Art Inspiration Part 5: Don Bluth

Growing up, animated movies are one of my favorite genres of movies. A couple of my favorite childhood movies include Anatasia and Land Before Time created by Don Bluth.

Don Bluth is an American film director, production designer, and animation director; he is one of my favorite animators and he is known for his work in The Secret of NIHM, Thumbelina, Anatasia, and Land before time. 

In Bluth's works, I like the overall realism of the characters and the renaissance feel of this artwork. For example, in Thumbelina and Anatasia, the character's cheeks are fuller, and the eyes are not overexaggerated and are small making the facial features feel more realistic to the eye. Also, another aspect of Bluth's characters is that they are very emotive and extreme with loose fluid lines; for example, looking at Thumbelina's dress and her hair, we can see the loose flowy lines which add to the realism and the movement of the characters. 

Thumbelina concept art | photo from previousvisions

Aside from Bluth's artwork, I enjoy watching his traditional cel animation style, rotoscoping, and taking huge risks in creating darker and more mature stories for children, breaking away from the traditional fantasy-like happy ending types of stories. 

Canine Mysteries concept art | Photo by Scad libraries

Overall, Bluth is a legendary animator that changed the animation industry in a positive light, and he is one of the reasons why I am in love with traditional animation today. Although Bluth's animation studio was not as successful as we hoped to be, Bluth continues to share his wealth of knowledge and passion for animation by hosting animation tutorials and masterclasses for future animators who are trying to break into the industry. 

Here is Bluth's website: https://www.donbluthanimation.com/