Animation Critique: Ball with Character

Direct Link: Character Ball

About the ball/tongue clip:

The ball and tongue are done! Well, except the tail of the ball after
the snatch.

About the monster, I would tweak a few things:

- Around frames 220 to 224, when the eye follows the ball falling down,
the eye movement is a bit slow, loosing the urgency and alertness of the
monster. I would cut out frame 222 of the eye position. The eye is still
following the ball, but the movement is a bit faster.
- Now you can some live into the monster with it's eye (Monsters Inc.'s
Mike is good reference for that). For instance, once the tongue grabs
the ball and monster moves back after frame 260, starting at 266 I would
squint the eye (from 266 to 269 or something like that), showing the
effort it takes to swing back. You can open it back at around 273 over
two or three frames.
- At 280 for instance, the eye looks up, but the ball is next to it. I
would have the eye follow the ball. Again, with eye darts, locking on
the ball only every now and then.
- I would squint the eye during the end part of the spiralling (around
303 maybe?). Or at least during the swallow. Nothing big, but showing a
bit of effort.
- starting at 318 I would have the eye blink, try it, maybe it doesn't
fit, but give it a try.
- the end, after the monster expands (around 320), I would give it a
beat, then around 349, blink and look at the camera, and have a smile
appear. I would at least blink and look at the camera. Not just have it
stare up all the time.


Cheers