Environmental stories - background analysis : Phantom boy

After Spirited Away representing Eastern animation and Aladdin for the American style, It's only appropriate that we would move to the middle point between the two styles , metaphorically and literally : European animation , with Phantom boy , the newly presented French animation. Jumping straight to the point , the background of course does not compete , detail-wise , with neither Spirited away nor Aladdin , as it is done in a completely different style and method that requires less details and intricacy , that is being done digitally and using vector-shading. Of course , this is done to fit the whole style of animation the team was striving for , and in that sense , it had done so very effectively. 

 

First thing to mentioned , that the style really fits with the tone of the narrative - a light-hearted comedy with the face of crime drama ( at least it is that way in my mind ) .This is supported by the wacky building design, making windows of skyscrapers seems a collection of mosaic block , with lots of bright colours used through out the entire scene that make its seems like a collection of mosaic blocks, all together create a very light and uplifting tone for the story , even in the more serious scene, whether that is good or not.

For the scene above , the colours in my mind works very in a logical sense. It create very unique visual quality ( and that can be said for the entire movie ) , using bright and contrasting colours , and along side that , actually describe autumn very effectively , with the image of the yellowing leaves and the sense of a  cool temperature, coming off from the greens and yellows of the grass and the character's clothing . Fit together , it create a strangely contrasting but calming colour schemes , which gives of that mood of the character finally having a break at the end of the movie.

On the other hand, the Phantom boy , simple as it may seems , can actually have very detailed and intricate scenery like the one above, describing a 70s like New York that is alive and vibrant , taking advantage of billboard and signs to add colours to what can be described at rather "bland" buildings and towers. More over that sense of depth and scale really helps with portraying  the character to be flying high above, but not reaching over it yet ,emphasising on the grand scale of New York.