James Baxter - The Poor Provincial Animator

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  • Опубликовано: 21 мар 2021
  • Today we explore part of the life of Jaaaameeesss Baaaaxxxtteerr, Prolific Animator who was one of two animators for Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
    Support us!!
    www.buymeacoffee.com/Dizograp...
    Writing/Editing By - Amber Hannen
    Narration By - Lee Alirez
    Twitter: @Bombastictaro
    Newgrounds: BigTaro
    Script Consultant: Adam Bakst
    Instagram: @adam_bakst
    Resources/Further Reading:
    Grayson Ponti 50 most influential animators Blog
    50mostinfluentialdisneyanimat...
    The Bancroft Brothers Podcast; James Baxter Interview
    www.dix-project.net/item/3800...
    James Baxter interview with Mark Pudleiner - Video 1
    vimeo.com/69867353
    James Baxter The Horse Interview with Mark Pudleiner- Video 2
    vimeo.com/user5391437
    Learn to Animate with James Baxter
    • Learn About 2D Animati...
    James Baxter on Weight and Balance
    • James Baxter on Weight...
    James Baxter on Bambi
    • Bambi with James Baxte...
    James Baxter on The Lion King and Milt Kahl
    • James Baxter on "The L...
    James Baxter Animation Reel
    • James Baxter Animation...
    Annie Awards 2018 - The Winsor McCay Award - James Baxter
    • Annie Awards 2018 - Th...
    JAAAAAMMMEEESSS BAAAAXXXXTTER
    • Horse and Ball Ending ...
    www.vexels.com/vectors/previe...

Комментарии • 61

  • @BlueisNotaWarmColour
    @BlueisNotaWarmColour Год назад +239

    3:00 "'just give him something small,' so they gave me like the hands and feet..."
    *CUTS TO THE GREATEST FOOT ANIMATION EVER MADE*

  • @RedHatClub
    @RedHatClub 2 года назад +378

    It's so amazing how great of a person he is in the animation industry, actually Mr Baxter is a legend in animation history and yet is still so humble regardless of his accolades/successes

  • @Juniversal
    @Juniversal 2 года назад +325

    Baxter is an amazing artist and animator. His hand drawn animation is so full of life and energy. He's another animator that wasn't truly able to live up to his highest potential due to the shift from 2D to 3D animation. I have no doubts he'd be considered one of the all time greats if his career doing hand drawn animation wasn't essentially ended prematurely by 3d animation.
    The fact his current 2D animation skills are being relegated to Saturday morning cartoons is a travesty (nothing against Adventure time and Steven Universe but not the style of animation that best showcases his talents).

    • @Dizographies
      @Dizographies  2 года назад +40

      Agreed, although he is still young, there is still time for him to blow us away. I don't think 2D animation is dead, its just more niche, and not able to used for profit. that being said, I completely agree, seeing him and many other amazing 2D animators being regulated to television animation is discouraging. :/

    • @Juniversal
      @Juniversal 2 года назад +16

      @@Dizographies I think the popularity of anime proves there's still plenty of currency in 2D animation. Question is if these American companies are willing to invest in the art form and seems after princess and the frog they had no desire to take the gamble. Hell they outsource the animation duties to korean companies when we do produce 2d animation lol.
      Not too hopeful for a resurgence but with platforms like netflix existing there's a greater opportunity for a resurgence that doesnt go through the traditional big corporations (fingers crossed).

    • @MilkyPancakes
      @MilkyPancakes 2 года назад +5

      @@Dizographies well i dont think we should except big studio releases with 2D animation. Compared to 3D animation it is not cost effective, and thats more important to many studios at this point. 2D animation is nowhere near dead, and i think it is wrong to discredit cartoons such as adventure time or Steven Universe, they are both well regarded shows like Beauty and the Beast was at the time. Until some studio decides to pick up 2D in the Disney-esque form, i dont think what you are hoping for is going to happen. His efforts arent being wasted, we just notice the style shift.

    • @danitiwa
      @danitiwa Год назад +3

      He IS one of the All Time Greats and I doubt there’s any doubt about that.

    • @sir_aken9706
      @sir_aken9706 Год назад +2

      I'm not sure I agree. He has a pretty impressive 3d animation portfolio and he's really the one animator I know by name (other than Aaron Blaise -- mostly because of his RUclips channel). I mean he's up there with Glenn Keane.

  • @danitiwa
    @danitiwa Год назад +57

    James’ accent reflects his life a bit it seems. He speaks a mixture of British and American English, it’s kind of hard to pin down.

    • @damaracarpenter8316
      @damaracarpenter8316 5 месяцев назад +1

      Bristolian accents are rhotic like most American accents are so I think that coupled with him living in the states so long maybe is the reason why.

  • @speedracer2008
    @speedracer2008 Год назад +73

    James Baxter got to animate Belle by chance, and what a chance he took.

  • @lizardfishbird
    @lizardfishbird 10 месяцев назад +14

    The most impressive things about James’s animation is that a horse can hold a pencil without thumbs

  • @kpdelaney6460
    @kpdelaney6460 Год назад +33

    he also animated a few scenes in Wolfwalkers. Great film, highly recommend it!

    • @azazellon
      @azazellon 21 день назад +1

      Whoa...do you know which scenes? I love that movie

    • @kpdelaney6460
      @kpdelaney6460 21 день назад

      @@azazellon the “Running with the Wolves” sequence. The animations are so smooth

  • @ThomasBaxter
    @ThomasBaxter 2 года назад +117

    So, I was dumb kid. I was certain that it was my uncle's name that I saw in the credits that I proclaimed my that my uncle worked on Roger Rabbit - loudly and proudly - to all my friends.
    Until my mom had to politely, but directly, correct me that I just _happened_ to have an uncle named James. No relation whatsoever to the person I saw in the credits.
    I was a dumb kid.

    • @Dizographies
      @Dizographies  Год назад +11

      the same thing happened to me with the creator of CatDog. the thing said Peter Hannon...our last name is spelled Hannen. there was a while there where i was convinced a relitive of mine created CatDog 😂

  • @hoshiartco
    @hoshiartco 2 года назад +57

    Thank you so much for sharing this. I’m absolutely in awe of James Baxter’s talent and I wish 2D wasn’t framed as a thing of the past…

  • @dissonanceparadiddle
    @dissonanceparadiddle Год назад +9

    He will be remembered as one of the best if not the best 2d animator of all time. I would do anything for him to make a animation book like so many other great animators have.

  • @speedracer2008
    @speedracer2008 Год назад +4

    James Baxter also animated the opening to Kung Fu Panda (2008).

  • @browniebubs
    @browniebubs 2 года назад +18

    disney bring 2D movies back! perhaps a Princess and the frog sequel? 👀👀

  • @avaranabraham8507
    @avaranabraham8507 2 года назад +13

    I met him in my college

  • @PikaPetey
    @PikaPetey 11 месяцев назад +5

    I've been working hard to be a great 2D animator. I can only dream who I would be if I had the oportunities James Baxter has had.

  • @DamiesEvilTwin
    @DamiesEvilTwin 2 года назад +21

    Wait, @11:26 you say this was the first time cgi was used this way in an animated film, but I thought that was The Great Mouse Detective that first tried this?

    • @Dizographies
      @Dizographies  2 года назад +10

      Your right! I had to look it up, here is a link to what i found: redsummitproductions.medium.com/exploring-disneys-transition-from-traditional-to-3d-animation-3059b7e0de38 “For the first time, animators created the entire environment using computer generated imagery. Featuring no hand-drawn artwork as in previous films, the creators of the ballroom scene instead placed the 2D characters into an solely CGI three-dimensional space.”

    • @DamiesEvilTwin
      @DamiesEvilTwin 2 года назад +4

      @@Dizographies Awesome! Thanks for the link

  • @mycollegeshirt
    @mycollegeshirt Год назад +8

    why did they need James Baxter to check quality for Klaus or over the moon, both were headed by Disney legends.

    • @brockpifer9929
      @brockpifer9929 Год назад +1

      I forgot who did Klaus and Over The Moon was Glen Keane’s project. I think Klaus was Sergio Pablous’ I think that’s the guy’s name

    • @Dizographies
      @Dizographies  Год назад

      That's a really good question 🤔

    • @brockpifer9929
      @brockpifer9929 Год назад +1

      @@Dizographies it is Sergio Pablos

    • @Dizographies
      @Dizographies  Год назад

      @@brockpifer9929 Ahhh I see. Thank you!

    • @brockpifer9929
      @brockpifer9929 Год назад +1

      @@Dizographies and Sergio also was a Disney animator from 1995 until 2006

  • @gubbothehuggo2771
    @gubbothehuggo2771 Год назад +4

    Who Framed Roger Rabbit released almost a decade before I was BORN and I’m still jealous that I didn’t get to work on it lol

  • @themadwomanskitchen9732
    @themadwomanskitchen9732 11 месяцев назад +2

    8:21 Oh, I LOVE that sequence! I have always identified with Belle, a smart, book loving girl who doesn't quite fit in!

  • @6012reasol
    @6012reasol 2 года назад +10

    Such a legendary animator!

  • @thaumaTurtles
    @thaumaTurtles 2 года назад +13

    this was really well made! everyone should watch this. everyone in the WORLD. then, they'll ALL SEE

  • @Sweat8686
    @Sweat8686 2 года назад +9

    Her Belle is so much better than Henn's! Love those big anime-like eyes

  • @TioYoh
    @TioYoh 3 года назад +23

    You are so talented for editing! great video

  • @harkelan
    @harkelan 3 года назад +16

    Thank you so much for this!!!!

  • @bruh-uq2zx
    @bruh-uq2zx 2 года назад +6

    Amazing video!

  • @luca__3044
    @luca__3044 3 года назад +11

    Pretty good made video, thanks for the information :)

  • @MrGabeanator
    @MrGabeanator Год назад +1

    one of my favorite animators ever and uploaded on my birthday what a great gift

  • @Justkimchii0111
    @Justkimchii0111 11 месяцев назад +1

    This channel seriously needs more subs! As soon as I saw this recommended on my feed, I subscribed right away. Love content like this! ❤

  • @ahgremlin7869
    @ahgremlin7869 2 года назад +4

    I just realized that i share a birthday with the greatest animator of our time

  • @crusherballz
    @crusherballz 4 месяца назад +1

    I thought he was a Dancing Horse on a Beach Ball! Jaaaaaaames Baaaaaaaxter!

  • @Gustoberg
    @Gustoberg 11 месяцев назад +2

    man, to think Baxter was someday the FOURTH choice between your crew is wild!

  • @zeeej710
    @zeeej710 Год назад +1

    Thank you

  • @Any-mation
    @Any-mation 2 года назад +2

    Awesome

  • @marcuscuscus
    @marcuscuscus Год назад +1

    Holy shit! Just learned the animation uni im looking at entering is the same as the one he went to in Farnham (west Surrey)!! Neat

    • @adamchapman8791
      @adamchapman8791 Год назад +1

      Currently studying there and didn’t even realise this! 😮

  • @kahenya2254
    @kahenya2254 Год назад +2

    yes!

  • @billchaddawsonsillyland9508
    @billchaddawsonsillyland9508 3 месяца назад +1

    Looks like James Baxter went to the morgue and religiously studied scenes and charts done by animators, particular Milt Kahl's.

  • @ocelot420_69
    @ocelot420_69 10 месяцев назад +1

    Just give hime something little... "like the hands and the feet"... JESUS CHRIST.

  • @alberijh
    @alberijh Год назад +3

    The anime had already experimented with moving the camera since the 1970s, and in fact they did it without computer graphics. Richard Williams also did it, and from different graphic approaches (from colored pencils to oil and frosted cels). Currently, that paradigm of character movement and camera movement is still in force in traditional Japanese animation, made entirely with pencil and brain, without computational algorithms. More than a surprise, I think that the sequence of Beauty and the Beast, as beautiful and fascinating as it can be for the Disney factory, was the tomb of traditional animation in terms of how the 90's Disney studios understood it: never move the camera, and if we move it, let's use a computer. From there to computerizing all the characters and even the pores of the skin, there is only one step. The result was that these talented animators, like Baxter, no longer had the opportunity to express themselves with the brain-pencil combo.