He is! Rocky's design is genuinely really good! Whats fun to me however is how a lot of that good comes from breaking common rules that hollywood has milked to death.
Most notably big eyes, small nose and high mouth. A combo wombo that resembles kittens and babies and tends to resonate with almost all audiences.
The fact that Rocky has no eyes at all, not even a face, goes against one of the main principles of character design: relatability. The eyes are a window to the soul and appealing eye designs get people invested quicker than most other features.
However by breaking that rule we get something far more interesting and ultimately real feeling. Rocky doesn't feel like another design to sell plushies, he feels like character.
Also huge shout out to the team for how they balanced the challenge, allowing limits breed creativity.
Where Rocky lacks a face: his body language is memorable and readable. His dialogue is well written, well-acted and bounces well off of the relatability point that is our human protagonist.
He feels alien!!! Yet the more you learn the more you're drawn into understand him!!
Not to mention the inclusion of his markings and wedding band!! The way they immediately clue the audience into the fact he is an intellegent being with a life story... mwah! Chefs kiss! I totally get why the movie made him a nudist, clothing covering that detail work-- although charming, would've been a real shame.
The balancing act of Rocky's design is just... UGH, So good. If you're into character design you just gotta take some lessons from him.
Like... He's kind of a spider. People are scared of spiders. My friend with a phobia asked me not to send Rocky gifs. But he has HANDS!! They feel a little cartoony, they're cute. Seeing him use Eridian tech to weave something is so appealing and fun. They made a spider weaving a web into an appealing visual more like knitting!!! So clever!!!!!!!
My point is that Rocky's design is made with such love and passion that you cant ignore it. Theres a clear understanding of why marketable designs exist: for our ability to relate and bond with the story that design wants to deliver. AND a clear understanding of when breaking those rules is the best thing you can possibly do.
I know hollywood wont learn the right lesson from this, but I hope individual designers can. Make designs that feel real and deliver the message you're intending. Mass market appeal will only sand away the very edges that connect with real people.
