When Shaun Tan drew The Lost Thing for his award winning Children’s book, he had a very clear idea of how the Lost Thing would move and sound. So when it came to creating the animation Shaun had pages of pencil drawings and detailed notes for the animators.
“It was a crazy, hermit crab, teapot, tentacled thing that somehow had to be endearing and lovable.” With no face to work with, the animator created a range of expression and emotion through body movement. You can tell exactly if the The Lost Thing is sad or happy or scared or excited by the way it walks.
A delightful insight into Shaun Tan's creation of the Lost Thing: