--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think that animation was about…" description: "\"I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In order to make it really great, you bounce it, squash it, stretch it, make the eyes go big. Bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/glen-keane-33249_animation_i-used-to-think-that-animation-was-about_2850944.jpg" --- # I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In… ![“I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In order to make it really great, you bounce it, squash it, stretch it, make the eyes go big. But, as time went on, I started loving animating a character who had a kind of burning passion in her heart. Suddenly, animation became for me not so…” quote by Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/glen-keane-33249_animation_i-used-to-think-that-animation-was-about_2850944.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/glen-keane-33249_animation_i-used-to-think-that-animation-was-about_2850944.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/438/glen-keane-33249_animation_i-used-to-think-that-animation-was-about_2850944.jpg) > “I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In order to make it really great, you bounce it, squash it, stretch it, make the eyes go big. But, as time went on, I started loving animating a character who had a kind of burning passion in her heart. Suddenly, animation became for me not so much about moving stuff as it was about moving the audience.” [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Animation evolves from moving objects to moving audiences through character passion, highlighting storytelling over technique. **In simple terms:** Animation is about moving hearts. Key Takeaway Focus on character emotion. Themes storytelling animation emotion Mood inspirational creative Type artistic educational When to use this quote - film directing - animation workshops - creative writing Key Concepts character design audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - How do you convey emotion visually? - What makes a character resonate? A Different Perspective May neglect technical skill importance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Burning passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-passion/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I learned how to do stop-frame animation and I experimented with that a lot, and pretty much that was my mode of animating through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bolinsky/i-learned-how-to-do-stop-frame-animation-and-i-experimented-with-that/) David Bolinsky > [As a director, I'm not the one animating every frame, every shot. I'm moving around like a surgeon on rounds, or a farmer checking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/as-a-director-i-m-not-the-one-animating-every-frame-every-shot-i-m/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [When you're animating a music video, you have to animate to some set music. You're somewhat restricted by that, but you're also inspired by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kricfalusi/when-you-re-animating-a-music-video-you-have-to-animate-to-some-set/) [John Kricfalusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kricfalusi/) > [There is something I feel when I animate something; you can never really understand the character you're animating unless you've had the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-davis/there-is-something-i-feel-when-i-animate-something-you-can-never/) [Marc Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-davis/) > [Animating is a very slow, pain-staking process and the animators become the actors at that point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/animating-is-a-very-slow-pain-staking-process-and-the-animators/) [Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/) > [Sometimes the theme of the film is something that comes down to the way you designed the film - that you're saying something about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-knight/sometimes-the-theme-of-the-film-is-something-that-comes-down-to-the/) [Travis Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-knight/) > [I think 2-D animation disappeared from Disney because they made so many uninteresting films. They became very conservative in the way they created them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/i-think-2-d-animation-disappeared-from-disney-because-they-made-so/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [In some ways, I feel like the strength of animation is in its simplicity and caricature, and in reduction. It's like an Al Hirschfeld…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/in-some-ways-i-feel-like-the-strength-of-animation-is-in-its/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question is: are you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-marathon-and-making-a-movie-is/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I think animation can tell more than live action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/i-think-animation-can-tell-more-than-live-action/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [I think animation is a very truthful way to express your thoughts, because the process is very direct. That's what I've always liked about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-think-animation-is-a-very-truthful-way-to-express-your-thoughts/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [You can't think of animation as anything less than a performance and a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/you-can-t-think-of-animation-as-anything-less-than-a-performance-and/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I think the animation helps divorce the violence from reality. The sex certainly doesn't look all that realistic. I think the fact that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-reed/i-think-the-animation-helps-divorce-the-violence-from-reality-the-sex/) [Adam Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-reed/) > [“A man, when he's burning up with passion, wants to see things; he wants to see everything, even how they make water. And while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/a-man-when-he-s-burning-up-with-passion-wants-to-see-things-he-wants/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken place, sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/for-some-days-i-haunted-the-spot-where-these-scenes-had-taken-place/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## More by Glen Keane > [Believe the impossible is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/believe-the-impossible-is-possible/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [At one point, I animated villains in our stories, a bear or a giant, then on The Little Mermaid Ariel just called to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/at-one-point-i-animated-villains-in-our-stories-a-bear-or-a-giant/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [I don't know how to animate on the computer, and I'm really grateful that I worked with a couple of other guys. We called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/i-don-t-know-how-to-animate-on-the-computer-and-i-m-really-grateful/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [If you are drawing a blank, or are having a hard time drawing a certain thing, then it is because you have not studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/if-you-are-drawing-a-blank-or-are-having-a-hard-time-drawing-a/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [Believe in the character; animate with sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/believe-in-the-character-animate-with-sincerity/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [There's an image of Rapunzel free, flying in the air, as a sunburst, which says so much. This is a girl who has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/there-s-an-image-of-rapunzel-free-flying-in-the-air-as-a-sunburst/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [I find that you're drawn to certain stories, and there's something about fairytales that have deep roots. They connect really deeply to you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/i-find-that-you-re-drawn-to-certain-stories-and-there-s-something/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [“Any time you design a character for a Disney picture, especially a fairy tale, it's going to become the definitive design for that character,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/any-time-you-design-a-character-for-a-disney-picture-especially-a/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [Believe in your character. Animate (or write) with sincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/believe-in-your-character-animate-or-write-with-sincerity/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [There's a weird thing about me and characters with hair, from Ariel or Pocahontas to Tarzan with his dreadlocks and now Rapunzel... it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/there-s-a-weird-thing-about-me-and-characters-with-hair-from-ariel-or/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [If you are offered the opportunity to do something that you don’t know how to do – say yes, dive in and do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/if-you-are-offered-the-opportunity-to-do-something-that-you-don-t/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [Many years after animating Ariel, I continue to draw her, doodling as I talk on the phone, absent-mindedly passing time in a sketchbook. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/many-years-after-animating-ariel-i-continue-to-draw-her-doodling-as-i/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [People are who they are by the way they react to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/people-are-who-they-are-by-the-way-they-react-to-things/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) > [For me, drawing is the greatest joy. Animation is never as good as when I'm sitting at that desk drawing. Even when it's up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/for-me-drawing-is-the-greatest-joy-animation-is-never-as-good-as-when/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) [Explore all 15 Glen Keane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) ## More Animation quotes > [If I'm doing a voice-over session, like animation or something, and I'm doing three different voices, you've gotta separate them. You've gotta find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/if-i-m-doing-a-voice-over-session-like-animation-or-something-and-i-m/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [I was always into cartoons and animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/i-was-always-into-cartoons-and-animation/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > [What's unique about Disney Animation, many of the films have this perennial quality about them. They don't seem like old films, they still seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/what-s-unique-about-disney-animation-many-of-the-films-have-this/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I was always tinkering around with stuff but nothing serious at the time. I was doing animations and drawing like crazy, but I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-vangaalen/i-was-always-tinkering-around-with-stuff-but-nothing-serious-at-the/) Chad VanGaalen > [In feature animation, cartoony or exaggerated animation is almost taboo. There is this precedent that if you do that kind of stuff people won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/in-feature-animation-cartoony-or-exaggerated-animation-is-almost/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [To this day I over prepare. I draw storyboards for every scene - chicken scratches so crude that they amuse and horrify the crew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/to-this-day-i-over-prepare-i-draw-storyboards-for-every-scene-chicken/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I took a lot of influences from Studio Ghibli, which is the Japanese animation studio that made 'Spirited Away' and 'Castle in the Sky.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/i-took-a-lot-of-influences-from-studio-ghibli-which-is-the-japanese/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [I've worked in animation for a long time. I started in Spain and I wanted to make feature films. That desire to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-garcia/i-ve-worked-in-animation-for-a-long-time-i-started-in-spain-and-i/) [Raul Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-garcia/) > [If you were to look at an old 'Betty Boop' cartoon or an 'Out of the Ink Well' animation, there are many things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/if-you-were-to-look-at-an-old-betty-boop-cartoon-or-an-out-of-the-ink/) [Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/) > [Animation has always been about technology. You can't have animation without technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wedge/animation-has-always-been-about-technology-you-can-t-have-animation/) [Chris Wedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wedge/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Tigress is my alternate personality, especially with children. I love animation because you get to do things you don't normally get to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/tigress-is-my-alternate-personality-especially-with-children-i-love/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Browse all 837 Animation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In order to make it really great, you bounce it, squash it, stretch it, make the eyes go big. But, as time went on, I started loving animating a character who had a kind of burning passion in her heart. 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