Emotion?

What makes a person feel for the character? Be it sympathy/empathy, hatred/love, sad/happy the list goes on. What is it about the character that makes a person connect?

As always the looks are important, it'd be very hard to make people connect with a stick man (although it is possible, to some extent). A person needs to be able to see how a person moves, the way they ACT.

If they're hunched and walking slowly, something is obviously wrong? They're sad maybe?

 

This guy for example, by the way his back is arched and his arms are hanging down you'd assume something is wrong? (Granted it's highly exaggerated but that's the point, no one would do this in real-life - a more restrained version maybe). Is he sad? Is he depressed? What's happened in his life to make him like this? Did he lose something/someone? It makes you QUESTION the reason the character is in the state it is.

Where as (Quick sketchy drawing...Apologies)

This character is standing up straight, he seems fine. Not sad, not depressed but also not happy. Happy would be a huge exaggerated body shape or walk cycle showing this, a hop in it's step maybe. The point is, besides looks it's important that the way the character carries itself is recognisable by the audience.

I'd like to take Rocky as an example. The film opens with him fighting in some rundown club against "Spider Rico". You have NO emotions for him at this point, just a little confused as to what's happening. As the story progresses you find out more about him, you find out that he's a little slow so you sympathize with him in that sense. It's human instinct to root for the underdog in a story. Rocky picked up on this and the film (in my eyes) is one of pure genius. You feel for Rocky when he's fighting, you feel for the Rocky/Adrian relationship juggling. You FEEL for Mick's passion and determination.

That's the point of an actor/character in both animation and film, to make the audience FEEL something. Be it hate for an "obnoxious, egotistical" character, or happiness for someone finally reaching their "goals". If i could (And i should there's no maybe) make people FEEL these emotions when watching my animation, my job as an animator is done. It's not all about flashy visuals, it's more about the part of "immersing" yourself into something for a brief moment of time.