Artists to build out the initial rough track in 3D. "Like Hot Wheels on a track," he says. Layout Artists and Animators worked in tandem to figure out exactly where a car would go and what the cameras would see, and they built the set around that. As for filming, every car had seven cameras attached that were running at all times. To make the cars look faster, they used long lenses, added props in the foreground of shots, and changed shutter speeds to create blur. They wound up with 115 minutes of footage for just a three-minute sequence. From the Batmobile to Fred Flintstone's pedal roadster to the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, cars (and variations of) have long played an iconic role in animation. Not only do they entertain, they contribute to the viewer's understanding of characters. Floriane Marchix loves Lupin's Fiat 500 in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. "It's a silly little car," she says. "Way too tiny and moves way too fast. The way it's designed and animated is incredible—it's an extension of the driver." Ronnie Senteno makes a similar obser- vation about a few of his favorites. Sykes' angled, jagged Cadillac in Oliver & Company is "a great reflection of character," he says, and Cruella de Vil's roadster in 101 Dalmatians is "a perfect exam- ple of how a car can look like the character—so menacing." Unlike in live action, an animated car can become a genuine extension of a character's look, temperament, and motivation. It's true that many of the principles used to craft an interesting car are rooted in real-life transportation design, but with its ability to exaggerate as well as imitate, animation often uses vehicles to add a unique layer to a character's personality. 36 KEYFRAME F E AT U R E 101 Dalmatians image courtesy of Disney. from top: The initial 2D map for Ralph Breaks the Internet's Slaughter Race sequence; Vanellope at the wheel with Ralph at her side. C A R C U LT U R E