In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, animator Ben Hibon spoke about the inspiration behind and the creation of the gorgeous animated sequence in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. In the film, the animated sequence provides the visual accompaniment to Hermione’s narration of The Tale of the Three Brothers (the story inspired by the three Deathly Hallows).
Ben Hibon on the animated sequence
“This is the first animated sequence ever to appear in a Harry Potter film, so it had to be distinctive and special. It’s not animation as we might think of it today; it is a moving illustration of the story being read aloud by Hermione — the story of the Deathly Hallows. The fact that the sequence would be explaining the origin of the title made it all the more important.”
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“The work of artist Lotte Reiniger from the 1930s was another early reference. Her silhouette-style stop-motion animations are beautifully handcrafted and captured the naïve visual tone we were after. We also looked at Asian shadow-play, which is visually striking, very intricate and yet so beautifully simple. The technique is basic, but the end result is particularly charming and engaging. There’s something so ingenious about projecting shadows onto a simple cloth.”
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“Animation is the art of smoke and mirrors, lights and shadows, and the team of artists behind this piece are true magicians.”
Concept artwork
You can read the full interview and discover more about the sequence by clicking here. Additionally, you can see a plethora of additional concept art from the sequence by the amazingly talented Alexis Liddell at this link.