Character Animation

Character animation pipeline for local, reusable cartoon characters. It turns a script and scene plan into character specs, rig plans, pose libraries, action timelines, and browser-rendered SVG/Canvas/Remotion/HyperFrames animation. The pipeline is designed for deterministic local motion, not remote video-gen replacement.

Stages

10

Human approval gates

6

Default budget

$2.00

Stages

The agent reads each stage's director skill before working, then writes a checkpoint. Stages marked pause for your approval before the production continues.

1. 1

   Research

   No checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/research-director.md

   Produces

   • research_brief

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Reference style and character-animation technique are researched when a reference exists
   • At least 3 comparable character-animation examples or techniques are summarized
   • Feasibility separates rigged local animation from frame-by-frame traditional animation

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid research_brief
   • Technique notes identify reusable rigs, pose libraries, and effects needs
2. 2

   Proposal

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/proposal-director.md

   Produces

   • proposal_packet
   • decision_log

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Concepts are differentiated and not a carbon copy of any reference
   • Character count, action complexity, and reuse strategy are explicit
   • Render runtime selection presents Remotion and HyperFrames when both are available
   • Motion requirement is preserved; FFmpeg-only fallback is not proposed for character acting
   • Sample-first plan is included before full production

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid proposal_packet
   • Selected concept includes character_count, rig_complexity, reuse_strategy, and render_runtime
   • User approval is recorded before character assets are generated
3. 3

   Script

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/script-director.md

   Produces

   • script

   Tools

   • transcriber

   Review focus

   • Script is written as action beats, not only narration
   • Dialogue/narration architecture is locked
   • Every emotional turn can be expressed with poses and actions

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid script
   • Character beats and audio architecture are explicit
4. 4

   Character Design

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/character-design-director.md

   Produces

   • character_design

   Tools

   • character_spec_generator
   • image_selector

   Review focus

   • Each character has a distinct role, silhouette, emotional range, and action list
   • Character count is realistic for local rigging
   • Style anchors are reusable across scenes

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid character_design
   • Every main character has required emotions, actions, and views
5. 5

   Rig Plan

   Auto checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/rig-plan-director.md

   Produces

   • rig_plan
   • pose_library

   Tools

   • svg_rig_builder
   • pose_library_builder

   Review focus

   • Parts, pivots, layers, constraints, views, and required poses are complete
   • Rig plan avoids per-character code paths; character differences are data
   • Known risky motions are surfaced before asset generation

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid rig_plan
   • Schema-valid pose_library
   • Every required action has at least one pose or action strategy
6. 6

   Scene Plan

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/scene-director.md

   Produces

   • scene_plan

   Tools

   None — agent reasoning only

   Review focus

   • Scenes use character_scene or animation types with timed actions
   • Each scene has characters, actions, camera/framing, background, and effects
   • Scene complexity fits the approved sample and budget

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid scene_plan
   • Every scene maps to rigged characters and required assets
7. 7

   Assets

   Human approval

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/asset-director.md

   Produces

   • asset_manifest

   Tools

   • image_selector
   • tts_selector
   • music_gen
   • character_rig_renderer

   Review focus

   • Character parts, backgrounds, props, audio, and effects are linked to scenes
   • Layer 3 skills are read for every generation or animation-runtime tool
   • Asset provenance and prompts are recorded
   • Missing rig assets are blocked, not hidden

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid asset_manifest
   • All referenced asset files exist
   • Character assets are organized under projects/<name>/assets/characters
8. 8

   Edit

   Auto checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/edit-director.md

   Produces

   • edit_decisions
   • action_timeline

   Tools

   • action_timeline_compiler

   Review focus

   • Action timeline preserves acting beats and emotional readability
   • Pose transitions are timed with holds, anticipation, and follow-through
   • render_runtime is carried from proposal unchanged

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid edit_decisions
   • Schema-valid action_timeline
   • Every scene has timed actions
9. 9

   Compose

   Auto checkpoint

   openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/compose-director.md

   Produces

   • render_report
   • final_review
   • character_qa_report

   Tools

   • character_rig_renderer
   • character_animation_reviewer
   • video_compose
   • audio_mixer

   Review focus

   • Runtime chosen in proposal is the runtime actually used
   • Browser preview passes Playwright/screenshot checks where available
   • Final MP4 passes ffprobe, frame sampling, character QA, and visual self-review
   • No silent downgrade to still-image motion

   Success criteria

   • Schema-valid render_report
   • Schema-valid final_review
   • Schema-valid character_qa_report
   • Output exists and passes technical validation
10. 10

    Publish

    Human approval

    openmontage/skills/pipelines/character-animation/publish-director.md

    Produces

    • publish_log

    Tools

    None — agent reasoning only

    Review focus

    • Metadata describes the character-animation style honestly
    • Thumbnail/poster frame features the main character and emotional hook
    • Any limitations are surfaced in delivery notes

    Success criteria

    • Schema-valid publish_log

Manifest: openmontage/pipeline_defs/character-animation.yaml. Director skills live under openmontage/skills/.