Well this sure is something!
For all those interested in the animation of Pinkie's walk cycle in the Smile song, a helpful pony on Youtube has taken the liberty of deconstructing and analyzing the cycle frame by frame. You animation guys are gonna eat this up, trust me.
Also, did you know Smile has a tempo of 160bpm? I didn't. Until just now.
Find it after the break!
110 comments:
Ooh animation
ReplyDeletePretty soon broniea will be able to make their own spinoff >.>
ReplyDeleteWow talk about picking apart a scene...
ReplyDeletecool break a wall
ReplyDelete*bronies
ReplyDeleteSHHHOOOOT the browser just shut down then I had to go back shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot
ReplyDelete@DashieBro SHHHOOOOT the browser just shut down then I had to go back shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot
ReplyDeleteanimation is fun. :D
ReplyDeleteand takes a damn long time. :[
I gotta say: I'm no animation major or anything, but while watching the whole Smile segment when it first aired, one of the interesting things that struck out to me was the walking cycles in it. There was just something about it that made me notice it.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see somepony really break it down for us all!
Now this is kind of a post that I like.
ReplyDeleteIn depth animation analysis and such.
This is incredibly interesting and awesome. Moar like this!
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be really helpful to ALL artists, not just the animation guys.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had Flash...
I am so in love with the animation :D
ReplyDeleteI learned more by watching this video than I did at a week at a computer "camp"
ReplyDeleteI want to see allot more of animation breakdowns. Make this a reoccurring topic.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting on how they animate Pinkie to the music
ReplyDeletethis is pretty awesome
ReplyDeleteJust allocate the right voice actors and the Bronies will create their own darn show!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely fascinating. I love that bouncy walk too - masterfully done - and now it's been masterfully analyzed by a knowlegable animation buff. Kudos, sir, and thank you for the lesson!
ReplyDelete@Bombedrumbum
ReplyDeletewhat kind of computer camp?
Wow, I am not animator nor do I have much interest in ever becoming one but I still really liked this video. I feel like I can better appreciate all animation now after watching.
ReplyDeleteShort Version: This was awesome!
This was cool! Well goodnight everypony!
ReplyDeleteMad respect for the people who do this for a living, or even as a hobby.
ReplyDeleteThey did one hell of a job animating that scene.
ReplyDeletenice.
ReplyDeletenow make a Scootaloo episode, guys.
this video explained why i don't animate.
ReplyDeleteNot enough patience.
I'd much rather write about a scene than animate it.
I'm no animation or flash buff but even I loved and was able to appreciate the animation of her marching during the song. Very awesome stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I wasn't the only person intrigued by the walk cycles during that song
ReplyDeleteCan you buy something like this to make your own flash animation?
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Happy i wasn't the only one who was offset (in an artistic interest of creative complexity) by the walking as having any 'scene' head on a charecter's walking can make mover look awkward, didn't know just HOW difficult and in-tune it was to everthing else happening. thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no desire to work with animation, yet I find videos like this to be incredibly interesting to watch. Watching an animator work and the va's in their little sound cubicles are things I could do all day.
ReplyDeleteThe love, the care, the artistry put into every little thing...
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason we all love this show. And that reason is that they CARE about what they do. And it shows so much.
@Bombedrumbum
ReplyDeleteI learned more from this video than I did from six weeks of computer class dedicated solely to Flash animation.
Whoever made it really knows their stuff. It boggles my mind to think just how talented the people working on the show are.
I like the way Pinkie's head bobs :D
ReplyDeleteDem breadowns. This is a breakdown. I know from from seeing a number of breakdowns in my day. Also, pixels. Haha. Very nicely done. Someone is/was paying attention in class it seems. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen you break it down like that
ReplyDeleteYou realize how goddamn hard those animators work
I'm glad you know what you're doing Hasbro.
Oh my gosh, it's true; the way she walked was just perfect for the song.
ReplyDeleteI am a professional animator and I was damned impressed by some of Pinkie's actions during the song. There were two spins that caught my eye but that happy, joyful trot beats it all. So sweet! Whoever did that should be proud of themselves.
ReplyDelete@_OJ_ cool story bro, tell it again
ReplyDeleteWow, this was amazingly well explained. Kudos to the presenter. And just think: that was like one whole second of a 22-minute long episode. No wonder the episodes take like a year from start to finish to produce. The amount of love and care that goes into this show by the people involved is truly marvelous in every sense of the word, and I hope they know how much we appreciate everything they do. :D
ReplyDeleteHow does she wave while trotting?
ReplyDeleteThis was really impressive.
ReplyDelete@iisaw awesome! What do you animate for?
ReplyDeleteI never though how much though and physics was involved in animation, incredible. Wow the animators really like us to go through all these steps and procedures, and that's only for the song. Thanks for the quick explanation Cereal you rock! Whoohoo!Hoofs up bronies for our favorite Pink 4th wall/physics breaker Pinkie Pie, and everypony keep smiling!
ReplyDeleteAlways knew there was a lot of work put into animation, but MY GOODNESS! As if the animation team behind the show didn't already have my eternal admiration. Really enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteAnd 160bpm? Not the fastest I've seen, but that's still pretty quick. Though whenever I'm playing along with the song, it feels like time slows down. Especially when it's the drums. Gosh, this is such a fun song to drum along with.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing, Im not an animator but i never thought hard about how much detail is put into just one second of animation...
ReplyDeleteNot that I'll ever be an animator, but I like this.
ReplyDeleteThis scene is one of my favourite parts of the song, it just looks really good. This was an excellent explanation of the processes behind it.
ReplyDeleteAnd now we have analyzed how ponies walk.
ReplyDeleteWe are nerds!
:D
BUTT
ReplyDelete@Michael Butcher Like someone else said in the episode post's comments, I particularly noticed that they took time to animate her hind legs at the end when seen from overhead. IIRC not done with Rarity in Art of the Dress.
ReplyDeleteWOW This was really cool! Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteNice technical detailed look into why Smile is the best song ever.
ReplyDeletefunny part is i know what he is talking about, working in animation in college makes you learn stuff like that :D
ReplyDeletekey framing on tempo is really important, you need to have to chart everything down so everything is perfect, if you don't the animation will look choppy and awkward
I wonder why so many people pronounce "Pony" like there's an H between the P and the O.
ReplyDeleteP-h-ony. Try pronouncing it without that H sound. Poe. Nee. xD Sound better? Yeah, I bet it does.
On the topic of the video, wow! o3o I had no idea the animators did all that to make this stuff work that well.
@Jay911
ReplyDeleteOooh, good catch! ;)
It never ceases to amaze me at how much attention to small details some Bronies take notice of.
I love this video. Really gives you an appreciation for how much hard work is put into the animation. And holy carp, Smile had the best animation in the series.
ReplyDeleteAlso, technically the song starts at 156 BPM and then speeds up very slightly to 159 BPM at the "come on, everypony, smile smile smile!" part. I know because I'm doing a remix of the song.
I remember doing this kind of stuff in my college flash animation class. It really sheds new light on this kind of animation when you understand how it works. It also lets you gain a lot more respect for the people that do this kind of stuff all the time and especially this well.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing work. Kudos
It's actually 156 BPM for most of the track, and then goes up to 159 around 2:34 to the end.
ReplyDeleteoh sure a magical floating jump rope appears in this song sequence and you analyze normal walking... is Pinkie Pie only amazing now if she's NOT breaking the laws of physics lol.
ReplyDelete@Flutteryay
ReplyDeleteHoly Hivemind Batman. I only did the crunch because I'm bored and wanna mash it up with Space Jam.
I don't know anything about animation, but honestly I felt the same way about how 'snappy' the walk cycle animation looked and this was both very educational and interesting video to watch! Great job to the creator ^^
ReplyDeleteAnyone want to bet that this becomes a "must-see" in any animation class?
ReplyDeleteAnyone want to bet that this becomes a "must-see" in any animation class?
ReplyDelete@Jay911
ReplyDeleteRarity's legs weren't animated at the end of The Art of the Dress because she was standing still with the camera rotating above her. It's not clear at first because she has dress-making tools and ponyquins circling her, but as the camera pulls out and the edge of the room comes into frame you can see the context. In Pinkie's case she's stepping to the beat and turning in place right to the end.
As for animation in general, it's the care some modern studios put into their animation that is the reason why around half the DVDs and 100% of the Blu-rays I have bought are animation. There are many scenes that repay multiple plays and close examination.
@DashieBro
ReplyDeleteI do 3D work for effects houses nowadays but I used to work in videogames. Gex and the Legacy of Kain games are the most well-known ones.
Nearly worked on a couple of traditional shows but never quite made the connection.
Im glad I'm not the only one over-analyzing ponies.
ReplyDeleteI could watch something like this for the whole song. And several other songs.
ReplyDelete@lastunusedmane One on facial expressions would be good, too.
ReplyDeleteMost impressive. Those animators...it's almost like they do these things on purpose!
ReplyDeleteThis definitely made me appreciate the animation quality even more. Dang, there are just so many things to love!
ReplyDeleteYa know, I knew almost jack shit about animation ,but i still managed to walk away from this with a wealth of knowledge about both the movement formulae, and many of the insights behind analyzing animation techniques. Then again, I;ve always been a quick study. It's nice to see a logical explanation of something I've been trying to do by feel alone, and get some scientific logic behind what has before now been an entirely artistic process. And as any true scientist knows, once you know the formula, the rest is just plugging in variables and following the outcome. Easy-peasy!
ReplyDeleteSuper Awesome!
ReplyDeleteSigh, I remember just enough flash from design school to know what he's talking about, but not enough to actually do what he's doing...
ReplyDeletethank you for the little lesson in animating sir, and may i say you have a very nice voice to keep it interesting
ReplyDelete@_OJ_ No one cares.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised he didn't bring up any comparison to an actual horse trot cycle. That knowledge is also important in making Pinkie's motion in this scene look so natural. The deceptively simple art style of the ponies can often conceal just how well the animators have nailed down horse gaits!
ReplyDelete...that was awesome...
ReplyDelete@Wisdom Thumbs Word!
ReplyDeleteI think general study and analysis of FiM is halpful for all artists. The team does an excellent job, be it animation, music, characterisation, or anything else. You can break it down and analyze it so much, it's amazing! :-)
This man is best pony of the day.
ReplyDelete@_OJ_ I decided to read it 'cause I needed a laugh.
ReplyDeleteIf you're trolling, you're trying too hard.
If not, then you've got some agreeable points mixed up with CAPS RAEG and an "ALL BRONIES R RETARDED" attitude.
Either way, thanks for the entertainment.
Many thanks to the person who made this analysis of the animation, to the folks here at EqD for bringing it to my attention, and to the amazing people who make the show, without whom there would be video of the animation break down to watch.
ReplyDeleteGetting to see how much detail and precision goes into something as "simple" as a pony walking only increases my appreciation for the work the animators put in. Thank you very much for all of your hard work!
@_OJ_ Come on and smile.
ReplyDelete@_OJ_
ReplyDeleteThat's a good boy ! You apparently put a lot of effort in your letter. You want a candy ? :D
I almost feel like a villian for not being a big fan of that Smile song xD
ReplyDelete@FamusJamus
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly.
You are one dedicated brony sir
ReplyDeleteGJ on this animation
This is really interesting to watch. I hadn't even thought of that. I wonder if they make people do this sort of analysis in animation classes...
ReplyDeleteKeeping the tune with the beat is important to keep the viewer interested. As well as it is important to match the rhythm of the song, which was described for us all. Either way I gotta say, great work. I love the song and I love the animation and its great to know somepony broke it down, brought out the basics and helped us get a hoof on the ground about the tempo.
ReplyDeleteis so complicated
ReplyDeleteWow. That's a lot of thought put into a few seconds of animation. Just goes to show that doing something well is always far more complex than you'd think.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was watching that scene I knew I absolutely loved the way she walked in that scene. Now I know why! Amazing job with the animation there.
ReplyDeleteThis is relevant to my interests.
ReplyDeleteAfter minute 4 of the video, I was looking at Pinkie's flank..
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to see how far the animators have come since the Gala Song.
ReplyDeletePerspective and everything looked just right in the latest episode while in S1E26 the hooves did look a little odd.
Am I really the only person who saw the image before reading the title/description and thought weird things when I saw 'bent' and 'straight'?
ReplyDelete... Seems I am.
u_u
huh that guy is good in Math
ReplyDeleteThe is one of those things that can be used to discuss the difference between S1 and S2 animation. If you look at S1 "The Best Night Ever" at about 6:48 (as they all walk into the Gala) in a very stiff and martial style compared to Pinkie's...er.. butt wiggling way illustrated here. I wonder was this stiffness deliberate (I guess it would be as wiggly bouncyness may not be right for this scene) or is it just they are getting more of a grip on the characters? Either way its all good to stop and examine the visuals from time to time (I do this to the audio all the time).
ReplyDeleteI have huge respect for animators, they literally bring drawings from the imagination to life for us.
Best use to describe the walk cycle of a pony. Very well done!!! ^_^
ReplyDelete@Chaoyll It's the internet. Everyone's thinking it no matter who mentions it.
ReplyDeleteThat was actually pretty interesting, even though I've never really been all that interested in animation.
ReplyDelete@Infusions If he is a troll, he also forgot to turn on Blogger's comments for his "Open Letter". They're switched off by default so he only got the ~6 comments in this thread as reactions.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I reckon he's an egotistical whiner who's mistaking a few overenthusiastic con Bronies as the average Brony. The ones I know are much more laid back.
Either way, it's worth a chuckle. The best part was: "HOLY DOG SHIT THE SHOW ISN'T EVEN THAT GREAT AND YOU SHOULD ALL BE CHECKED FOR MENTAL DISORDERS".
I really enjoy animations and this was perfect.
ReplyDeleteMan, I'm glad I came back to check this out. Very informative and a great watch.
ReplyDeleteIn-depth analysis like these...they're just great, plain and simple. Explaining something advanced so simply is quite hard to do, let alone training an eye for animation. Thanks for doing this!
ReplyDeleteDamn that was really cool. I hope we get more of these videos.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE "How Ponies Work" type videos like this!
ReplyDelete@EngineerBrony I agree, and this one was very well done to!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this, I've got some ideas for making a reuse-friendly 3D version.
ReplyDelete