Dreamworks Character Design

        Throughout the studio's lifespan, Dreamworks Animation has covered all of the major animation methods, from traditional 2D, to 3D computer generated, and even stop motion, in collaboration with Aardman.

        Unlike Pixar, Dreamworks does not have a distinct house style. Each film or franchise has it's own unique look. This can be beneficial; I find the angular, geometric shapes of Madagascar's menagerie really quite off putting (this may also be due to their anthropomorphic New Yorker attitudes, but the design is a significant factor), but feel far more well disposed towards Shrek, and really like How To Train Your Dragon's designs.

        Yet while Dreamworks has had great success with its animal and creature characters, they have had more trouble with creating appealing human characters. All animation studios struggled in the beginning to create 3D computed generated human characters which were believable and appealing. Even Pixar's early efforts suffered scrutiny; while their Toy Story toys were heaped with praise and are widely loved, some felt that the plastic textures had extended to Andy and his Mum, making them off-putting, and nudging them towards the realm of the uncanny. And they are only minor characters.

        In the 20 years since Toy Story's release, not only had CG animation technology improved, but animators and character designers have learned, through trial and error, how to overcome the difficulties in creating lovable human characters. Usually the solution is to create caricatures, rather than anatomically accurate recreations of people; three dimensional versions of the wide eyed, slim waisted, extremely proportioned  2D characters which audiences have been responding well to for decades. This is particularly noticeable in Disney's recent forays into 3D animation.

        A notable exception to this pattern is Shrek. While the eponymous hero and his Donkey sidekick are highly stylised, along with most of the fairy tale creatures, by comparison the design of the humans is relatively 'safe'. By which I mean that there is little exaggeration; they are correctly proportioned, and pretty realistic. While not unpleasant to look at, in a film predominantly populated by bold, cartoonish figures, they appear somewhat dull, and tend to fade into the backgound.

While Shrek has produced a number of highly distinctive
and iconic characters...

...there is little to differentiate between the humans,
meaning they are not particularly memorable.

         Many of the characters have minor roles in the franchise, so this is not too much of an issue. However, this is not the case with Princess Fiona. For much of the plot of Shrek, she is alone with the ogre when in her human form, meaning she has more opportunity to stand out, yet she still fades in comparison with her larger-than-life, vibrant green co star, whose design is infinitely more eye catching.

Human Fiona is often in Shrek's shadow.

        The disparity in the character designs also creates problems with expression. Due to their bold features, Shrek and Donkey are easy to read, even in long shots. Fiona, on the other hand, often requires close ups to express subtler emotion, as her delicate features simply do not stand out when viewed from a distance. 

        The cast of major human characters is increased in the sequels, and although their animation is bold and effective, managing to capture the quieter nuances of human emotion as well as the more exuberant gestures, they lack the visual panache of the more fantastical characters.

        The How to Train Your Dragon series of films has apparently learned from its predecessor. Each of the large cast of human characters has their own distinct design, idiosyncrasies, and an easily identifiable, bold silhouette, emphasising their individual personalities. As audiences are adept at inferring a great amount from subtle changes in expression, they also all have clear, easy to read facial features which 'pop' making them easy to read even from a distance.

The character designs are distinct, yet coherent. They work
as part of a single universe.