Analyzing Facial Stylization in 3D-Animated Works with 2D Visual Style

Abstract

This study explores how stylized facial expressions in hybrid 3D animation utilizing 2D visual elements construct emotional subtext, through a comparative analysis of the animated works <Arcane> and <The First Slam Dunk>. By combining Ekman’s extended Facial Action Coding System (FACS) with qualitative methods of performative stylization analysis, the study proposes a dual analytical framework. While FACS offers anatomical precision, the performative stylization approach interprets abstraction, exaggeration, rhythm, and cultural codes—essential for decoding emotionally encoded facial design in animation. Through this integrated perspective, <Arcane> demonstrates a maximalist expressiveness with exaggerated expressions and high-density microexpressions to intensify psychological tension. In contrast, <The First Slam Dunk> adopts minimalism and restraint, relying on stillness, spatial gaps, and interpretive visual cues to convey subtext. These expressive strategies are particularly suited to adult-oriented animation, where narrative depth and emotional nuance are essential. Stylized facial expressions, in such contexts, serve not merely as visual embellishments but as narrative tools that reveal internal conflict, contradiction, or repression—facets often inaccessible through realism alone.