ABSTRACT
If students of animation are to make the most of their studies to progress their practice, it is important to develop a healthy relationship between research and practice. As you might expect, any research that is linked to theoretical study alone and completely divorced from practice will not allow for the application of any knowledge gained through that research in the progression of the necessary practical skills in animation. This could make for a rather dry and incomplete form of study. On the other hand, practice undertaken without any underpinning or complementary theoretical study supported by relevant and thorough research is in danger of becoming a form of craft that relies on supposition and preconceived notions. It could result in a form of simplistic mimicry of what has gone before and what others have already produced, without any kind of appreciation or true understanding of the underlying principles. Once again, I am reminded of that great quote from Walt Disney:
In order to achieve the fantastic we must first know the real.
