(Cutscene #4 from Epic Mickey 2 - credit: Disney Interactive, Junction Point Studios)
ANTICIPATION
There are quite a few examples of anticipation in this animation. Anticipation is somewhat easier to make apparent in hand-drawn animation over CGI or stop motion, since you can somewhat emphasise the movements more so than in other mediums.
The majority of anticipations implemented are when characters move their arms, head, and other body parts. They first recoil the part they're going to move back, and then move it in the opposite direction with greater speed and power.
One example this cutscene uses is when the Mad Doctor unbuttons his lab coat. He pulls his arm up to it's extreme after grabbing the button, and then drags it back down across his body to it's opposite extreme.
Other characters use anticipation in a similar way, like when Mickey and Oswald both react to something being said, they bring their arms back a little bit, and then forward again in a bigger, further motion.
FOLLOW-THROUGH
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has long, tall ears, which lends perfectly to follow through. They wouldn't lead the body in any way, they're always reactionary. Whenever the head moves, the ears will always take a second to move as well.
This is best illustrated when the Mad Doctor picks up Oswald, and raises him up above his head. The upwards force is making Oswald lead with his head, and the ears only catch up once the major movement stops. There's also some bounce back too, where the ears go forward a little further, only to come back to where they'd finally stay. This is as a result of excessive force going forward, and needing to recoil back a little.
Ear movements like this continue throughout not just the game's cutscenes, but through the game itself.
SECONDARY ACTION
The animation in this cutscene is a lot more style over substance, so the animation doesn't get complex enough to include too much secondary action. However, I found one shot which perfectly uses secondary actions.
Towards the end of the cutscene, a character approaches the others to reveal a pair of wind-up chattering teeth in their hands. The teeth have two actions going on at the same time; the primary action is the teeth jumping around and chattering. However, on the side of the teeth, we can see the key to wind them up, which is slowly spinning. Both these actions going on at the same time applied to one element counts as a secondary action.
Oswald's ears could also be seen as a secondary action.
STAGING
During one sequence during the musical number, the Mad Doctor recalls back to events from the first game, where he was driven to villainy in his attempt to control a large evil creature known as the Blot. As he describes this, we have an show looking up at the Mad Doctor with a shadow of the Blot behind him, towering over him.
The beginning of the game made it clear that the Mad Doctor wanted to redeem himself after his original actions (which, ultimately, turns out to be a lie). So the staging is somewhat reminiscent of the fact that the Blot will always haunt him, whether he's repented or not. The taller stature of the Blot could play into the hierarchy of power in their relationship, seeing that in the end it was the Blot who was in charge all along.
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