History Main / OffModel

[[caption-width-right:246:Makie's finger-counting skills go [[UpToEleven Up To]] [[IncrediblyLamePun Eleven]] as she [[SuddenAnatomy magically grows]] [[ExtraDigits an extra finger]].]]

* In ''Animation/FlowerFairy'', the exact appearance of Kukuru's plush body tends to be inconsistent, with the width and size of his body compared to his head varying wildly depending on the frame.

* ''Animation/SimpleSamosa'': In one of the ending shots in "Chutney Dam", specifically one where Samosa, Vada, and Jalebi are sitting next to each other, the swirl on Jalebi's head is noticeably bigger than it's usually depicted.

In American cartoons of the '80s and early '90s (and mid-'70s, to some extent), it became the norm to send animation overseas to studios in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and other countries to cut costs even further. The budget problems were thus exacerbated by language and cultural barriers, which resulted in nearly every cartoon of the era having animation errors of varying degrees. Japanese studios came to be seen by American studios as the "top of the line" of overseas studios because of their consistent aversion of this trope.[[note]]Even since the early '80s, Japan's been doing the ''exact'' same thing.[[/note]]

* The entire body of Toa Vakama on the [[http://images.wikia.com/bionicle/images/f/f0/Adventures-4.jpg cover image]] of the ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' movie adaptation novel, ''Legends of Metru Nui'', is seriously disfigured, and the head is especially misshapen. Surprisingly, the two characters in the background are both perfectly on-model. As a comparison, [[http://images.wikia.com/bionicle/images/5/50/BIONICLE_2_Lengends_of_Metru_Nui_cover.jpg here's]] how he is meant to look, as seen on the movie's poster.

Anime fans from Japan have their [[MemeticMutation own phrase]] for this trope, 作画崩壊 ''(sakuga hōkai)'', literally "drawing collapse". On the internet, it is also known as [[IronicName QUALITY]][[note]]always spelled in ALLCAPS[[/note]].

[[quoteright:246:[[Manga/MahouSenseiNegima https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/off_model_mahou_sensei_negima.jpg]]]]

* [[{{DiscussedTrope}} Discussed]] by [[{{Creator/JMichaelStraczynski}} J. Michael Straczynski]] in his book "The Complete Book of Scriptwriting", based on his time writing for [[TheEighties 80's era]] animation:

* During the 1996[=/=]1997 season, ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' updated their trademark wheel. Needless to say, it didn't go over so well. The main issue was that for a month afterwards, the second Bankrupt Wedge looked different. Some other instances included the absence of the Million-Dollar Wedge during a May 2011 episode, Prize Wedges in the wrong slots, missing or wrong Category Names, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking even the wheel itself being dislodged on occasion]].

** In season three of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', Titanus was reintroduced. Unfortunately, as there was no footage of the character in the series footage was taken from (''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger''), Saban decided to use [[OffTheShelfFX the toys of him, the Ninjazords and Shogunzords]] instead. [[SpecialEffectsFailure Unfortunately, they never took into consideration that the Shogunzord used by the White Ranger in the original was repainted pink for America]].

Anime fans from Japan have their [[MemeticMutation own phrase]] for this trope, 作画崩壊 ''(sakuga hōkai)'', literally "drawing collapse".

Below are examples in text form. For visual examples, you can visit [[http://fuckyeahqualityanimation.tumblr.com/ a blog dedicated to them]] or [[http://www.lurkmore.com/wiki/QUALITY this LURKMORE article.]]

In American cartoons of the '80s and early '90s (and mid-'70s, to some extent), it became the norm to send animation overseas to studios in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and other countries to cut costs even further. The budget problems were thus exacerbated by language and cultural barriers, which resulted in nearly every cartoon of the era having animation errors of varying degrees. Japanese studios came to be seen by American studios as the "top of the line" of overseas studios because of their consistent aversion of this trope.[[note]]and even since the early '80s, Japan's been doing the ''exact'' same thing.[[/note]]

** ''Series/PowerRangersWildForce'' episode "Forever Red" had the return of Serpentera, Lord Zedd's Zord from the original series. Unfortunately, Creator/{{Disney}} [[ExecutiveMeddling meddled]] during the episode's production[[note]]One of these decisions included not allowing any outside effects company (Creator/ModernVideoFilm or even [[Creator/DreamQuestImages their own CG company]] included) for the special[[/note]], resulting in an undersized, miscolored version of Serpentera rendered in [[SpecialEffectsFailure butt-ugly]] [[ConspicuousCG CG]] (even for the standards of the show).

-->-- '''A bunch of ninjas''' being [[MediumAwareness aware of their medium]] in the final episode of ''Manga/NininGaShinobuden''

** American writers had scripted a scene where a character is to be "strapped in" (seat-belts fastened), the Japanese animation team thought this mean "tied down with ropes" and animated it accordingly. The same thing happened when the script said that a character was "hauling ass": he was drawn running with his hands on his rear.

* OffModel/WebComics

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

Animation is expensive. ''Really'' expensive. An average 30-minute episode of an anime costs around $171,500 and popular shows in America cost [[https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-an-animated-TV-show-cost-to-make?share=1 between $350,000 to $6,000,000]] depending on how popular and how long the show was going on. (using 2020 American Dollars)

Animation is expensive. ''Really'' expensive. An average 30-minute episode of an anime costs around $171,500 and popular shows in America cost [[https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-an-animated-TV-show-cost-to-make?share=1 between $500,000 to $6,000,000]] depending on how popular and how long the show was going on. (using 2020 American Dollars)

Animation is expensive. ''Really'' expensive. An average 22-minute episode of an anime costs around $123,000, and American shows tend to be double that.[[note]]It should be noted that most of this is not spent on the actual animation however. Some shows will have a separate budget just for the animation, like Creator/{{Disney}}'s and Creator/WarnerBros' works in the 1980s and 1990s.[[/note]]

** On the 2019 cover of ''Bluestar's Prophecy'', Bluestar is incorrectly depicted as long-furred. She looks more like Yellowfang than Bluestar.

See also UncannyValley, the result when it gets ''too'' far out of hand, and SpecialEffectFailure, which is a similar trope, but for live action ''and'' animation. Contrast AnimationBump, wherein the animation suddenly becomes much ''better'' than usual and BodyHorror where an appearance similar to being off model is done intentionally and for horror. For animation studios who are notorious for this, see Creator/{{AKOM}}, Creator/ToeiAnimation, Creator/{{GONZO}}, Creator/StudioShaft, Creator/{{Sunrise}}, Creator/StudioDEEN, Creator/{{Actas}}, Creator/WangFilmProductions and Creator/{{Diomedea}}. For a studio whose supporters and critics often argue about whether their animation is this, see Creator/KennedyCartoons.

Some artists willingly invoke [[TropesAreTools this trope]] and do not follow model sheets, such as [[Creator/JohnKricfalusi John Kricfalusi's]] ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy]]''. Following models too closely can lead to rigid and lifeless animation, whereas playing fast and loose with the designs can allow for more expressive and fluid animation. This does not mean that such creators "draw badly"; they still follow the basic rules of animation, and work to avoid outright errors. Similarly, animation principals such as [[MotionBlur smear frames]] and squash and stretch could be thought of as temporary and more subtle variations on that technique, where models are briefly disregarded in order to make a particular shot look more lively and less stiff - these moments often look perfectly on-model when played at normal speed, but look bizarre if the viewer pauses on one of the deliberately distorted frames.

** Richard Hurndall playing the First Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]], due to William Hartnell's [[RealLifeWritesThePlot death]]. Also, promo shots for the episode included a wax statue of the Fourth Doctor due to [[RealLifeWritesThePlot Tom Baker declining to return]].

The prevalence of computer-inked animation in recent years merely assures that ''colors'' stay consistent. Off model refers to the character model (on a model sheet), which is what the animators are ''supposed'' to base their drawings on. Another important step is animation checking, which may be skimped on when time or money (or even both) is short.

Some artists willingly invoke [[TropesAreTools this trope]] and do not follow model sheets, such as ''[[WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow Ren and Stimpy's]]'' Creator/JohnKricfalusi. Following models too closely can lead to rigid and lifeless animation, whereas playing fast and loose with the designs can allow for more expressive and fluid animation. This does not mean that such creators "draw badly"; they still follow the basic rules of animation, and work to avoid outright errors. Similarly, animation principals such as [[MotionBlur smear frames]] and squash and stretch could be thought of as temporary and more subtle variations on that technique, where models are briefly disregarded in order to make a particular shot look more lively and less stiff - these moments often look perfectly on-model when played at normal speed, but look bizarre if the viewer pauses on one of the deliberately distorted frames.