Cartoon Animation
by Preston Blair · first published 1994
3mentions
2recommended by
2HN commenters
2018–2025first – last mentioned
100% recommend
A comprehensive guide for the aspiring animator, this book covers pretty much everything from creating a character to bringing it to life, and includes information on technical aspects of the process. Preston Blair (1908-1995) was a character animator at MGM and Disney, and is noted for his work on Red Hot Riding Hood and Fantasia, respectively.
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Preston Blair, "Cartoon Animation" https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Animation-Collectors-Preston-...
on “Ask HN: What are the best textbooks in your field of expertise?” ↗Survival Kit is an advanced book that dives into the deep end, The Illusion Of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson [1] (two of the guys on a bunch of the early Disney features) and Cartoon Animation by Preston Blair [2] (countless MGM shorts) will give you a solid grounding in the basics. The whole article focuses on expanding a list of principles of animation from Illusion. 1: https://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Life-Disney-Animation/dp/078...…
on “Foundations of Animation” ↗Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit [1] is the standard recommendation, I believe - I've also seen animation courses recommend Preston Blair's Cartoon Animation [2] [1] https://www.amazon.com/Animators-Survival-Kit-Principles-Cla... [2] https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560100842/
on “Ask HN: Best books to learn fundamentals of two dimensional animation?” ↗