In spite of animation’s inherent plasticity and the implication that animation can “resist outmoded notions of… performance” and “carry with it alternative ideological imperatives” (Wells, 1998, p.227) prime time television animation tends to follow the stereotypical representations of most visual…
Gender and Animation
When it’s knitted it can be also unraveled Knitting or crochet is not so soft, warm and innocent anymore
by Eliska Decka • January 12, 2015 • 0 Comments
Knitting and crocheting have always been activities strongly connected to women, understood as a part of their housekeeping duties and everyday chores. But recently, this traditional craft has started to be viewed differently. More and more contemporary (mostly female) artists…
Gender and Animation
Is the straight role in comedy essential and why is it usually played by a woman in animation?
by Sarah Ann Kennedy • December 19, 2014 • 1 Comment
Traditionally, the straight ‘man’ in stand up comedy or sitcom gives the eccentric character a presence to play against. It has long been accepted as an essential part of the process. As Mel Brooks has noted, “Well the straight guy…
Gender and Animation
Pixar’s Progressive Princess?
by Helen Haswell • December 9, 2014 • 2 Comments
Since the release of Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995) Pixar Animation Studios has become renowned for creating films that are both commercially successful and critically acclaimed. Collectively, Toy Story and its sequels have grossed over 1.9 billion dollars worldwide, and are…
Gender and Animation
Socialism and the Rise of the First Camerawoman in History of Chinese Animation
by Daisy Yan Du • December 3, 2014 • 3 Comments
Generally speaking animated filmmaking is gendered. Men usually work as directors, key animators, and photographers, while women take less important roles such as inkers and painters—jobs that demand repetitive and tedious manual labor rather than artistic creativity and high technology.…
Alternative/Forgotten Histories
Animation: A Different Way of Looking at the Past
by Victoria Walden • November 26, 2014 • 0 Comments
What do we mean by ‘history’? The term itself is much contested. History (with a capital ‘H’) is often reserved for ‘official histories’ of events, these are usually imbued with hegemonic priorities and neglect many voices that could contribute to…
"National" Animation, Alternative/Forgotten Histories
Getting closer into the heart of the Thai Thai-ness
by Millie Young • November 26, 2014 • 2 Comments
To get closer into the heart of Thai-Thai-ness and as a continuation from ‘Tracing the Heart of Thai Animation’, which opened the discussion on Thai animation’s cultural identity and outlined the key feature films in their short history, this post…
Alternative/Forgotten Histories
Mecki – A Hedgehog as Election Worker
by Sigrun Lehnert • November 18, 2014 • 1 Comment
Mecki the Hedgehog is a cartoon character originating in the 19th century, based on the tale of The Hare and the Hedgehog, from the brothers Grimm’s famous fairy tale collection. The fable tells the story of a hedgehog who tricked…
Alternative/Forgotten Histories
The Forgotten History of Animation in Film Studies
by Victoria Walden • November 5, 2014 • 4 Comments
“Cinema and media studies in the early twenty-first century needs a better understanding of the relationship between two of the film’s most unwieldy and unstable organizing concepts: ‘animation’ and ‘film theory’. As the increasing digital nature of cinema now forces…
Research in Progress
The Future is Bright…
by Aylish Wood • October 28, 2014 • 4 Comments
I’ve been researching software and animation. As part of that project, I recently thought it would be good to know more about where the algorithms that make up 3D animation software came from. We’re quite used to thinking about digital…