Character design is a vital component of animation production as the character is what drives the story and breaths life into a film. 

The design of characters for the film begins during the initial stages of the development of the film.

 

The character designers work with the director as the script is still being written to bring the characters to life.
As the concept and script of the film go through many changes, so does the design of the different characters.
 

The connection of the audience to the character is the primary goal when designing an animated character. Imbuing the characters with humanity, and focusing on their humanity is vitally important to creating this connection.
 

When designing a character, a character design artist needs to know what to exaggerate and what to play down,
what to add to give a hint of background and depth, and what to do to develop the personality.