ABSTRACT
The flypaper sequence is to character animation what Masaccio’s frescoes in Florence’s Brancacci Chapel are to fine art. And the most remarkable thing about it is that Webb Smith’s storyboard was an offhand assignment, something that came up simply because he had a little extra time on his hands. Its significance was apparent only after the fact, after the animators had used Webb’s storyboard for reference. They followed the storyboard panels and “animated the thoughts.” Stanislavsky would have recognized valid acting principles in the flypaper sequence right away, but Walt and the boys had not yet codified the art. They simply knew that the animation came out a lot better if you storyboarded first.
