DreamWorks artist reveals fascinating early character animations

DreamWorks is responsible for some of the most famous animated franchises, including Shrek, Madagascar and Trolls, all featuring incredibly polished 3D animations. But an animator for the studio has revealed a fascinating look at some of their early iterations.

Adrien Soyty Liv has taken to X to share several examples of individual shots they animated for DreamWorks films, offering a tantalising glimpse at early animations and character design work for the likes of Puss in Boots and more.

Keeping the ball rolling with another Trolls 3 moment. pic.twitter.com/Lo9vmCQrxLAugust 10, 2024

This is the only shot I got to animate on KFP4.Nothing fancy but I love how the character on the right is interacting with the tea set in front of her, it makes the performance so grounded and believable.#KungFuPanda4 #dreamworks pic.twitter.com/6VmjPLqwfkAugust 6, 2024

While these clips may look rudimentary at first, they reveal how much consideration goes into the movement and expression of characters right from the start, including the character subtly moving a teacup in the example above.

"This scene in the movie was stunning and the subtlety was so dope. Great work," one X user comments in reply to a clip from Puss in Boots 2, while another encouragingly adds, "How does it feel to know that you COOKED?"

Kicking off with my little contribution to Puss in Boots 2SPOILERGrateful to have animated one of the best villain in recent memory, who has a change of heart and snaps after recognizing Puss is no longer the arrogant fellow he used to be. #Dreamworks #animation #pussinboots pic.twitter.com/UVsTNGdPkUAugust 3, 2024

Indeed, glimpses of early animations are always fascinating – we've seen plenty of examples from Disney over the years. Although, as is the case with the original PlayStation logo when viewed from behind, they can appear a little cursed.