249 Animation

What is your favorite animated movie? Can you guess which animation is ShaoLan’s favorite? Stef Roberts is a young animator who has worked for some of the biggest brands, while also living in the forest! This time he calls in from somewhere in the Swiss Alps to talk about his route into animation and some of the types of animation that he most enjoys. Growing up drawing as a hobby, Stef found that animation was a way to combine his love of drawing, music and film-making altogether. ShaoLan teaches the word for animation, as well as the background of the characters that make up the word, then as a bonus, ShaoLan teaches the word for illustration, which Stef points out is an integral part of the animation. To say “animation” in Chinese, you say 動畫/动画. The first character 動/动 combines the radicals for heavy weight and power, which together mean “to move.” The second character 畫/画 means “to draw” or “to paint,” which comes from the idea of painting a boundary in ancient times. When the words “move” and “painting” are combined we get “moving painting” or “animation” 動畫/动画!

To say “animation” in Chinese, you say 動畫/动画. The first character 動/动 combines the radicals for heavy weight and power, which together mean “to move.” The second character 畫/画 means “to draw” or “to paint,” which comes from the idea of painting a boundary in ancient times. When the words “move” and “painting” are combined we get “moving painting” or “animation” 動畫/动画!