Anchor's Aweigh Animation Sequence

 

Animation + Live Action is one of my all-time favorite tropes in film, and there's this gorgeous and fun scene in Anchor's Aweigh as a perfect example of it.

This scene happens when Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) tell as story about how he earned his medal. It opens with imaginary and lively scenery, with landforms and a castle. The effects in this movie are amazing.

The animated characters also move so gracefully, this is definitely that cutesy era the MGM cartoons were mostly forgotten for back in the late 30s-early 40s.

You really have to be professional and accurate in regards to the animated character looking directly at the live action actor.

This is beautiful. This was just decades before there was easy processes like computers and technology to make something like this work.

It was all about composition. We then get to see Jerry from of course Tom and Jerry, feeling lonely which doesn't fit his personality at all, but with a premise like this, it works.

Fun Fact, originally the producers wanted Mickey Mouse to dance but Roy Disney himself rejected it, it was a sign of World War II still happening and that time, there was no business to work for other studios. In my honest opinion, that would be extremely distracting and kinda disrespectful. It was good that Tom and Jerry got enough the recognition they deserved back then.

The conversations are also very amusing as well, they aren't trying to noticeably go for being melodramatic, that would've sucked but Gene Kelly nails this scene easily.

It's also a great scene because he's trying to make Jerry cheer up and be less isolated.

The entire process of Jerry dancing with Gene was done by actual rotoscoping and it's phenomenal.

I can think of many other examples of animation and live action not just with films but moments from those movies that just make the whole experience alot better like Mary Poppins, The Three Caballeros, and a rare short film titled Real Inside. Sure, it may not be the most flawless trope, I agree that it's become stale, and those realistic 3D versions of timeless cartoon characters are terrible, but still it can be really fun.

I made my very own storyboards of a ballerina who fell unexpectedly into a fantasy world. Enjoy!