The Art of Robots

by Amid Amidi, Chris Wedge (Foreword), William Joyce (Preface)

Robots is a magical contribution to the art of animation from the stellar team of Blue Sky Studios, Twentieth Century Fox, Academy Award-winning director Chris Wedge, and celebrated children's author William Joyce. Taking their inspiration from the machines of yesterday and today, they have brought to life a magnificent, visually complex world populated with a ragtag assortment of robots - from crude, bulky contraptions inspired by the industrial revolution to robots reminiscent of combustion-era automobiles to sleek, complex creatures influences by contemporary hi-tech deign.

Here to celebrate the motion picture is The Art of Robots, offering in-depth access to the hidden animation artistry behind the film. Page after colorful page features the brilliant concept art created by the team at Blue Sky Studios and by executive producer William Joyce, alongside quotes from the creators and insightful essays by animation experts and author Amis Amidi. The Art of Robots is an exclusive insider's guide to the making of a groundbreaking animated film.

Genres: Art

144 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2004

Reviews

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Picture source: parkablogs.com)

This book can be easily be mistaken as another Pixar art book. The quality and selection of art included is huge.

There's lots of character and set design. Interestingly, there are pages with characters and photos of materials they used for texturing their 3D models. Tips are given on how texturing is approached on the film.

You'll see characters evolve from pencil drawings to 3D models and clay. They have included a few photos of rendered models without colours and textures, which I thought was quite cool.

Hundreds of drawings fill the pages. You won't see a lot of movie stills, which is great, of course.

Blue Sky Studio takes you through the process of creating and art directing the design of the movie. It's well worth the money for any art book collectors. There's plenty to read and look at.

This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was adorable.

[Violetta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for this movie, however one should never judge a book by such things. (In retrospect, after having read the book I can articulate more clearly what it was about the movie I disliked, but I digress.)

This artbook does a really good job of taking the reader through the development process of Robots (Blue Sky Studios). There is a heavy focus on character development, with explanations on the choices for color, design, environment, and placement in time. A lot of nostalgia went into the making of this movie, and a lot of whimsy, which is all captured in this book.

One thing caught me off guard, though. Suddenly, when they were describing the character Aunt Fanny, the person was quoted saying "tits and ass". It was an odd comment to encounter, considering the nature of the film...so do with that information what you want.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations