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ever since i saw spirited away in 2001 by studio ghibli, i loved animation. And I’m sure I’m not the only one.
You are reading: Best books for animators
You may ask yourself, how do I begin to match that style or any animation style? you love and admire animators and the art of animation, but you’re not sure where to start your journey into the art world.
From hobby drawings to super-detailed landscapes, these books have it all. From masters to your eyes, the tricks of the trade are yours if you choose these top 10 animation books to help you on your creative journey into animation.
selection of books listed:
- first-hand experience
- second-hand experience
- reviews (amazon, goodreads, peer recommendations, etc…)
our top 10 books for new animators
animators survival kit
Award-winning animator Richard Williams is here to show you how to make it in animation. Williams is world-famous for helping with the iconic Who Framed Roger Rabbit. And other well-known projects like the Pink Panther animations, and the long, troubled The Thief and the Cobbler, which he directed.
Who could be a better guide than Richard Williams? The book, published in 2001, is considered a must-read for any aspiring animator, as Williams divulges tips, tricks, and techniques that he himself has used and uses to this day. this book is invaluable and paves the way for future animators.
who knows, maybe you could cause the next big thing alongside roger rabbit. You really couldn’t find a better animation book or one from an artist as decorated as Williams.
cartoon animation
Published in 1994, this guide by Preston Blair is an old, but an extremely valuable resource for aspiring animators. Next to Animators Survival Kit, this may be the best animation book. Preston Blair worked at Disney and MGM, animating famous scenes in Fantasia, specifically the Sorcerer’s Apprentice and the Dance of the Hours, Bambi, and Pinocchio.
He worked during the golden age of animation, considered to be between the 1930s and 1970s. These pivotal decades brought us some of our favorite classics, some of which feature Blair animation. In the book, Blair shares her signature way of animating cartoons.
you can learn techniques from the expert who brought you droopy dog and the flintstones. Blair died a year after the book was published, and I’m glad he made the advice known to him before he left.
acting for animators 4
Published in 2017, this animation book by Ed Hooks is the how-to guide to not only animating but integrating an integral role that emotion and intention both have on the animation process, culminating in your finished product.
I think this is an extremely valuable animation textbook, as it makes you think more deeply about your animation, rather than just putting it on the page. what is your character thinking? What is your character’s motivation for performing an action? These are all important questions explored in this animation book.
I love the emphasis on the “little things,” like facial expression and little nuances in a character’s movement that really bring it to life, rather than flatten it out. This is the fourth incarnation of the hook entertainer acting series. he is an accomplished author and acting teacher, and even teaches a master class on this very topic.
the illusion of life: disney animation
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Strap in, because you’re about to be educated by the masters. Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston were considered two of Disney’s ‘Nine Old Men’, the original core of Disney animators who created some of the most beloved Disney characters and films. Thomas and Johnston animated films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and Pinocchio.
They both published this book in 1981, the same year they worked on The Fox and the Hound. In this book of animation, Thomas and Johnston show you the ways they made Walt Disney Studios not just a powerhouse in animation, but the gold standard when it comes to the subject.
a big part of this book is the way they show; they make it easily accessible and not complicated or using jargon. they created the 12 rules of animation that emphasized that characters be realistic and retain their essence as animations.
time for animation
Published in 1981, the same year as Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, Timing for Animation instructs the animator is key ways on how to properly frame your animations. As the title states, timing is important. Giving your animation enough space, utilizing the length of a drawing, ‘stretch and squash’, and other amazing techniques.
john halas and harold whitaker were iconic animators. John Halas and his wife Joy Batchelor started an animation company in Britain as ‘Halas and Bachelor’ in which they produced many animated films.
They worked on movies like George Orwell’s Animal Farm adaptation in 1954, (which was the first animated feature film in England), and Harold Whitaker worked on the bizarre musical Heavy Metal in 1981. Another part of the book is just the simple and sensible tone of it.
Do you want to learn the subtle nuances of animation? this couldn’t be a better choice for an animation book.
crash course in character animation!
Eric Goldberg released this book in 2008. You may recognize his work: films like The Princess and the Frog, Wreck-It Ralph, and Hercules all bear his signature animation styles. My personal favorite Disney movie is Aladdin, so I owe Eric Goldberg a big thank, as he was the genius behind the Genie’s animation.
Once I heard about its history, I knew this was an animation textbook to look out for. Like the genie from Aladdin, the book focuses on the strong personalities of the characters and how to make the characters “jump” off the page. how do you make your character likeable and relatable to the audience?
eric goldberg, with his patented style, will show you exactly how masterpieces work. Eric Goldberg’s tone in the book is witty, funny, and light-hearted, making it easy to read and even easier to learn valuable animation techniques.
anime frames: culture and image construction
Anime fanatic maybe not exactly interested in Disney or Western animation? I’ve got the book for you. It’s a 2010 book on the deep inner workings of Eastern culture and its relationship with anime. It’s more of a deep history rather than a guidebook.
However, I think a solid historical background is absolutely key to starting to understand what you’re going to draw. knowing anime’s storied past will definitely help you draw your animations, as you add the gravity of decades of animation history behind each pencil stroke.
tze-yue hu interviews expert anime animators, doing deep research into the roots of anime, using the linguistics and history of japan from WWII onwards.
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You could easily finish this book in one sitting, it’s an easy read where you’ll educate yourself not only in the styles you know and love, but also with a deeper, more philosophical view of art as we know it. .
starting point, 1979-1996
Written by my personal favorite Eastern animation masters, Hayao Miyazaki has written this 2014 semi-memoir to outline his early career.
This animation textbook has many interviews, including sections on his childhood. Through these, it’s easy to see his influences that spawned early classics like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and My Neighbor Totoro. like many of us, miyazaki started out as a simple animator with a dream and ambitions.
He shares with us his story, his rise from the humble ranks of a mere animator to the global legend we now associate with an animated film. what’s special about miyazaki’s vision is his fixation on childhood and glorifying your dreams, and that really shows in this book and his animation in general.
While other books on this list will show you the valuable techniques used by animation experts, this animation book will show you the inner workings of a creative mind that feels stifled in its work and its output.
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talking animals and other people
An amusing look into the life of the animator of characters like Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, and Pluto, Talking Animals and Other People was released in 1998 by Shamus Culhane. He is perhaps best known for crafting the iconic ‘Heigh-Ho’ sequence of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which took him and his crew six months to complete.
That hard work paid off, and in his writing, Culhane applies that same hard work to his life. Culhane began his animation career as an intern for the president of his own company.
This book is a lot like miyazaki’s memoirs: it tells the story of culhane and informs the reader about the history of animation, from its origins to the present day. talks about the fascinating internal politics of creative studios that will keep you turning pages.
This book is a must read for any fan of animation, brimming with excellent illustrations and photography.
the making of the fantastic mr. fox
I love the films of Wes Anderson, and especially the Fantastic Mr. Fox. Unlike his other films, Fantastic Mr. Fox has beautiful animation and a lovely, endearing style that keeps you glued to the screen. In this 2009 book, Wes Anderson shows a behind-the-scenes look at his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1970 book of the same name.
the unique animation style spoke to my creative nature; It wasn’t like any other stop-motion animation I’d ever seen. some people might not like to see ‘behind the curtain’ of stop motion animation, however, someone like me (and probably you too), can’t resist learning about the techniques the studio used to perfect the movements of these humanoids. animals.
comes together seamlessly to deliver an experience so memorable you wish you could make it yourself.
take a look behind the scenes…
These animation books, all written by experts, show aspiring animators not only valuable techniques, but also the mindset of the masters. miyazaki, culhane, and some of the “nine old men” from the original disney animation team shine a light on the magic of filmmaking and what happens when you let those creative impulses out into the world.
studying and perusing the best animation books I could find educated me on such a fun subject. Veteran animators and newcomers alike will love these animation books, learning new information to improve their animation skills, whether big or small.
I know if you’re wondering if you should start your animation dream, reading these animation books will encourage you to finally pick up your pen and make your dreams come true.