Qualitative tracking of human and animation motions reveals differences in their walking gaits

Since the release in 1937 of Walt Disney Productions' first animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, animations have gained popularity. In their attempt to evoke a greater emotional connection with viewers, animators have strived to replicate human movements in their animations. However, animation movements still appear distinct from human movements. With a focus on walking, we hypothesized that animations, unaffected by real external forces (e.g. gravity), would move with a universally distinct, gliding gait that is discernible from humans. Specifically, we hypothesized that animation gaits would lack the sharp up and down movements of the leg caused by gravity. We tested our hypothesis by employing cutting-edge tracking technologies to quantitatively evaluate animation and human walking gaits. We found that animation gaits were significantly different from human gaits. Animation ankles floated forward during the gait, while human ankles rose sharply up and down. Without these “floating” ankles, animations appeared more human-like. These characteristics, though subtle, offer opportunities to enhance realism in animation by rendering characters not just visually but also kinematically authentic.