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…
Genre and Animation
Animation, A Neuroplasticart* Media of Visual Thinking and Emotions
by Inma Carpe • April 8, 2016 • 2 Comments
“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!…
Animation Franchises and the Studio System
Outside In: Taking on the major studios in the Animated Feature Oscar race
by Sam Summers • February 28, 2016 • 0 Comments
It would not be controversial to say that the continued importance and relevance of the Academy Awards is highly questionable, with this year’s crop of nominations in particular rightfully coming under fire for their lack of diversity. There is, however,…
Animation Franchises and the Studio System
Branding the Beagle: Reworking Peanuts for the Blockbuster Age
by Robbie McAllister • February 24, 2016 • 0 Comments
The Peanuts Movie (2015) appears to be somewhat of an anomaly amongst the wave of animated sequels, prequels and re-imaginings that have recently been released with major studio backing. Produced by Blue Sky Studios (20th Century Fox’s animation subsidiary), Peanuts…
Animation Franchises and the Studio System
The Evolution of the Disney Princess Franchise: Catching Up and Moving Forward
by Kodi Maier • February 12, 2016 • 2 Comments
In 2006 Peggy Orenstein had had enough: frustrated with the way everyone around her, from family members to total strangers, eagerly foisted the recent princess mania onto her three-year-old daughter, she took to the New York Times in an attempt…
Animation Auteurs
‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ — 75 Years Later, Still One Of The Most AntiSemitic Cartoons Ever Made.
by Luke Jaeger • February 1, 2016 • 5 Comments
Animation teachers and historians are often confronted with young audiences who are convinced that “Walt Disney was a racist.” It’s an oversimplification if not an outright falsehood (and a cheap laugh line endlessly repeated by “Family Guy” writers and other…
Animation Auteurs
Mass producing the hand of the artist
by Corrie Francis Parks • January 26, 2016 • 1 Comment
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…