Breakfast Topic: Roto-scoping is not animation
by Kelly Aarons 
May 12th 2010 at 8:00AM
Enter the drakonid.
What's a drakonid? See the header image. They're the bipedal draconic warriors that are native to each main Dragonflight. Now, if you aggro them, you'll notice that they run at you, lances swirling away. I. Hate. That. Animation. It drives me crazy. My guild leader affectionately calls it my Kryptonite, as I freak out whenever I see them do it. It's just so terrible! It looks like some horrific motion capture session gone wrong; then a blind chimpanzee with a tablet in its mouth added some keyframes. Yes, I realize that it's supposed to spoof the 'Star Wars Kid' animation, but I don't care.
Now, I'm not so critical that I can't like things. I love the animation that was added for ToC, where we saw poor Jarod Sunsworn get choked to death by the Black Knight. The animation for Anzu is great to watch, as they take care of the physics for his feathers. I could think of many others, but those are just a few that stand out.
What animations tickle your fancy? What do you love or hate, and why? What could they improve? Discuss amongst yourselves!
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
Gamer am I May 12th 2010 8:05AM
I have always loved the animation (and the sound effect) for the death of the fire revenants. It's one of the things that made farming eternal fire fun.
Wulfkin May 12th 2010 8:32AM
Revenants as a whole clearly have the best death animation,, with their whole being shatering apart.
Seconded by the death of treants, which is always hilarious. "I have defeated you! Oh wait.... i've been chopped in half.... bugger".
pancakes May 12th 2010 8:53AM
Revenants have a great death animation, unless you suffer from epilepsy =P.
Yeng May 12th 2010 8:54AM
I would place Treant deaths as the number one death animation. I love them looking down at themselves like 'FUUUUUUUUU' before they split in half and die.
Jiffah May 12th 2010 10:50AM
Kvaldir's deaths are pretty awesome too.
Wulfkin May 12th 2010 10:54AM
It suddenly occurs to me that the way in which we delight not only in the mass slaughter of NPCs, but also how we delight in their final moments, highlights how sick we players really are. I am ashamed!
sweetmittens May 12th 2010 12:08PM
I love that when Sister Svalna in Frostwing Halls spears a resto druid, it's the same animation as dying treants. I like all my tree animations, but the best is when I get chopped in half temporarily. One of many reasons I'm going to miss tree form :'(
monk May 12th 2010 1:03PM
I like the Treants a lot, but I think that's a given. If I wanted to pick an animation that doesn't get much recognition, it's one done by the Blighted Corpse (I think) in Sholazar Basin. It's an undead lumbering mob with very large arms -- one of the arms falls off and crawls around him, and then he picks it back up and reattaches it.
Sedirex May 12th 2010 4:07PM
I'd have to go with the blood elf male death animation. As much as I hate the entire race, their melodramatic last grasp towards the heavens feels so fitting. Even in death they're flamboyant.
Zalvi24 May 12th 2010 8:05AM
the way male humans walk, they walk like emos
Updawg May 12th 2010 8:08AM
I love when Icehowl dies in mid-charge, he just drops dead in 1 keyframe, it's awesome.
Endario May 12th 2010 8:09AM
"Rotoscoping is not animation"
The lovely people who worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy would like to have a word with you ;-) j/k
Anywho, for all that I hate everything else about them, I really do like the Human Male targetted casting animation. I also have a soft spot for the various lich animations... no idea why.
Kamal May 12th 2010 8:18AM
It's the way their robes flow when they cast I think.
Stan May 12th 2010 8:42AM
Also Disney. They've been roto-scoping since Snow White.
Anathemys May 12th 2010 8:59AM
Personally, I can't help but think of one Spongebob cartoon whenever I see the drakonid "roto-scope". You know the one: two flag twirlers go a little crazy on the twirling, fly off, and crash into a blimp and die.
I always imagine the drakonids doing that, and it cracks me up.
Umehte May 12th 2010 9:17AM
Ok... I will be the one to do it... What is rotoscoping?
Cadychan May 12th 2010 9:35AM
Stan - Roto-scoping was used in Pinocchio, and I think Snow White and Cinderella. Those actually added to the story, but those were also animated in the earlier days of classical animation. It's considered an archaic technique now, as any character animator worth his/her salt can go beyond that (ie - Glen Keane).
jrizutko May 12th 2010 10:02AM
Roto-scoping is drawing over existing footage. Best known example would be lightsabers in the original Star Wars trilohy. They filmed the fights with people swinging dowels, then went in and hand drew the red/blue/green blades frame by frame.
Angrycelt May 12th 2010 11:10AM
Best/worst example of rotoscoping I can think of is mostly Ralph Bakshi's stuff from the 70's - Wizards and the original Lord of the Rings animated movie.
Yeng May 12th 2010 11:13AM
Yeah, now they just use motion capture. Really takes less skill on the animators part than the rotoscoping did :D