《玩具總動員4》剛在台灣上映，票房也傳出捷報。
當然，因為這是陪伴大家成長的動畫。那麼你有想像過可以參與動畫的製作嗎？
中佛羅里達大學BA in Character Animation的畢業生Teresa Falcone便是一個成功例子。
Teresa和我們一樣都是玩具總動員的粉絲，《玩具總動員1》在她9歲時才剛上映，時隔10多年 Teresa 20歲時也是劇中小男孩上大學之時，這部伴隨著我們童年的動畫，也在2019年推出第四集了，而Teresa很幸運地能夠參與幕後製作。
不僅僅是《玩具總動員4》，Teresa在未畢業前即參與了索尼影業《小腳怪》及皮克斯的《可可夜總會》幕後製作。
我們一起來看看Teresa的心得吧!
What was it like working on Toy Story 4?
I had a blast working on the movie. It was so fun being immersed in this toy world with these beloved characters. Everyone brought in toys that were special to them and they were used to decorate our “war room,” so it was a really special and nostalgic experience. The whole team, from the animators to the leads and production staff, were always having a good time and spirits seemed high even in crunch.
What are some details in the movie that you worked on?
I was on the Fix Team, which our leads describe as being the last line of defense before the movie goes out into the world. Fixes can include adjusting pops in animation, retiming something, completely reanimating something or even polishing a shot for someone who had to go onto something else. We actually nicknamed ourselves the Swiss Army because, like a Swiss Army knife, we were always ready for anything and we were able to help out wherever they needed us to, beyond typical fixes.
There’s a sequence that takes place inside of a pinball machine in the antiques shop and I actually got to animate Woody in one of those shots. It was so surreal and such a dream come true. I also got to animate some shots of the lady that runs the shop and also some of Bonnie’s parents and the toys in the RV. The awesome part of this role was that I got work in almost all of the sequences in the movie, so I got to do a little bit of everything.
What did it mean for you to work on this one?
I have always been a huge fan of the Toy Story franchise, as I think most people are, but I also had another extra special connection to the movies. I used to work as a performer at Disney World and was good “friends” with Jessie. I loved seeing firsthand what these characters mean to the world, and I constantly had that in my head as I worked. That job is what really made me want to be an animator, and so actually getting to work on this movie with these legacy characters was an absolute dream come true. I had to keep pinching myself. The fact that I was working alongside people that worked on the first three movies made it all the more surreal. I’ve seen the movie twice now, and the second I heard the first notes of “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” play in the theater I cried both times. I just couldn’t believe I was part of it.
What was the biggest challenge of working on the movie?
I think one challenge for me was sometimes unlearning certain things in order to animate a toy, as they obviously move differently than humans do. Each toy is made of something different, so in order to stay true to materials, they each needed to be animated differently. In one shot, I had to animate Buttercup the unicorn doing a kind of army crawl out from under a car seat and then maneuver his way around to the gas pedal. It was very daunting trying to figure out how a four-legged plush doll would do an army crawl. There was also just that pressure of knowing these characters are beloved and you want to do right by them and to the fans as well. It was definitely a fun challenge, though.
What sets this movie apart from the other Toy Story movies?
One really fun part of this movie is all the new characters we introduce. We don’t know them from the other movies but throughout the movie we grow to love them just like the other [characters from the previous movies], and it still feels like a Toy Story movie. We’re diving deeper into what it means to be a toy and we’re seeing for the first time Woody questioning what his purpose is. There’s definitely a theme of self-discovery and helping others realize what their purpose in life is. Woody takes on more of mentor role in this movie and I think that helps him on his own personal journey. You can expect a ton of laughs and tears too!