#also as a jew i am covenantally obligated to love poe

[waitingonavision]

Character Design, A Comparison

Alright, finally, here’s the post I alluded to in this ask. Image-heavy.

CW: It deals with the realistic/dramatic yet low-key (not called attention to despite being there visually) depiction of starving characters in animated movies. While Bruno Madrigal is the driving force behind this post, since it’s his design under question, I’m using Aaron from The Prince of Egypt for comparison.

I think both characters rebut the (understandable) contention that it’s not possible/ideal to show... visibly starving characters, especially protagonists, in what are frequently dubbed “kids’ movies.” I’m also not sure why I didn’t bring up PoE or Aaron sooner; dishonor on me, dishonor on my cow.

For some context: Aaron, the older brother of Moses in the Exodus story, is roughly 21 in the scenes that are heavily blue-toned, and probably between 35-40 in the yellow-toned scenes. PoE takes liberties with the canonical timeline... I’m noting this because we know that Bruno is 50 in the film, and in order to keep in mind the wear over time on the two characters’ bodies (implied or otherwise shown onscreen), which probably doesn’t really matter for this discussion, but ah well...

Anyway, with Aaron and Bruno, there’s no mistaking that they’re in a bad way as a result of having to survive in awful situations... Unlike Bruno, Aaron shows a ton of skin, so it’s easier to see his condition—he does have his own “illusion of bulk” outfit, à la Bruno’s ruana, which I’ll mention at the end of this post.

For now, look at his arms, neck, chest, cheekbones, and cheeks:

* Apologies for the quality—PoE has some notoriously difficult-to-edit scenes. I did my best to brighten up these caps. *

...Though it’s possible to argue that there’s some muscle definition in Aaron’s arms due to the labor he has to perform as a slave. His older sister, Miriam (pictured above), is actually noticeably softer, a bit stout—when it comes to shape language, they have that long-thin/short-round (rectangle/circle) dynamic to their designs. Aaron’s character design was as deliberate as any, and not just because it contrasts with Miriam’s (imo).

In both of these caps, I want to point out that Aaron appears to have a somewhat rounded middle. In the first cap, Miriam is shaking him around (here’s scene in full, in fact—note how robust Moses is in comparison). He’s terrified in a limp sort of way, so I assume everything is relaxed and sagging a bit. It reflects what @reversia​ and others have said about organs being heavy and bellies naturally having some sag, even on very thin people.

Which is what we’ve been trying to figure out with regard to Bruno... #save us jared bush

...And maybe it does matter that Aaron is 21 in the aforementioned PoE scenes.

Compared to 15-20 years older after the time jump:

Is Aaron less soft after the time jump? He’s arguably even thinner, yet also broader. Visible outline of his rib cage... especially in the scene where Miriam’s startled him:

And here, with the folding of skin at his side:

Starved, yes. Skin that still folds and sags, also yes.

...“Bulking” article of clothing, also yes. Probably without the pathos that’s attached to Bruno’s ruana, though. ...Nope, wait, Aaron’s blue robe makes him look even more like his late mother. I found the pathos. I digress.

...I feel like all I’m trying to say at this point is that Bruno and Aaron are ridiculously similar. High levels of fear and worry; a certain degree of hopelessness (Aaron is more like novelization!Bruno; canon!Bruno is more hopeful); generational trauma; deeply protective of family, with a self-sacrificing streak; interact with hoofed animals (horse and camel); reunite/reconcile with immediate family member(s). A badass moment near a body of water. They’re also big dorks. I DIGRESS.

Returning to the topic of character design: One of the reasons I thought PoE would be worth bringing up is because it certainly doesn’t pull any punches with the heavy and dire aspects of its story. That’s kind of the vibe I get with Encanto, too; for all the plot’s magic, topics are treated seriously and with respect, and for all the exaggerated features of its human characters, they still look realistically human.

Given the amount of research that went into each movie, I imagine they also considered the effects of starvation and malnutrition, and how they might portray them. I can’t help but think the filmmakers carried over these effects, including an element of round/softness, into the characters’ unhealthy appearances*... even as I remain totally (trepidatiously) open to what Jared Bush has to say about Bruno’s design and to the lingering ambiguity of the whys behind Bruno’s “mystery stomach.”

*and it does feel important to point out that their appearances are not idealized or shown as healthy

#encanto #bruno madrigal #character design #starvation cw #aaron #hopefully someone besides me will find this useful lol #also as a jew i am covenantally obligated to love poe #my writing #stuff i've posted