The animated feature has recently enjoyed newfound accessibility to the independent animator. The opportunity to tell a longer story with one’s individual mark is facilitated by crowdfunding and digital technology, making the commercial animation studio no longer a necessity. However,…
Animation Auteurs
LAWRENCE JORDAN: GIVING BIRTH TO A DREAM
by Christine Veras • January 15, 2016 • 2 Comments
Lawrence Jordan’s creative process and personal style of animation reflects an attempt to give birth to a dream. A dream shared with the spectator through the animation of collages/cut-outs and his choice to give movement to nineteenth-century illustrations. In this…
20 Years of Pixar Features
Saving the best for last
by Stéphane Collignon • January 6, 2016 • 1 Comment
After watching Ratatouille, I remember thinking that the end credits, with their stylized animation, were probably the most interesting part of the movie. This is certainly a bit harsh, but it reminded me that I felt the same kind of…
20 Years of Pixar Features
Abstract Thought as a Danger Zone in Inside Out
by Mihaela Mihailova • December 18, 2015 • 1 Comment
Inside Out (Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen, 2015), Pixar’s film about the structure and inner workings of a preteen girl’s mind, represents the human brain as a cross between a factory and an amusement park. The feature’s mismatched protagonist…
20 Years of Pixar Features
“Business. Business. Business. Numbers. Is this Working?” Art vs. Commerce in the Post-Disney Pixar Studio
by Helen Haswell • December 18, 2015 • 1 Comment
The studio narrative of Pixar Animation is predicated on the company’s groundbreaking research and the development of computer-generated animation technology, and the notable commercial success and critical acclaim of its feature films. Pixar has been acknowledged with numerous awards both…
20 Years of Pixar Features
Toy Story: A Linear Narrative in a World of World-Building Franchises
by Joe Darlington • December 11, 2015 • 3 Comments
It was during a Q&A at the excellent ‘Toy Story at 20’ conference where I made the (perhaps inflammatory) statement that, compared to Star Wars, My Little Pony or Marvel, “there is no Toy Story universe”. This comment seemed to…
Education in/and Animation, Miscellaneous, Research in Progress
APES 2015
by Chris Pallant • December 2, 2015 • 0 Comments
Following the success of the first ‘Animation and Public Engagement Symposium’ (APES), which ran in association with the Bradford Animation Festival in 2014, APES 2015 touched down at the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle for this year’s installment. Coordinated by Society…
Adult Animation
The Adult Appeal of “Steven Universe”
by Kodi Maier • December 2, 2015 • 0 Comments
Subtle, endearing, and wonderfully complex, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe has been charming kid and adult audiences alike since its pilot aired in November 2013. Each eleven-minute episode slowly reveals the life and world of Steven Universe, a ten-year-old boy who…
Adult Animation
Maturing Animation on Cartoon Network
by Jacqueline Ristola • November 27, 2015 • 4 Comments
In writing about Cartoon Network and its successful television blocks [adult swim]* and Toonami, I find three intertwining ideas that help elucidates the network’s distinctive style and success in its adult animation, and will briefly explore them here. “Just for…
Adult Animation
The Tedium is the Message: How Adult Animation Visualizes Monotony
by Evelyn Hielkema • November 20, 2015 • 1 Comment
Escapist animation aimed at both children and adults tends to bracket out “dull moments” for the sake of narrative efficiency. Sometimes, escaping from monotony becomes the subject of lengthy animated sequences, especially in works like the Wallace and Gromit shorts,…