Published on July 30, 2013 at 2:01 pm Blind Characters from Movies, TV, Cartoons, Video Games and Comic Books. Fictional characters who are blind in entertainment are rare but when they are included the characters are often interesting and provide a perspective on life not normally noticed by those with sight. Blind characters are usually popular with audiences, especially when their other senses have heightened abilities. A great example of this is Denzel Washington’s portrayal of “ Eli” in The Book of Eli, a 2010 American post-apocalyptic action film. So why are people so intrigued? Blind characters often evoke feelings and responses from the audience that aren’t always felt for other characters. The characters below are split into categories by entertainment-genre and cover several eye conditions including partial vision, visual impairments, total and temporary blindness. Skip to: Movies Television Cartoons Video Games Comic Books Reader Submissions Film/ Movie Frank Slade ( Al Pacino – Scent of a Woman) Scent of a Woman is a 1992 American drama film that tells the story of a preparatory school student who takes a job as an assistant to an surly, blind, retired Army officer. Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance and the film was nominated for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Back to Top Virgil Adamson ( Val Kilmer – At First Sight) At First Sight tells the story of a man who has grown accustomed to blindness. At the urging of his girlfriend, Virgil undergoes an operation that restores his sight and subsequently deals with all the changes to his life. Back to Top Eli ( Denzel Washington – The Book of Eli) In a post-apocalyptic America where the once-picturesque countryside has become a desolate and violent wasteland, Eli fights to protect the sacred tome that could hold the key to the survival of the human race in this.
In the last installment we explored how character design contributed (or not) to the success of an animated cartoon. This month we will shift from the physical depiction of a character to the important role that character plays as an actor. We will keep in mind the original question underpinning this series: What is a given piece of animation trying to do, and how well does it accomplish that task? It is not entirely correct to say that a cartoon character in an animated film is analogous to an actor in a live-action film (this is one reason for the dismal failure of features in which live actors attempt to portray animated characters). In many ways, the task of an animated character is actually more difficult than that of a live actor. At first glance, this statement does not seem to make sense, but consider the following: An animated character is limited to a very small number of roles, and must perform them without much variation. Robert De Niro, for instance, can star in live-action comedic and dramatic roles across several genres. Bugs Bunny cannot do the same unless he performing a parody. Major alterations to Bugs' established persona essentially destroys the character. Another example: the attempt by UPA to force Mr. Magoo into a variety of literary adaptations ( The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, 1964-65). Magoo became a star as a crotchety, nearsighted old coot; watching him portray Gunga Din or Cyrano de Bergerac made little sense to viewers. Animated characters, whether good, evil, slick or stupid, have a limited amount of time to impact a short, episode or film. There is only a brief window a character has to bloom into a star. Even with repeating characters, there are typically seven minutes to a short and 22 minutes to a television episode. Unless the series is a long-continuing saga (like The Simpsons or Family Guy characters are not given time to.
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