Idea Genration from Movie: "The Little Mermaid" (2023)

 I always seek inspiration from various sources to enhance my skills and broaden my creativity. Recently, I had the pleasure of watching the latest live action movie of the very famous movie, "The Little Mermaid". This movie provided me with valuable insights and ideas for my character designs. In this blog, I will share this enchanting film can assist character designers and animators like myself, and offer some key points to include in my character designs, particulary from the iconic characters, The mermaid 'Ariel' and the villainess 'Ursula'. 

Image Source: Imdb

One of the first aspects that attracted me while watching the movie was the unique personalities and features of each character. To create attracting and relatable characters, it is important to combine them with special qualities that make them memorable. By closely observing the film's characters, I learned how their characteristics were reflected in their appearance and actions. For example, Ursula, the powerful and scary witch, is known for her manipulative nature and cunning behaviour. To show her badness, concept artists have emphasized her angular features, intense eyes, and a evil expression. Using dark and rich colors like deep purples or greens. 

On the other hand, the mermaid, who is courageous, curios and desiring for exploration, was portrayed with flowing, vibrant hair and an expressive face that showed her emotions. I realized that, the character's appearance should effectively communicate their story and personality to the audience.

Additionally,, the trident played a very big role in the movie, serving as a symbol of power and authority. When designing characters with triedents, it is essential to consider how these objects can enhance and tell the story beind overall design. I payed attention to details such as trient's shape, materials and designs, which were aligning them with the character's features and role in the story. For example, a wise character may have an attractively designed trident with gold accents, while a villain character might have a rough and unattractive trident with is more for practical use. 

Another valuable lesson I learned from "The Little Mermaid is the importance of cultural references and inspiration. The film combines the underwater fantasy with real-world elements, borrowing from various cultures and art styles. As an animator, draawing inspiration from different cultures can enrich my design and add depth to my characters. 

"The Little Mermaid(2023) provided to be a remarkable resourse for my characters. By observing film's characters, I gained information into creating unique and memorable designs that relect the personalities of each character. It helped to focus on characteristics when making a character's appearence, paying attention to details such as facial expression, color palettes and overall features. 

You can see the trailer below or watch movies in the nearby Cinema Halls.

As I continue my artistic journey, I am grateful for the valuable lesson and inspiration "The Little Mermaid" provided. I look forward to incorporating these new found insights into my future projects, creating attracting and compelling characters that will leave a lasting impact on the audience.

Reference:

Walt Disney Studios (2023) The Little Mermaid | Official Trailer. 13 March. Available at: https://youtu.be/kpGo2_d3oYE (Accessed: 27/05/2023).