Ok, chances are you might not know who Shiyoon Kim is, but you've seen his work. And it is fabulous. Like love. Like instant love. He's worked with Disney on several projects including "Wreck It Ralph" and the much-loved short "The Paperman". He usually works as a concept artist, prepping a frame of the character for the animators. He's kind of the brick and mortar of the whole process, drawing together the core personality of the character and showing that character through expression and appearance. I just love the way he imagines these characters and builds upon them.
I've been obsessed ever since I saw the credits for Disney's "Tangled." I just loved how the drawings were so simple yet so whimsical and expressive. It, honestly, was not the kind of style I was expecting of a digitally animated film. I literally watch the credits over and over again. They're just so pretty! The credits are one of my favorite parts of the movie. Plus, I love the song "Something That I Want" by Grace Porter. The style of the credits kind of reminds me of "Fractured Fairy Tales," the companion cartoon to "Rocky and Bullwinkle." Anyone else remember those? I loved those.
Shiyoon Kim does a great job of showing a character's personality through their facial features and expressions. When drawing faces, a few little lines can change a character's whole expression. It's so impressive how animated yet simple Shiyoon Kim's style is. He can help you to know a character even if they don't say a word. I thought that Tangled was one of Disney's best movies as far as character and art development (Not to mention the light effects! Or the songs! God bless Alan Menken!). The expressions of the characters are so life-like that it's scary. 
I really hope that Disney continues with this expressive style. I was so impressed with the texture of the animation. And I also hope that Shiyoon Kim continues to do Disney's concept art. Amazing. We're experiencing a Golden Age in animation, and I'm excited.
If you're interested in seeing more of Shiyoon Kim's work, check out his blog! He posts some sketches of his current projects.
http://shiyoon.blogspot.com/
What do you think about Tangled's animation style?
Do you think that Disney is out of its schlump?
Let me know!
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