Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction

          Balance is an important component to creating a convincing animation. It makes the audience believe that what they’re seeing is actually plausible. If the balance of a character or object is too far off, than the suspension-of-disbelief is ruined for the viewer. An object is balanced when an object’s center of gravity is at the lowest point it can be and the line of gravity falls within the object’s base of support. Most of the time, things seem to be in balance for animated films, but there are many instances where things portrayed would not be in balance in the real world. Usually it is done for story purposes, either for comedic or dramatic effect. It can also be done to give a whimsical feel to the overall film. Some films where this happens are The Emperor’s New Groove, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Chicken Little. They are three very different films that occasionally have things out of balance.

          The Emperor’s New Groove is a hand drawn animated film that tells the story of a self-centered emperor who gets turned into a llama and taken far away from home. Balance is often altered in the film for comedic affect or to show that someone is strong.

             In one example where balance is off for comedic effect is when Yzma is smashing busts of Kuzco. A bust is placed on the pedestal precariously off the edge. The point of pressure would be just at the very edge of the pedestal if not beyond it. If this was hypothetically balanced, there would most likely be a wobble. This sets up the joke that interrupts Yzma’s rant to tell Kronk to move the bust “a little to the left.”

          Another example of off balance being used for story is when Kronk is carrying Kuzco, who has been turned into a llama, in a bag. Kronk is a character who is exceptionally strong. Not only is he visually designed to look this way, but balance is often off to emphasize his strength. A full grown llama weighs roughly 290 to 440 lbs. Assuming Kronk is strong enough to easily move so much mass, he would need to shift his own body to stay in balance due to the new location of the center of gravity. However, this is not shown at all as Knronk carries a full grown llama in a sack. This enhances the idea of Kronk being big a strong.

          A third example of balance being used for story is when Kuzco and Pacha push on each other’s backs to walk up a cliff and escape from crocodiles. The idea here is that Kuzco and Pahca are working with each other to get out of a bad situation. They both apply a force to each other and their respective rocks to walk up the cliff. They reach a point where they can’t go any higher and so stay in one place for a while to figure out a new way to get out. The forces they evenly apply to each other and the rocks keep them stable and balanced to walk up. However, the position they end up staying in when they stop is far too horizontal and stretched out to be stable. The forces that they can apply with their outstretched legs through their toes to stay balanced wouldn’t be enough to overcome the force of gravity in real life.  

          Another film where things are often off balanced is the Nightmare before Christmas.The Nightmare before Christmas is a stop motion film using puppets and sets for the animations. It it is a story about different holiday worlds and how the king of Halloween Town discovers Christmas Town. In this film, the off balance feel is created to give the film an overall magical and whimsical feel.

          There are several characters the film that just seem to defy gravity. Even when their center of gravity is so far off from their base of support, they can still balance. Such is the case for a nameless bat character who lives in Halloween Town. In one scene this little bat can be seen balancing on one of its wings without shifting its weight. Because of this its center of gravity is far from its base of support. This makes the character feel light weight and magical for being able to do such a thing.

  

          Another character who is able to balance in a most unrealistic way is Jack Skellington, the main character of the story. Jack is a living skeleton made up only of bones and wears a tight fitting suit. Jack is very top heavy which helps sell the idea that he can balance on such thin legs. Since objects or characters with higher centers of gravity take longer to fall, it is much easy and faster to regain balance and stability. However, in positions where Jack leans far over, it seems very unfeasible for Jack to maintain balance. Since the film was created using stop motion a device called a rig or an arm is attached externally to the puppet so that it stays upright and balanced for positions where it wouldn’t be otherwise. The Jack’s puppets are made up of light weight steel and foam to also help with the balance. If these were real positions of actual bone, Jack would have to constantly reposition himself and regain balance.

         It is not just the characters that appear off balance in the world of Halloween Town. Even the buildings themselves appear to be magically balanced in ways that would not be possible in the real world. Jack Skellington’s house has a tower that protrudes from the roof. The tower is curved and juts out from the rest of the building. We can estimate that the center of gravity would be closer to the top of the tower since that is where furniture, books and the larger and heavier space overall is located. However, the tower doesn’t fall. In reality the model that is used has reinforcements at the bottom and the top is lighter than it would actually be in real life. This effect, just like with the characters, creates a sense of magic in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas.

         A third film that has things unbalanced is Chicken Little. Chicken Little is a 3D animated film that features anthropomorphic animals as the characters of this world. It is a story of Chicken who sets out to save the town from aliens when no one believed his claim that the sky is falling. In this film, many of the characters that appear out of balance are that way for comedic effect.

          In one case, there is unbalance in the motion more so than in the stagnant position. It is a scene where Runt of the Litter, a pig, bends down to pick up his pencil. He bends forward to pick it up, but ends up falling back. This is a funny scene because when bent forward, Runt’s center of gravity is shifted forward. It is an unstable pose to begin with and on that would logically end with Runt falling. The humor comes from that fact that Runt ends up falling in the opposite direction. It is an outcome that is not very feasible and is unexpected, making it funny.

          Another example of a character off balance is when Fish out of Water dances to avoid getting hit during a dodge ball game. At one point Fish leans very far to screen right and manages to maintain balance. It can be estimated that the center of gravity for Fish is at or near the head since he is wearing a scuba helmet full of water, making him very top heavy. Even if assuming that Fish is strong enough to carry all this weight on his head, bending as far over as he does would be impossible for maintaining balance.

  

          Another example involving Fish with regards to balance is when he stands on a tower made solely out of paper taken from a few magazines. The tower sways and bends, but Fish stays on without any signs of falling. This is another comedic scene in where Fish copies the iconic King Kong scene where King Kong is standing on top of the Empire State building. What makes the scene so implausible is the fact that paper does not balance very easily when folded and stacked the way it is shown in the film. It is possible to construct a tower out of paper in this fashion, but it would be very unstable and certainly not stable enough to have Fish swaying back and forth on top. However, the absurdity of the whole situation is what makes the scene amusing. It also adds to the overall feeling of the film that this is a world where the incredible is possible, like aliens invading the earth. 

            Overall, there are many instances in animation where balance is pushed and exaggerated for any number of reasons. It could be either to make a comedic scene or to show the strength of a character. It could also be pushed to create a whimsical and magical world that abides by its own laws of physics. If the rules off balance are consistent in that world and there is a good reason for things to be out of balance, then the audience will accepted the scene for what it is and won’t be taken out of the story. From this perspective, it can be just as important to have things out of balance as it is in balance to create a convincing and entertaining story.