in the shell

So someone I know asked me about the large eyes style, and why it exists.
I really didnt know, but I said, that I guessed it was a style, and that it had to do with ideas of innocence. It seems that villians often have smaller eyes.

Does anyone actually know the answer to this? I said I would ask the great minds of this forum for a more difintive answer.

The style has a story behind it. Originally in Japanese art, as well as early animation the large eyes were a rarity and they usually emphasized monsterous appearance, rather than cuteness. The use of large eyes was, in fact, originally borrowed from Disney, as a homage and from there it went on.
These days the age of characters is often emphasized with eyes - children and young people typically have big, glossy eyes, whereas old people have tiny eyes, or even just plain lines. The innocence usually goes with this. Villains often do have smaller eyes, as well, but this is usually related to that their eyes are drawn angular in sharp lines, whereas the good guys have rounder eye-shapes. Also, in shoujo-style eyes are bigger than in shounen-style.

Blame Tezuka. He started it.

I like the amount of detail they can get into the big eyes.

I <3 big anime eyes they can be so much more expressive/emotive than smaller eyes in animation and yet animators hardly ever do similar overblown expression with the mouth which seems strange to me because it's just as effective(see aeon flux,(animation;not the bad action film)).

See, I always thought big mouths were uber creepy, like the most horrifying of all animations, the blue meenies from the Beatles Yellow Submarine.

I hesitate to even type that, Im all over with chills now...
blaaaghehehhe

Something about big mouths seem to imply lavisciousness I think.

I also love big eyes.

A couple of my best friends have really big eyes. They think its weird, I think it is super cool. (no not as big as anime eyes, that would be scary)

One time one of my friends had an allergic reaction to something, and her one eye was swelled partially shut. For some reason there was a picture of her from that day. She pointed out that if you looked at that side, you could see what she looked like with regular person porportioned eyes.
It was weird seeing her look like her but not look like her.

Anyways, her big disney princess eyes make her super beautiful I think.

Lightice wrote: The use of large eyes was, in fact, originally borrowed from Disney, as a homage and from there it went on.

yeah, i heard that as well...which makes sense.