EACH FRAME REVEALS WHO THEY REALLY ARE: THE PERSONALITY BUSTING TRIO OF SECONDARY ACTION, APPEAL & SOLID DRAWING IN ANIMATING CHARACTERS


 

In the end, the magic of animation isn’t just about how a character moves, it’s about who that character is, and how that identity shines through motion, design, and gesture.

Now we delve into the character not by their ways in which they move alone, but how they are described by their design and traits.

Without much further ado, we present.

Secondary Action, Appeal, and Solid Drawing, which support the character and are all about presence. Not just acting, not just motion, but the psychology of character. How does a character carry their mood? How do they express their personality in the smallest movements or poses?

These principles are about creating characters who don’t just serve the plot, they feel like people.

Secondary Action: The Mind Behind the Motion

Primary actions move the plot forward. Secondary actions reveal what the character is feeling while they do it.

Think of a character pacing across a room (primary action). Now imagine their hands fidgeting, or their eyes darting nervously, or their shoulders hunched with anxiety (secondary actions). These layers of behavior are where character psychology truly lives.

In Pixar's Turning Red, Mei’s emotional state is often revealed through overlapping gestures such as bouncing knees, twitchy fingers, shifting eyes and flailing hands. When she’s excited, embarrassed, or overwhelmed, her secondary actions erupt with adolescent energy. These details ground the film’s stylized animation in relatable human behavior.

Even her panda form communicates anxiety not just through facial expressions but body tics, which include, fur fluffing, ears drooping and tail twitching. The result? A character whose body speaks volumes beyond dialogue.

Secondary action adds depth, makes performances multidimensional, and shows that characters are thinking and reacting in real time, and not just executing plot beats.

Appeal: The Invisible Pull of Personality

Appeal is one of the most misunderstood animation principles. It’s not about cuteness or attractiveness. It’s about clarity, charm, and emotional readability.

A character with strong appeal is visually designed in a way that immediately conveys personality, whether they’re goofy, elegant, brooding or manic. Appeal is what makes us connect with a character the moment we see them, even before they speak or move.

In Inside Job, the designs are stylized and exaggerated, but every character reads immediately. Reagan’s sharp features and restless eyes convey her intellect and cynicism. Brett’s open posture, goofy grin, and slightly off-center proportions make him instantly endearing. Even the conspiratorial side characters are readable at a glance.

Appeal helps characters stand out emotionally and visually, which is essential in ensemble casts, comedy-heavy storytelling, or any show where screen time is limited and cast characters are many.

The most compelling performances are ones where the design, acting, and personality are in sync, and that starts with appeal.

Solid Drawing: Structure for Expression

Though the term “solid drawing” originates in 2D animation, its core idea applies across all mediums, in that, characters must have believable structure and form in space. This isn’t just about anatomical accuracy, it’s about creating credible and flexible designs that support expressive motion.

In Sony Pictures Animation's animated feature, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, the designs are stylized and loose, but they’re still rooted in solid drawing. Katie’s angular build and expressive eyebrows, her dad’s squared-off posture, her mom’s rounder, softer forms, show that each character is structurally consistent and designed to move with meaning.

The solid drawing principle ensures that no matter how zany or exaggerated the moment becomes, the core anatomy and shape logic hold, which end up giving weight to the acting. It supports performance, by allowing expressive poses, quick transitions, and dynamic silhouettes that still feel controlled.

Solid drawing isn’t just technical. It’s emotional infrastructure, giving animators the foundation to make expressive, character-driven choices.

Why This Matters for Storytelling

In totality, secondary action, appeal, and solid drawing, are the soul of animated character work. They bring nuance, texture, and humanity to the screen.

  • Secondary Action shows what a character feels while doing something.
  • Appeal tells us who they are the moment they enter the frame.
  • Solid Drawing ensures they can exist consistently across a story.

When combined, they allow animation to go beyond performance and into presence. It enforces the feeling that this character has a history, a personality and a life beyond the screen.

Great storytelling happens when you don’t just watch a character move, you feel like you’ve met them or remind you of someone.



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