How Shows Like Rick and Morty Are Animated (ft. BaM Animation)

[@BaMAnimation]

Thanks so much for the opportunity! Check out my tutorial channel BAM Animation as well ❤

[@zaid.1271]

^^^^^

[@BlancoNiñoo]

I honestly just assumed Family Guy used the same puppet method. It looks like it does.

[@zaid.1271]

I know, I did too! They use 3D models sometimes for cars but no puppets. When I talked to max about it, he said that these animators have 30 years of experience drawing the same characters, so it becomes second nature, and that made a lot of sense to me.

[@coltynstone-lamontagne]

​@zaid.1271 second hand means you are using something that someone else used before. Eg. A second hand jacket could be your older siblings jacket that they don't fit anymore so you got it. Or anything at a thrift store! You phrase you meant to use is "second nature" which means it becomes natural like a default action.

[@zaid.1271]

@@coltynstone-lamontagne thank you

[@kylespevak6781]

​@@zaid.1271 The 3D models are obvious, but considering the Family Guy characters frequently use the same poses, most being pivots, seemed very puppet

[@speemus6223]

I didnt

[@BTierWizard]

I'm a retake animator on Rick and Morty and can confirm that this is accurate. A lot of rigs these days have advanced enough deformers on them that you could do extreme poses, like Stewie's arm, without needing to redraw it. Some rigs even have the mouths made entirely with deformers, so no need to redraw mouth shapes either. Hands always still need redraws though, rigging all the fingers never really works.

[@zaid.1271]

Oh wow! I didn't know people rigged hands! That honestly sounds like a nightmare. I always want to keep everything as accurate as possible, so thank you! I should have talked a little on deformers but I chose not to because I wanted to keep everything easy to grasp. Thats super cool you get to work on Rick and Morty! I would love to learn more!

[@BTierWizard]

@@zaid.1271 Yeah, you made the right call keeping it nice and concise. It was more important to explain that redrawing still happens in rigged shows than to get into the nuances of deformers. And if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.

[@Thechaosprime]

@@BTierWizard I wanted to ask, are there any tutorials or courses you recommend to learn rigging animation?

[@BTierWizard]

@@Thechaosprime I didn't take any courses or tutorials on rigged animation (I am a combination of self-taught and trained on the job), so unfortunately I don't know which courses are any good. Sorry! I'd suggest finding a rig and just practicing with it.

[@NathanisNotAnimating]

Yoo! I was a retake animator at Mukpuddy Animation / Badjelly! It's impressive to see how far animators can push prebuilt rigs and deformers now without making a new drawing sub. And when they would push it and break the rig to the point where it became visible, it would be our job to patch up. (Kinda insane to see another retake animator out in the wild)

[@aydenbales]

As someone who knows almost nothing about the animation process, this was very informative and easy to understand! Thank you Zaid!

[@kwk111]

My introduction to animation techniques was Animator's Survival Kit, it has easy to follow tutorials. Then there's Disney's "Illusion of Life" book, I've heard that is a good book for aspiring animators.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you! I'm glad it was easy to understand.

[@zaid.1271]

Same here! it's also free on google if you just search Animator's Survival Kit pdf.

[@gargoyled_drake]

The solution today seems to be exactly like rick and morty is done. A mix of both. Puppet animation is less time consuming. But if it isn't aided by traditional animation. It's gonna have a look, feel and style that is offputting for most people over the age of 10.

[@zaid.1271]

It could be because, as you said, those shows are usually made for kids, and they might not even have the budget to mix traditional and puppet.

[@MaaveMaave]

Yeah, puppet animation reminds me of flash games (RIP) and el cheapo mobile games

[@zhane9islame61]

great video, also "rig and Morty"

[@zaid.1271]

HAHA! Damn I didn't think of that, I should have put that somewhere in the video.😂

[@tzarg]

rigor mortis raeal

[@guccigirl2389]

XD

[@Fatih_M177]

What the hell, why does that family guy animatic in the beginning looks SO MUCH better than the actual final animation. (Could be the slightly slower timing allowing the smooth motion to truly shine, compared to the general animation where all in-betweens move at like 1 milesecond, but who knows.)

[@zaid.1271]

I had to slow it down because there were cuts in the animation and I didn't want it to affect the person watching, so that could be why it looks slower.

[@Fatih_M177]

@@zaid.1271 They gotta do that themselves too! Given the style they're going for, the slower movements just look nicer, it's like season 1-3 family guy!

[@soevilcat]

There's also shot-based puppet animation: instead of making a 360-rig that can do almost anything, you storyboard a shot and do a specific rig for that shot only, that can only do animations in the shot. Requirements are much lower this way, and the cost is midpoint between frame-by-frame animation and 360-rig puppets.

[@ChelseaStBongwater]

2:23 I always loved Turtle Stevie. I am happy he is traditionally animated. Stick to tradition!

[@zaid.1271]

🤨🤨🤨…

[@NevilsicoShard]

So real for this comment 🥹

[@inkthinker]

Lead Animator on S3 here (one of four that season, working at Bardel). RAM ended up using a LOT of traditional redraws over the Toonboom rigs, more than most shows I think, so it feels reductive to stack it with other shows that use (ostensibly) the same methods. Some scenes, like Jaguar backflipping over the laser beams, were pretty nearly straight frame-by-frame work. And the number of unique characters in any given episode were... definitely a bit extreme. The animators at Bardel had a tough job keeping up with the quality demands, but I think the results showed.

[@zaid.1271]

WOW thats super cool! I thought the majority was honestly puppet.

[@leonardodeluzio]

@@zaid.1271 There's a big difference between using puppet rigs and on rigs. They're great for producing talking head shots quickly but a good animator will do roughs for more intense animation and adjust the puppet to the rough. Helps too when trying to stay on model and not lose shape mass etc. Also hi Ben! @inkthinker

[@inkthinker]

@@leonardodeluzio Hey Leo! Long time no see! :)

[@somarriba333]

I definitely prefer traditional 2D animation above all else but it's really nice to learn about all the animation styles.

[@zaid.1271]

Fair enough! I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@jakelevinson7802]

As someone who’s really into puppet animation, I gotta say good puppet animation requires a good understanding of traditional animation, and knowing when to use it.

[@DrawnSean]

As a 2D rigger and animator working in the industry I really appreciate you showing the process behind shows like this! Thanks for the vid.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you!

[@Animotions01]

Puppet animation is great for talking Avatars for YT videos etc. I use Reallusion cartoon animator for this purpose. But you really need hand drawn animation for Dynamic Action and Camera angles & perspective.

[@Jottagelado]

Puppet can actually be extremely good for dynamic action. The reason it tends to look stiff is because of the lower budget and deadlines of the productions. The amount of time required to make a good action pose on a cuteout rigg is pretty much the same it would require to hand draw it, so it end up being better to just handdraw anyway since the purpose of the rigg is to speed up the process. What a lot of animators end up doing is a mix of both

[@zaid.1271]

Yea that's what Max mentioned! VTubers! I was going to cover it, but I couldn't find a way to make it fit the video.

[@danielamaria6810]

Dude, if you seriously think that I recommend you watch “America the motion picture” those rigs are monstrous.

[@DrawnSean]

To add to what @jottagelado was saying, I don't think this is the case. A rigged puppet for youtube avatars compared to rigged puppets used for TV production are 2 completely different things mainly because of the software. Toon Boom Harmony (the software used for shows) puppets are perfectly capable of dynamic action as seen in Rick and Morty and why it's used many many studios for things like Hilda, Bob's Burgers and sooo many other shows. For more bespoke perspective shots you would have to edit the the rigs a little by rearranging the body parts and perhaps do new drawings but it wouldn't take long. A great rig is capable of so much and it's limitations are determined more so by the studio's budget and time restrictions, rather than the rig itself.

[@Animotions01]

@@DrawnSean Just go look at any high quality a anime production like “Demon slayer” or “Gundam” and you will see that there is NO way that rigged puppet animation software can match hand drawn action trust me I really wish it could, but it just can’t.. not even close!

[@Prekachu]

I forgot that merry little batman spin-off show is still happening, thanks for the update

[@eleanorhauckanimation]

I literally just found this while I was looking for references of Rick and Morty to try and figure out how their puppets worked. I'm trying to get better at making character rigs in Harmony, and there's just so many little things to pay attention to. Great video as always!

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you!

[@Holammer]

MLP used rigged animation and they got crazy good at it after a few seasons as their skill and ready made move-set repertoire grew. Got plenty of time left for bespoke animation flourishes in later seasons.

[@quimera963]

Nice video, I really like Max work, and always waiting for a new BAM video

[@zaid.1271]

I agree their videos are always great! I'm glad you liked the video!

[@AaedMusa]

Fascinating! I didn’t know that this level of detail went into character animation.

[@waiyan7586]

Always wanted to see the behind the scenes process.

[@WingThingStudios]

Rigs and puppet animations is where it’s at 🙌

[@JayChase-x1w]

Trad animation is not going anywhere it maybe drawn on digital but 100% drawing animation isn’t leaving

[@themrjai8362]

This video is amazing, when I saw you only had 695 subs i was shocked.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the video! It's all good, we all gotta start somewhere.

[@ultimaweapon6]

This was awesome thank you I didn't know that Family Guy was the more traditional animation and Rick and Morty was completely dead not counting the hand-drawn section

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@SwagHyde]

mixing both animation styles seems like a good way to animate

[@MikeScottAnimation]

Used to do puppet anim but now I just blast frame-by-frame - more fun to do and probably about the same time/speed to get something looking ok.

[@CharlieDrawzXD]

hi i love your work, smash was amazing :) youre really underrated :D

[@cwgochris71]

Thanks for making this. It was very informative. I liked and subscribed.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@handznet]

great video, I am not animator (surrendered long time ago) but it is really interesting.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you very much!

[@Knee_Boy64]

Puppet animation is good because it allows shows to be made in a much shorter time frame than traditional animation. It's also cheaper and more ethical. That being said, I always hate it when I NOTICE it. There are a lot of lazy people who want to make cheap, easy animations, and it shows. When it's bad enough that you remember you're watching puppet animation, it takes you out of it. Feels like you're watching a KZbin kids cartoon.

[@phillippia]

Wow…less than 1,000 subs? Quality, dude. Loved this!

[@zaid.1271]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

[@maratomarov8346]

Thank you very much for the video. I would watch a video about how are made shows in other types of 2d animation, like X-men etc.

[@zaid.1271]

dude how’d you know?! that’s actually in the works!! well it’s gonna be about x-men 97. Still far from done though.

[@maratomarov8346]

@@zaid.1271 oh, that’s great 👍🏻

[@giuzart]

That very interesting!! ☺️thank you for that !

[@zaid.1271]

Glad you liked it!

[@pramit_yt]

Great video 👍🔥

[@MetroPolo1]

Actually, traditional animation (especially low-cost) used a puppet animation prototype so they wouldn't need to redraw the whole character in each frame. They chose which part of the body needed to move (like the mouth or an arm) and which part could remain still (the rest of the body). They used layers to keep one drawing consistent across all the frames and just animate small parts. This technique was common in weekly series like those from Filmation (He-Man, Tarzan, Archie, etc.).

[@Padawancoding]

Congratulations on your 10k views over 72 hours! Thats a nice one for your channel

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you!

[@Padawancoding]

​@@zaid.1271as far as I can tell it's going to be your best video so far. Hoping for 100k views! ❤

[@zaid.1271]

@@Padawancoding HAHA!! I hope so!

[@ninjagogetta]

I agree that family started out as traditional animation but later episodes I don't believe that family guy is still traditional animation it's stiff it's barely change angles the way family guy animates looks like a puppet😢

[@zaid.1271]

I don't think so. I researched all over to find anything saying Family Guy was puppet animation, but everyone is saying it's traditional animation. It does look rigid but I think that's due to budget. If you look closely you'll see that most of the family guy is only one person moving at a time, while the rest stay still, so I believe budget definitely has to play into it.

[@ninjagogetta]

@@zaid.1271 i understand unless they copy paste animation like how my animations are made and everytime they move its on a separate layer, but i can see a rig system for how there hands move they have a hand rig for all hand poses plus traditional animation has line boils the family guy no line boils its perfect every frame

[@zaid.1271]

@@ninjagogetta Maybe, i would love to actually get an answer from the show runners, that would be awesome. One thing also is the animators have been animating this show for so long that it may be second nature to them. One day we’ll know hopefully

[@ninjagogetta]

@@zaid.1271 yeah I agree great video on the topic tho nobody besides animators know how hard it is to make a puppet it's absolutely dreadful

[@zaid.1271]

@@ninjagogetta Thank you! I saw some of yours their amazing.

[@Funhaus_Fr34k]

VERY INFORMATIVE AND KOOL

[@zaid.1271]

Glad you liked it

[@Void_theStickFigure]

0:46 I animate using the puppet method and the app I use(sticknodes)is similar

[@GloryInWar]

As an animation student; this is fascinating.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you!

[@the-secrettutorials]

More more more more!!! :D Love the content

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you!

[@Frrk]

Reminds me of Harry Partridge's Starbarians April Fools episode. "Eww, motion tweens! I feel all practical and cost-effective!"

[@JuhoSprite]

Whaaatttt insane collab!

[@j3zzo_official]

I’m guessing at least the pilot episode was animated mostly frame by frame, characters (especially Rick) had a lot more wacky movement in the first season

[@zaid.1271]

That I didn’t research too much on, but i agree with you it does look like frame by frame animation.

[@RTKdarling]

This is great work. Liked, and I'm your 906th sub.

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you for being the 906th sub!

[@_end3rguy_]

I never knew Rick and Morty used puppets I always thought it looked way too smooth! What software is it to make them so advanced like that?

[@zaid.1271]

Toon Boom Harmony is what they used. It does look amazing!

[@_end3rguy_]

@@zaid.1271 I tried making a puppet rig of my character in adobe animate a while back but it wasn’t very intuitive and it looked ugly so I gave up, if I get this software I think I could make one actually work!

[@fireaza]

Does Rick and Morty use physics simulations for some of their effects? I've always thought the blood effects were usually well-detailed, it looks like it could be a physics simulation.

[@zaid.1271]

Interesting question. If you get an answer let me know!

[@unpaidpiper]

I think a lot of us always assumed Seth MacFarlanes projects were puppet animated because they recycle a lot of poses and have a very static look in general.

[@tavone6D]

Good video! I'm helping the algorythm

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you! Legend!

[@JunkieRemix]

1:35 I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me

[@johny-ns3wh]

Talk about Adobe Max. I heard you can turn around 2d characters like its 3d characters. And when u post that video can u mention me on this comm? Subbed. Well done

[@zaid.1271]

OH, that's interesting! I was thinking of making a video about AI affecting animation. This might be really useful. I'll have it lined up. Thank you for recommending that.

[@marcfuchs6938]

The big advantage of puppet animation, is that it's mostly 2D. Animation in 2 dimensions is so much easier than in 3 dimensions. I am finding this out for myself currently, working on the first episode of a fully animated show. It has both, 3D and 2D animation, while with 2D, I'll rather stick to traditional animation.

[@zaid.1271]

that’s really cool! what are you working on? How’s the 3D animation harder?

[@marcfuchs6938]

@@zaid.1271 It's a 3D character living in the forest and telling stories, those stories being shown in 2D animation. Like if a friend is telling you about memories. And are you askong in which way 3D animation is harder? As I mentioned, it's a whole extra dimension you keed to animate. While 2D animation can also show depth, it comes naturally. You never draw anything clipping into each other, but that is what you need to look for, when animating a 3D character only from a side view, so in 2 dimensions.

[@zaid.1271]

@@marcfuchs6938 In 3d you have a rig and a camera that can move in any way though. I think it’s way harder in 2d especially for things like cars or more complex characters

[@marcfuchs6938]

@@zaid.1271 Yeah sure you have a rig and a camera - but talking about the complexity of animation, the rig and camera are parts of what makes 3D animation so demanding. In 2D animation, you don't animate a camera, it needs to be set before even drawing the scene. But in 3D you animate it, often at least. And the rig...... Well that's just a tool to make 3D animation merely possible. How hard or easy it is, depends on the quality and kind of your rig. It can make animation easier, but not easy in general. Other than that, you are definately right, depending on the content, 2D could be harder. I have always been amazed by anime, how well they sometimes animate things like cars. Keeping the perspective to look believable and not messing up the details. But today we are in a time, where anybody would use 3D for that. Either generating the actual object in 3D software, or rendering a preview, where artists then draw over it - keeping perfect proportions but still giving it the real hand drawn look. If I would produce an animated movie, that is the approach I would have my artists go.

[@supercut5287]

Isee the use of both styles

[@zaid.1271]

Yea you’re right. Often shows do have to use both styles, they have too sometimes.

[@SlimJ1992]

Video idea: the art of synching audio and video

[@zaid.1271]

You mean like foley?

[@imnugget8085]

What family guy use traditional?

[@zaid.1271]

Shocked me when I learned that too!

[@drillerdev4624]

Pupoet animation allows for reskinning as well, right? It's nice having the characters change clothes from time to time

[@zaid.1271]

Yea you can but I was talking about bigger stylistic changes, like rick turning into pickle rick or in my example stewie turning into a turtle, I can't really use the same rig I have for stewie as I would for turtle stewie. Maybe I should have made that clearer.

[@drillerdev4624]

@@zaid.1271 my bad. I wasn't mentioning it related to that, but rather the possibility for relatively cheap variations to give more verosimilitude Also, the possibility for cheaper "extras" in the scenes, even reusing main character animations

[@accountpc4311]

what software is usually used for puppeteering?

[@zaid.1271]

Toon Boom Harmony

[@Swamsea]

I love rym animation

[@getjack55]

This channel is so peak.

[@zaid.1271]

Thanks, dude!

[@getjack55]

@@zaid.1271 np bro! ill def watch these

[@getjack55]

@@zaid.1271 is crazy how your videos get 1k+ views but you have less than 1k subs. I hope it changes soon!

[@zaid.1271]

@@getjack55 Thank you bro! It's all good, Its harder to get moving if you have less subs because its almost less trustworthy to sub to someone who doesn't have a lot of subs. I hope so too! I honestly really appreciate all of the support, you def made my day.

[@Melissa0774]

What program are they using in this video?

[@zaid.1271]

I used toon boom harmony.

[@Melissa0774]

@@zaid.1271 Is that something you can buy outright, or is it only available as a monthly subscription?

[@jadie_baefie]

@@Melissa0774 just pirate it

[@Lycaon1765]

Wait what?? FAMILY GUY IS TRADITIONAL?! I would've pegged rick and morty as the traditionally animated show!! Family Guy is so....bleh looking that it looks like it uses puppets. It takes a lot of talent to draw the characters so damn consistently, I'm impressed.

[@zaid.1271]

right?! that was my reaction too!

[@Ockersvin]

If anything, I would have guessed Family Guy uses puppets. The characters seem more rigid and choppy.

[@fabianojeda3078]

lovely video

[@zaid.1271]

Thank you

[@Ponlets]

a bit of an investment into a good mic can help your videos do better

[@zaid.1271]

Did the mic sound bad? I have the Blue Yeti, but it is a bit old.

[@dark0ssx]

Traditional animation is definitely not gone in japan

[@zaid.1271]

Definitely not but they are starting to use a lot of 3d models

[@Tentabrobpy]

Rigged animation gets way too much of a bad rap. We assume something like Family Guy has to be puppets because it looks cheap, but ironically it actually looks stiffer due to being traditionally animated. It has this very rigid, snappy, economical pose-to-pose style which doesn't admit much fluidity or follow-through, while rigged animation on the same budget lends itself to more subtle and intricate motion. It's a lot easier to avoid that effect of a "dead" drawing where nothing in the frame is changing. I used to dismiss puppets but they have a lot of underappreciated strength

[@zaid.1271]

agreed!

[@rREDirl]

ask max when the new BaM video is coming out

[@zaid.1271]

One came out just last week!

[@rREDirl]

@@zaid.1271 no cap?

[@zaid.1271]

@@rREDirl Yea dude it was awesome! Go watch it. It was about improving character design.

[@gordyowl9455]

Bluey does this too

[@AlessandroCecconi]

ok a question tho, where is that Scott Pilgrim model from? Cause I want a nice animation of Scott Pilgrilm in my life 😭

[@zaid.1271]

it’s actually in the description, jordan beatty made it. He has a wonderful video on it and other rigs.

[@AlessandroCecconi]

@@zaid.1271 yeah I was looking there but I couldn't see it, maybe I just read too quickly lol thanks

[@Entertainment-]

There is also 3D animation like South Park.

[@LucidAnimationOFFICIAL]

One day, people will talk about my animations

[@zaid.1271]

you got it!

[@bruhzetto]

Is that max from BAM! Animation!?

[@zaid.1271]

sure is!

[@kardahaspindal]

Alas. This is what animation is today. This is fkn depressing 😔 And someone is actually proud of doing this.

[@mr_don_key]

i don't think family guy is animated in the traditional way.. but uses the rigging offered by toonboom with some additional little pieces of traditional where needed. (AKA puppet) i think i've even read it somewhere once. (interview some years ago)

[@zaid.1271]

Any sources? I researched all over the place and some workers have said it was traditionally animated.

[@mr_don_key]

@@zaid.1271 i think i mixed things up. I did search again, and i couldn't find anything about rigged animation for family guy. only one very old posting, from an interview with seth (10+ years old), that it was traditional animation. But then again.. it's a very old comment from him.. perhaps they now combine animation types, to speed up the process (in Korea, where the animations are done)

[@MatthewTPrice]

I'm confused, if they're "basically a 3D model," why not just make a 3D model?

[@zaid.1271]

You definitely can but setting up a 3D model for animation can take long too. If you have to morph your character into something else, that character also has to be modeled and rigged. That process can take longer than the 2D work. Also 3D has a certain feel to it that a lot of people dislike, ESPECIALLY if it’s trying to make 3D look “2D”.

[@MatthewTPrice]

@@zaid.1271 interesting! I'd love to see a video explaining that somewhere down the line, when it's better to use one or the other.

[@trappercap]

@@zaid.1271disjoints and blendshapes solve this

[@Karonclip]

More

[@lamaquinadeleer]

Short answer: badly 🤗

[@ronbizo1661]

toonboom harmony boom

[@JessieMadera]

Bluey???

[@zaid.1271]

??

[@Dutchruler]

Soon it all will be replaced by AI. Make a few images and you end up with fully rigged up 3D character created by AI. Done in minutes.

[@PieceofCraft]

Answer Poorly

[@PieceofCraft]

Joking btw don't kill me

[@KuulSHep]

Hand drawn animation is not, I repeat, not expensive. That's a lie Hollywood Execs at the time gave in order to convert everything digitally after seeing how successful Pixar's computer generated films were. It's also a copout to why "2d animation" has become underwhelmingly lackluster and lazy in the last twenty years give or take. You can literally make an animation using inexpensives items such as a pencil and xerox paper, or even post-it notes.

[@thesimplicitylifestyle]

Next will be AI driven puppet animation 😎🤖

[@edward18517]

Rick and Mort is not one of the best animated shows XD what are you taking about? The animation looks so cheap most of the time. And traditional will never be "gone". As long as there are people wanting to animate and have 2D animation look as good as they can do it it will always be around.

[@Diamonddrake]

I’m kinda tired of the modern flash animation look of animation.

[@Thornskade]

I can't believe FG is traditionally animated. It looks so bad

[@Padlock_Steve]

Ok so both suck and 3D is the best got it

[@zaid.1271]

Traditional is best imo….

[@Iwidelyoutliveeverything]

puppeted always looks ugly

[@deleted_handle]

no

[@Smite_erthing]

👍

[@DietermiGamzD125]

Nah, it can look good with enough effort put into it

[@coinopanimator]

Scavengers Reign didn't.

[@coinopanimator]

Infact a lot of shows are now hybrid. As the video says turnarounds are a great example of this. Its just that you animated the key poses once. Its like saying all CG animation is crap. Depends on the animator.

[@HerbieBancock]

It's animated the only way that Millennials know how to do anything: shittily.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

This art style is irredeemable cr*p