ABSTRACT
An animator has to have not only acting and dubbing reference, but inwardly he has to have certain acting qualities himself. In the old days, animators had a mirror in front of their drawing board to study their own facial expression and grimaces. The menagerie of anthropomorphized animals in animation based on the work of the great storytellers in history from Aesop to Jean de La Fontaine is impressive as we have seen: all these animal characters require from the animators the combined knowledge of human and animal behavior to express them in the great art of character animation. For actors, and particularly for animators, it is useful to develop a kinesthetic sense and a thorough understanding of music and rhythm. Animator Art Babbitt reminds a memorable scene from Disney's Dumbo drawn by the great Bill Tytla, where he comes to visit his mother who is locked up in a cage.
