Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 28, 2015 22:04:13 GMT -6
variety.com/2015/artisans/production/disney-xds-animated-penn-zero-finds-its-own-boundary-pushing-visual-style-1201441730/
Disney XD’s ‘Penn Zero’ Finds Its Own Boundary Pushing Visual Style
When Sam Levine and Jared Bush got together to co-create “Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero,” Disney XD’s new show about an average boy (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) who must zap through the universe to fill in for absent superheroes, they wanted to define a visual style that would distinguish the series from the run-of-the-mill.
“I felt TV comedies had started to fall into a simplistic look,” Bush said. “I wanted the animation to be rich and to push boundaries.”
So the duo encouraged lead character designer Tim Moen and co-art director Benjamin Plouffe to play with the show’s visuals.
One source of inspiration: the Disney animation style of the ’50s and ’60s, including the films “Paul Bunyan” and “101 Dalmatians,” and the illustrations of Disney artists Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle. The animators also pulled ideas from such non-film disciplines as Cubist paintings and midcentury furniture.
“I went in my own direction, working with strong shapes in a contemporary style,” said Plouffe. Added Moen, “I take that similar approach to character design, boiling details down to the essence, keeping shapes intact.”
Toon Boom Harmony and Photoshop software help Moen, Plouffe and their team of roughly 20 to complete each episode’s design and layout.
Disney XD’s ‘Penn Zero’ Finds Its Own Boundary Pushing Visual Style
When Sam Levine and Jared Bush got together to co-create “Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero,” Disney XD’s new show about an average boy (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) who must zap through the universe to fill in for absent superheroes, they wanted to define a visual style that would distinguish the series from the run-of-the-mill.
“I felt TV comedies had started to fall into a simplistic look,” Bush said. “I wanted the animation to be rich and to push boundaries.”
So the duo encouraged lead character designer Tim Moen and co-art director Benjamin Plouffe to play with the show’s visuals.
One source of inspiration: the Disney animation style of the ’50s and ’60s, including the films “Paul Bunyan” and “101 Dalmatians,” and the illustrations of Disney artists Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle. The animators also pulled ideas from such non-film disciplines as Cubist paintings and midcentury furniture.
“I went in my own direction, working with strong shapes in a contemporary style,” said Plouffe. Added Moen, “I take that similar approach to character design, boiling details down to the essence, keeping shapes intact.”
Toon Boom Harmony and Photoshop software help Moen, Plouffe and their team of roughly 20 to complete each episode’s design and layout.