The Illusion of Life- 1981

As I write these reviews I’m by no means trying to chronicle every animation book ever written, but after Preston Blair’s book, the next print publication of note in my humble opinion came in 1981, titled the Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Like Preston Blair’s book, this text can probably be found in almost every great animator’s library and is required course material for many college animation classes. It’s a chunk of a book and its coffee table size and format are cunningly deceptive!

Can you remember the last time you curled up with a cup of coffee and a 575 page hardcover book that probably weighs as much as your cat? Sounds silly, but when it comes to reading the Illusion of life that’s probably not a bad idea. The book is worth having just for chapter 3 alone, which outlines the 12 principles of animation and succinctly describes their importance with excellent examples. It’s full of color and black and white images from the wonderful Disney films the animator-authors worked on. It covers animation history, techniques, and describes the various non-animation departments necessary for creating a traditionally animated film such as the music and story departments. After reading this book anyone can become an expert about the animation process! Because of its format it’s not the easiest book to pull off the shelf and refer back to often, but the example images of character designs, thumbnail sketches, and x-sheets make it an invaluable reference so it should always be close at hand. It’s wonderful for student animators like yours truly and every animator and animation enthusiast could use a copy.

My appreciation for the book, wholehearted and enthusiastic, was further deepened after watching the 1995 documentary film Frank and Ollie. It’s a shame that the DVD for the film doesn’t come shrink wrapped with the book, because they really complement each other. In the film Frank and Ollie talk about their book and so much more as they reminisce about their lives as top animators for Walt Disney. If you’re going to buy the book, make sure you check out this DVD also as it will give you a chance to get to know these icons of the animation industry.

The Illusion of Life is a must own. Every chapter was lovingly written from the approach of personal experience. It could easily be called the memoirs of Frank and Ollie. More than a book, the Illusion of Life is a legacy, a gift to animators.

For more about Frank and Ollie, check out their personal website which was designed in their lifetimes, now graciously maintained by the people who knew and loved them.

http://www.frankanollie.com/

Because it is such a long book, I’ve been reading my copy in bits at a time. My drink of choice today is jasmine green tea! I have to be honest and admit I haven’t read it down to the letter as of writing this review, but I keep it on the shelf above my computer, and refer back to it often.

Did you know…?

That Frank and Ollie have had more than one animated cameo? My favorite is from the Incredibles. Here’s the screen cap with an overlay that says it all. I wish I knew the original source of this great image to give credit where it’s due!