Changes to character designs

I’m worried that my child characters don’t look especially young or vulnerable so I’m thinking of making changes to make them more so.

I’ve decided to look at some Disney characters for reference; beginning with Lilo because I’ve already used the work of Chris Sanders to help with the style of my film.

I’m taking into account that Lilo’s head could fit 3 times into her body. Here’s Shelley.

Her head could fit four times in to her body. Perhaps making her body shorter would therefore make her appear cuter and as such younger. Preston Blair says that “cuteness is based on the proportions of a baby” (Cartooning Book One, Animation 1 with Preston Blair, pg 18). Making her body shorter in comparison to her head would definitely achieve this effect.

I’ve also decided to look at Disney’s character Penny from “The Rescuers” because she is an orphan in need of help and is therefore an ideal example of a vulnerable character.

Penny’s head is still quite big in comparison to the rest of her body and her hair adds to this effect. She’s also wearing plain blue dress which shows the size of her skinny arms and legs. Perhaps then putting Shelley in a plain dress as opposed to dungarees and a baggy t-shirt will make her appear more vulnerable.