The purpose – but at the same time the problem – of genre classification is to instill ‘purity’ and order through categorization. Genre categories have defied easy definition as the borders intended to separate them are always shifting and expanding,…
Few films have made as deep an impact on international popular cultures as Akira (1988) by Katsuhiro Ötomo. This animated feature is a sci-fi apocalyptic opus, deeply political and incisive in how it captures the Japan of the bubble-economy era.…
The original series of Hideaki Anno’s hugely popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) was set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event called ‘the second impact’. The show was structured around teenage protagonists piloting gargantuan mecha-organic bipeds (EVAs) in order…
With its mischievous smile, big expressive eyes, and red collar, the creature featuring on the promotional poster for Lilo & Stitch (2002, by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders) might recall the numerous pets of the Disney canon. Yet, his blue…
“A stunning big-screen comedy-adventure.”[i] This enthusiastic advertising description does not refer to a Marvel superhero film, or an action-adventure franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean, or not even to the highly successful Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Abrams, 2015).…
Trying to talk seriously about American television animation is a difficult thing to do. You can’t talk to people about these shows if they haven’t seen them, and usually, especially if they do not have children or a television set,…
40 years after its release, G.N Sippy’s Sholay (1975) is still arguably the most influential Hindi film ever made. Sholay’s plot is inspired by popular Hollywood westerns, and particular scenes recall famous films of this genre, such as Once Upon…
“People think of animation only doing things where people are dancing around and doing a lot of histrionics, but animation is not a genre. And people keep saying, ‘The animation genre.’ It’s not a genre! A Western is a genre!…
