Animation: Quirky facts

Indian animated films set to be released this year include an animated version of

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

, with dogs in starring roles;

Roadside Romeo

, starring the voice of Saif Ali Khan, about a rich spoiled dog abandoned on the streets of Mumbai, and Virgin Comic’s

Secrets of the Seven Sounds

based on the

Ramayana

.

One second of an animation movie needs 25 frames. Each frame is just slightly different from the next. A shot lasts five minutes. A 1.5-hour movie needs 2,000 shots.

The cost of producing a half-hour animation programme in the US is $250,000 (Rs 1 Crore). In India it is $60,000 (Rs 24 Lakhs).

Animation is increasingly used to create special effects. The breaking of the ship, and people falling into water in the

Titanic

was done using animated special effects. The scene from Godzillahen the beast’s tail swings savagely, reducing New York’s skyscrapers to little mounds of rubble was also animated. Ice Age, Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films all used animated special effects.

On average, it takes 100 animators 18 months to make one fully animated film.