Nik Ranieri - Lumiere

Lumiere's name, in French, means light - perfectly appropriate! The Lumiere-Cogsworth partnership (!?) provides many great sequences. Ranieri faced many of the same challenges as Finn and Pruiksma in animating a candelabrum, but pulled it off spectacularly - Lumiere is the perfect foil to the pompous Cogsworth; and the two are essential to the humour and charm of the film. Lumiere is another character for whom the model sheets make fascinating reading. There are numerous directions to the animators and clean-up personnel regarding the range of movements allowed, how to draw certain aspects (such as the 'hair' - the wax bead that seems to be perpetually hanging from the top of his head) - but the most bizarre is a direction placed next to a sketch showing how the candle-hands must appear when reaching for something; it reads 'NO toilet hands!'. Check the books - you'll see what I mean! Previous work for Ranieri included Roger Rabbit, and Ursula in The Little Mermaid, amongst others.