An American In Paris & Toulouse Lautrec

There is a scene in An American In Paris, where Gene Kelly brings Toulouse Lautrec's drawing of 'Chocolat dancing in the Irish American bar' to life. The sets begin as 2D cardboard cutouts before introducing people as still lifes, posing in the background, who then become involved with the dancing.

An American In Paris - Toulouse Lautrec inspired dance scene

Gene Kelly

Paddington Bear Singing In The Rain

One of the initial inspirations for the set designs are the flat, illustrated-style backgrounds used in Paddington Bear. After a little bit of searching on Youtube, it turns out that Paddington Bear is also a fan of Gene Kelly.
http://youtu.be/Cmr2-lwXNLw?t=3m9s

Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain

An American in Paris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKcD-e05HJ8

This dance sequence in An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly, uses different coloured backgrounds to show the different parts of the character's personality. In each dance the background is full of real props and furniture and everything is painted in shades of one colour. This makes the space look almost flat and unreal, like a stage set. I would like a similar look for our animation, referencing the very flat 50s design.