The Thinking character

Today I've been looking up a little research on the topic of the "thinking character", I shall have to start referencing sources because I keep losing them once I've read an article or page - silly me.

So "The Thinking Character" what does this mean as principle? well to describe it vaguely I'd say this is the common sense behind the character. Any day to day movement or actions we perform as humans has a thought process behind it. As humans are, we think before we act, we wouldn't do anything without a reason - unless were brain-dead, but then we'd be zombies. Our body language from the action can suggest what we are thinking. This is what gives the illusion behind animation, the character on screen is a puppet or the body, the animator has to be the mind of the character through planning the thought patterns and animation.

I found a very useful quote from Walt Disney, "In most instances, the driving forces behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character-or all three. Therefore, the mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them."

This film was released recently "The Artist" a tribute to the Hollywood silent era, I've been meaning to go see for a while, I'm entregued by the whole idea of the movie.