System and method for animating virtual characters

A video game system, comprising:

• a game device having an input device and a processor for executing program code for providing for play of a videogame;
• a plurality of physical parts from a plurality of toy figures that are physically combinable to form a composite toy assembly, the plurality of physical parts including memory providing a unique identification of each physical part and configured to communicate said unique identification;
• said program code having instructions for providing a graphical display of a composite virtual character representing said composite toy assembly, said composite virtual character comprised of virtual parts representing physical parts combined to form the composite toy assembly;
• said program code further having instructions for providing a virtual environment for said composite virtual character;
• wherein said movement and actions of said composite virtual character are controlled, in response to inputs received by said input device, by at least one animation defined for at least one of said virtual parts and at least one other animation defined for at least one other one of said virtual parts, with the at least one animation defined for at least one of said virtual parts completely controlling movement and actions of some elements of said composite virtual character and partially controlling movement and actions of other elements of said composite virtual character.

A method of animating a character defined by a combination of elements of other characters, some of whose elements are considered generic to a plurality of characters and some of whose elements are considered specific to each of the other characters, with no animation routines being predefined for the character but with animation routines being predefined for the other characters, the method comprising:

• determining characters serving as a source of elements of the character;
• receiving a command for display of a particular animation routine for the character;
• generating the particular animation routine for the character by:
• applying corresponding character specific predefined animation routines to elements of the character that are considered specific to the characters serving as the source of elements of the character, and
• applying weighted sums of the corresponding character specific predefined animation routines to elements of the character that are considered generic to the characters serving as the source of elements of the character.