For many of us, the annual Society for Animation Studies (SAS) conference is more than an opportunity to share research. We get to meet friends that we do not see any other time. Their ideas inspire us and their enthusiasm…
In Memoriam of Dr. Millie Young
IMMERSIVE MEMORIES: HOW CAN AN “INDEPENDENT AVANT-GARDE EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKER” BREATHE LIFE INTO THE MEMORIALIZATION OF A DEAR COLLEAGUE, REMEMBERING SHARED PASSIONS FOR HAND-CRAFTED ANIMATION, ELEPHANTS, AND DOME-PROJECTION?
by Lynn Tomlinson • May 22, 2024 • 0 Comments
Every few days for the past several weeks, when checking my email, an uncanny reading suggestion from Academia.edu appears in my inbox. Based on my “Reading History,” I might be interested in an article titled “Drawing a Motion on Death”…
In Memoriam of Dr. Millie Young
Dr. Millie Young’s Book Chapter
by Tze-yue G. Hu • May 15, 2024 • 0 Comments
Millie and I first met at the 28th Annual Conference of the Society for Animation Studies held in Singapore in 2016. She was interested in my paper presentation about Buddhism and animation and asked relevant questions during the Q&A time.…
Animation Studios in Europe
Cartoon Saloon and the Crafting of a Studio Identity in the Digital Era
by Eve Benhamou • May 9, 2024 • 2 Comments
Since its creation in 1999, Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon has consistently stood out within the animation landscape, praised for its stories based on Irish folklore and showcasing a ‘painterly hand-drawn aesthetic’ (Rooney 2002). The studio’s first feature film, The Secret of…
Animation Studios in Europe
A Collective Effort: Irish Animation Studios
by Yvonne Hennessy • May 1, 2024 • 1 Comment
Ireland’s animation studios have emerged as a significant force in the global market, harnessing their unique position as the sole English-speaking country in the European Union and strategically leveraging funding partnerships because of their geographical positioning between both American and…
Book Review
Review: Pulses of Abstraction: Episodes from a History of Animation (2020), Andrew R. Johnston
by Andrew Connor • April 29, 2024 • 0 Comments
In Pulses of Abstraction: Episodes from a History of Animation, Andrew R. Johnston contends that animation has been ‘pulsing in fits and starts with the creation, distribution and experimentation of new technologies’ (Johnston: 2024, p. 3). He sets out to…
Animation Studios in Europe
The birth of Spanish animation studios and their settlement during the Franco’s dictatorship
by Maria Pagès Rovira • April 26, 2024 • 0 Comments
Despite a common belief, the industrialization of Spanish animation studios took place only a decade later than in the United States. However, the first experiences happened at the beginning of the 20th century. We can claim that Segundo de Chomón…
Animation Studios in Europe
The hidden nature of the puppet film as a collective work: the Polish ‘Se-Ma-For’ Studio of Small Film Forms
by Ewa Ciszewska and Agata Hofelmajer-Roś • April 22, 2024 • 0 Comments
Puppet films are often described as the work of a single author. The focus on the puppet featured in the film helps reveal the puppet filmmaking’s collaborative nature. A study on the collective mode of puppet filmmaking will be presented…
Animation Studios in Europe
How the Valley Became International: Animation Labor Divisions in Moomin TV Productions
by Roosa Hirvela • April 17, 2024 • 0 Comments
Many animation productions are international efforts, though the creative control often comes from studios in the US or Europe, while the studios in Asia end up performing the actual animation work. I will explore how the creative control in animation…
Animation Studios in Europe
Hidden In Plain Sight: Aardman’s American Dream
by Markus Beeken • April 11, 2024 • 2 Comments
While the trademark thumbprint pressed into Gromit’s snout is the archetypal giveaway of British animation studio Aardman’s distinct material style, I was always more preoccupied by a splodge of jam. In several scenes of The Wrong Trousers (Nick Park, 1993),…