The Perfect Shadow

Character designers focus on silhouettes to ensure their characters are instantly recognizable by their shape alone.

Walt Disney famously insisted that Mickey Mouse's ears always appear circular, regardless of which way he was facing.

In film, a silhouette can be used to create mystery or to hide a character's identity until the climax.

Psychologically, we can identify a familiar person from their silhouette and gait (way of walking) from a great distance.