Why is character development the key to successful animation storytelling?

This is important, this is where your story can revolve. Detailed development of your character is a key to a great storytelling. Your audience will feel the character of the story if it is a believable one. The audience will know the character's emotions, qualities that will show. The purpose of the whole story will be show thru this character. Make it a great one.

Character development is key to successful animation storytelling because: 1. Characters drive the narrative and engage the audience emotionally. 2. Well-developed characters have depth, complexity, and relatability. 3. They create empathy and connection, leading to a more immersive experience. 4. Characters with clear motivations and arcs drive the plot forward organically. 5. Strong character development enhances audience investment and retention. 6. Memorable characters leave a lasting impact, fostering loyalty and interest in the story.

Preproduction, which is the process of planning your animation should be the process you should take the most time with because this is the fun part. This is where you get to create and imagine. Animation itself is just the process of the mechanical work of the idea you just created. Post production is just editing the whole package and making it look best. But preproduction, this is where you make the story and develop the characters. My recommendation: do a lot of research for your character development, have fun and immerse yourself in the whole creation process.

The design will catch your eye but the depth and journey of the characters are what keep you engaged! If we don’t relate to the characters, if they aren’t well thought out, we will move on.

"Character development as a microcosm of life". Change is said to be the only constant. There is also the idea that a sound that continues unabated from birth to death will be perceived as silence. Combining these two ideas, the main experiences in life that we notice are those that change. Knowing this, we have a fundamental need to observe change outside of ourselves in order to put our own personal growth into context. Stories that develop naturally will therefore intuitively engage and appeal to audiences, providing us with meaning and connection. And the simplest, most straightforward way to communicate progression and growth is through characters. So when we tell a story, in any medium... ...let's develop our characters.

"Character development IS the story". A common theme tends to emerge across all genres of filmic storytelling: Representing the human condition. Sometimes, though, this through-line is obscured. For example, science-fiction can appear to be based on fantastical ideas and technology being used to explore unknown worlds. But new ideas only exist in relation to existing shared knowledge. Technology is based on human need and curiosity. And what remains to explore is only what has not yet been discovered. In the end, our fears, goals, and aspirations are contained in the characters we develop and the stories we tell. These in turn clarify our individual searches for meaning and purpose. ...and push us to search out the next story.

"Gaining skill in storytelling" I'll go back 400 years to Miyamoto Musashi: “You can only fight the way you practice”. . . . Pretty much all jobs in animation involve identifying challenges and overcoming them. This can be a struggle. Or a fight, if you will. So the best way, the ONLY way to get better at developing characters for storytelling, is to tell lots of stories. Fortunately, transferable skills abound in animation. Writing stories, telling stories, listening to stories, consuming live-action and animation actively, people-watching, focusing on existing in the present, and simply intentionally living an engaged life are all that is required to learn how to develop characters and tell stories. Just be patient with it.

Design them with looks unique to them as individuals while in keeping with the style of the production. Be sure to give characters distinct personalities and their own voices. Emphasizing contrast is a magical story enhancer for both drama and comedy. How do these strong, individual personalities interact with one another? Make them relatable in some way. Create characters that viewers will love, or love to hate. Build a bond with your audience. What are their roles and motivations in the big picture? Plan out what their character brings to the story. Who are the main drivers? Who are the supporters? Give them nuances (strengths/quirks/flaws, etc) to enhance their personalities and the entertainment experience. Make them memorable.