Outline for Second Term Paper: Horton Hears a Kung Fu Robot!

Introduction: When the only force acting on an object is gravity, it will follow a parabolic arc when it falls. The animated films Robots, Kung Fu Panda, and Horton Hears a Who, all depict at least one scene where a jump or fall is animated incorrectly according to the laws of physics. These errors are most noticeable in three scenes containing incorrect parabolic arcs.
Body
1. Robots: Rodney rides the cross-town express. The initial launch/throw is incorrect because:
a. It does not follow a parabolic arc. It dips and goes in a straight line at some points.
b. The shots suggest that the cross-town express is thrown out of perspective.
c. The tangential speed of the throwing arm is incorrect. The catapult’s arm would have to be longer for the cross-town express to fly that far, even though it is very long already. This would also affect the parabolic arc (how long and tall it is). However, it is entertaining, and the rest of the physics of the cross-town express appear to be relatively correct.
2. Kung Fu Panda: The final fight scene between Po and Tai Lung fails to follow the laws of physics because:
a. Tai Lung and Po do not follow parabolic arcs when they are mid-air. Their arcs would also be much longer considering the height they reach in the jump. In real life, they would travel much farther horizontally.
b. They both fall straight down after they reach the peak of their jumps. In nature, they would complete a parabolic arc.
c. It is not timed correctly; they both pause mid air, and appear to dive straight down rapidly. This would never occur in nature. Po also accelerates in his fall. In the real world, he would be decelerating. He speeds up when he’s been in the air long enough to start coming down again.
3. Horton Hears a Who: A monkey tribe catapults a banana boulder at Horton. The boulder flies incorrectly because:
a. The boulder does not fly in an arc. It flies in a straight line. Additionally, the boulder appears to move in three long vertical waves. In real life, the boulder would have landed much earlier.
b. The tangential speed of the catapulted banana boulder is incorrect. For it to move that fast, the catapult would have to be longer. However, the boulder would then achieve more height in the air. The scene in the film already shows the boulder flying lower than physically possible.
c. The speed of the boulder changes mid-air. It seems to slow down and speed up irregularly. In nature, it would speed up, slow a little at the apex, and then speed up again as it falls.
Conclusion:
These errors are well disguised in the films, and hardly noticeable if one has no knowledge of physics. Interestingly, the same errors were present in all three movies. In defense of the films, these physics errors could have been intentional. The dramatic pauses, changes in time, and height give the scenes anticipation, one of the most important principles of animation.