Award-winning animator and director Eric Goldberg has a new book coming out titled Character Animation Crash Course. Set to be published by Silman-James Press in September, the tome and accompanying CD will be jammed packed with the insights and methods needed to bring pencil lines to extraordinary life. Goldberg, whose credits include the Disney features Aladdin, Pocahontas, Fantasia 2000 and Hercules, will be signing the first copies at the San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 25 (2-4 p.m.) and Saturday, July 26 (11 a.m.-noon) at the Stuart Ng Books exhibit, booth #5012.
Goldberg is currently supervising animator on the character ‘Louis’ in Disney’s upcoming 2-D feature The Princess and the Frog, set for a holiday 2009 release. His new book employs text and drawings to explore how characters are conceived and endowed with strong and unforgettable personalities. The CD of animated movie examples demonstrate in realitime, or frame-by-frame, Goldberg’s principles at play.
‘This is the book I wish I had when I was first learning my craft,’ says Goldberg. ‘The first part stresses the thought and preparation required to animate, and the second part is a no-nonsense manual describing classic animation techniques, all in the service of getting great performances from the characters. Whatever technologies continue to develop in the medium, the investment of personal feelings and emotions will always be animation’s future.’
Character Animation Crash Course features a forward by Oscar-winning Pixar writer/director Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant). The 240-page book with color images will carry a suggested retail price of $35 when it hits retail outlets in September.
