Study on the Meaning of Characters’ Colors in the 3D Animation Elemental

Color is a crucial element of visual storytelling in animation that conveys messages. Moreover, modern advances in computer graphics technology allow for a greater variety of expression, and animation can express colors with greater variety than the physically colored works of the past. Therefore, this study analyzes the meanings conferred on the main characters of Pixar's 3D animated feature Elemental based on Kandinsky's color theory and the color scale developed by Korea's IRI Color Research Institute. This study found that character colors should be interpreted in relation to their personalities, roles, events, preceding/subsequent story context, and relationships with other characters.