Animation Deconstruction

First image: The Simpsons, Episode: "The Trouble with Trillions" (1998)

Second image: The Simpsons, The Simpsons Movie (2007)

            I chose to compare and contrast two images from the animated sitcom, “The Simpsons”. The first image is from an episode from the ninth season called “The Trouble with Trillions”, made in 1998. The second image is from The Simpsons Movie, made in 2007.

            New technology and animation techniques developed in the ten years between the two images have greatly enhanced the graphics. First, let’s compare and contrast color. The second image is much brighter than the first image. The characters from each image are still the same hue, but because of updated graphics the second image is brighter. The background of the first image is mostly dark gray and brown, which are cooler colors. This causes it to recede while the lighter colors of the characters cause them to advance in the image.  The background of the second image is pink, a warmer color that advances the background to bring it in line with the characters. The second image is made up of almost entirely warm colors, which gives the image a more comforting feel. This is reinforced by the fact that it is inside the Simpson’s house and so it feels “homely”. The first image has many cooler colors. This makes the area in the image seem less inviting, which fits Mr. Burns’ character. Also, the red in the first image contrasts with the all other colors. Both images are very colorful and feature a variety of hues.

            Now let’s discuss the lighting of each image. The first image has a constant lighting throughout and does not use any element of shadow. The second image uses lighting to create shadows in the image. Shadows can be seen on the walls and on the characters body. Based on where the shadows are placed you can determine where the source of light is coming from, even though it is not in the image. Going back to the color aspect, the areas covered in shadow are obviously darker in tone. The lighting in both images does not add to or create a certain mood and you are left to determine mood and emotion through the characters’ faces. However, the lighting also helps to establish depth and space within the image, because the characters and other objects are blocking the source of light which must be coming from somewhere other than on screen.