Who seems more real Donald Duck or a real duck? Seems like a silly question to ask but Donald may seem real due to the fact that one can relate more to Donald Duck cartoons than watching a real duck at a park. Donald Duck can be seen as a caricature of a real duck. Donald Duck is real in the sense of his emotions but a real duck in real due to the fact that it exists in reality.
Caricature is an exaggeration. It can be an exaggeration of a character’s body parts, personality, as well as their movements and actions in animation. I believe that realism is truer than caricature in the sense that realism is more true to reality. Reality is truth but caricature is more of an expression and exaggeration of truth. I believe one cannot have caricature without looking at realism first. To exaggerate something one must have a basis to exaggerate. For realism just look at reality but for caricature it is more about exaggerating reality.
Yet in animation caricature is greatly seen due to the fact that because of its amplification of reality characters better communicate to the audience. Feelings and emotions are better seen.
In the clip from Pixar’s Presto, I believe it relies on both realism and caricature. As discussed in Chapter Two of The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, Walt Disney wanted a catricature of realism. In order to capture the audience one must exaggerate but it must be believable at the same time. It has to feel real, be based on realism.
The clip is based on realism being that is involves a magician, a rabbit, and a hat. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is a trick seen and heard about in reference to magicians. The magician looks like a human and the rabbit looks like a rabbit. The magician does not have unrealistic or too fluid of movements. The room that the characters are in, the setting, looks like what a real magician’s dressing room would look like. The cage that rabbit is in and the carrot he is longing for look like the real life things.
Caricature is seen in the clip through the rabbit’s movements and actions. Rabbits do stand on two feet at times but they do not move their legs in rotation as the rabbit was when the magician was holding him back. Yet that movement is needed to get the audience’s attention. The movement also evokes the emotion of the rabbit of desperately wanting the carrot and causes the emotion from the audience of sympathy.
Realism is more true than caricature if one references both with reality. Animation is not so much about being real but more about feelings that exist in the real world. One can draw or animate anything they want, anyway they want but that character is going to evoke real feelings that exist in the real world. Realism is already closer to reality. Emotion and feeling does not have to make it seem real.
Then again is something real as long as you believe in it?
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