Blog #10

A True American Tail

As I watched An American Tail in class, I realized that it was the first time I have seen the movie since its release when I was a child. This time I really realized the depictions of immigration during the late 1800s. A lot of the main characters are actually symbols for social classes or religious groups. For a children's movie, An American Tale is an accurate portrayal of the hardships faced by immigrates before the turn of the 20 th century.

The movie begins in Russia during the Jewish holiday of Hanukah. You get the message that the Mousekewitz family is a poor but loving family, trying to make a good life for themselves. After the family exchanges gifts they are randomly attacked by a group of cats, which are symbols for the Russian Cossacks who were violently striking out against the Jews during that time. After a near brush with death and the destruction of their home, Papa Mousekewitz tells his family that in American they can have a better life. He assures the family that in America you can say whatever you want, the streets are paved with cheese, and above all there are no cats. The Mousekewitzs are no different from other immigrants that swapped stories of the wonders of the Free World. So the family left for America where they were joined by Italians, French, Irish, some of which were wealthy, on a boat across the Atlantic. Of course like all immigrants the first sight is the Statue of Liberty, standing tall as a symbol for freedom. And the first stop is Ellis Island where they check in, and you hear names being changed to simplify, or “Americanize” them. Fievel, having been separated from his family meets Warren T Rat. A businessman, who swears to find his family, but puts him in sweatshop of child labor. Warren T Rat is a symbol for the corrupt businessmen that thrived off the labor of the poor, and kept them poor with meager wages. But the Mousekewitzs worked hard and made a comfortable life for themselves.

It was a tough time for the poor in America, and rest of the world, but even the hardships the Mousekewitzs faced in America did not dim the passion they had for their newfound freedom. They faced some of the same hardships from their native country, but here in America they were given the chance to do something about. Like most immigrants that came to this country at the time, they did not come here to get rich; they merely wanted a life where they could believe how they wanted without persecution.

Post #9

Turtle Power

I’d be doing my blog an injustice if I didn’t touch on my favorite cartoon the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Ninja turtles were mainstream when I was growing up, and as far as I am concerned their creativity has not bee paralleled since. I believe that it was the creativity and design of the show that was groundbreaking and has not mimicked since.

I think that no one can really deny that The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles it truly creative. A show about mutated turtles that became the size of people and learn ninja from a wise, also mutated, rat Sensei. The mere mention of the name is bound to draw some curiosity. I believe that this is the same sort of appeal that draws people to the show Sponge Bob Square pants. The creativity and unreality of the setting keeps the viewer interested and intrigued, and in tuned to the plot of the show, but that was not the only reason that the show so successful. It was the design that kept the viewer interested. For instance the characters of the turtles was stereotypical to the pop culture that was popular at the time. They used “surfer” language, which was huge during the 80s when it seemed that the California surfers were idolized. No just for their speech, but even their clothes were the popular style. The turtles even had craving a for some good old New York pizza. And anyone that grew up during the 80s can tell you that pizza was its own food group. I know that we all went to the “pizza parties” that were hot at the time, but seldom ever seen today. On top of being “cool” guys however, their defining characteristic was that they were Ninja masters. Anyone that does not believe that the Ninja Turtles did not have a prolific effect on kids needs to be shown the stats on the sudden sprawl of Dojos that can to be during that time. And I believe that the Turtles were solely responsible. Anyone who watched that show later joined a dojo, tried to join a dojo, or wanted to. Every little boy and even some girls wanted to be a Ninja like them.

As I look back on the show I still have an appreciation for the animation. A unique attribute about the show was its detailed animation. The movements were smooth, bold and powerful and the animation was shockingly detailed for an animated series. It seems to possess an anime like appearance, but the movements are not so over exaggerated that they seem completely impossible. To me that makes me feel that they possess an actual Ninja skill rather than some far fetched magic power. I know for me was the sense of improbability in their moves, rather than impossibility, that made me more interested.

The turtles were a groundbreaking show and their popularity is symbolic of that. It was well put together and well targeted to reach the exact audience they were trying to attract. And from their success they profited with movies, action figures, and even a magazine that was advertised after the show. In the life of animation I believe that the concept of the Ninja Turtles has rarely if ever been repeated. It sometimes gets forgotten because the idea seems too strange to be considered animation history. But a show that was so very successful deserves recognition for its contributions.

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Blog #8
Where is Springfield?

I couldn’t write a Blog about animation without talking about the Simpsons. The Simpsons is now one of the longest running shows on television. Going into its 17th season it is by far the longest running animated show, as well as the longest running sitcom, ever on television. With over 365 episodes to date one would think that declining ratings would put this show in a late-night spot. On the contrary, this show can be found on Fox every weekday at 5:30 and 6:30 as well as a new episode every Sunday. I believe it is creativeness coupled with its use of stereotypes of society that give this show the intricate plots and characters that make us laugh and keep us interested.

Coupled in the little town of Springfield there is an array of characters that basically build up a stereotypical framework of our society. There is a corrupt business man, Mr. Burns; a doughnut loving cop; Officer Wigum; An Indian convince store owner; Apu, and many more. Each one of these characters has some sort of over exaggeration that just makes their personalities funny. Actually the only character that is not over exaggerated the African American character Carl. However, Carl is an interesting character in the fact that there is a sense of reverse discrimination towards him. All of the town’s people love him and go far out of their way to see to his well being, so far that it is actually kind of funny. But as much as I love the characters, it is the creativeness of the show that gets me. You never really know what is going to happen next. Take for instance the episodes of “Who shot Mr. Burns.” Mr. Burns gets shot and killed, however later you find out that he is miraculously revived and begins to tell what he remembers about the shooting. The show turns into a multi episode story we the viewers have to try to find the clues to know the guilty party. And in Simpsons fashion, you find out that the killer is actually is the least likely suspect, Maggie the Simpon family baby. Personally one of my favorite things about the show is the mystery of where the town of Springfield is located. Of all the episodes ever produced they never mention where the town is suppose to be located. The writers have made a game out of it, they constantly drop clues about where it is not, and therefore you have to pay close attention and put together all of the clues. One clue I recall is when Principal Skinner is talking about the history of his school he says, “…this school was the best school in Missouri, but then it was dissembled and brought here.” From that you can conclude that it is not in Missouri. I have put together a lot of the clues, and I believe it is in Illinois, but that is open for debate.

The Simpsons was a groundbreaking show when it was first released. But it gained instant popularity. There has never been anything like it before, an animated show where the humor is aimed at adults. We know since then, there have been many shows that have tried to capture that same audience, however, the Simpsons have been the front-runner. There have been some concerns about the future of the show. The creator Matt Groening has talked of retiring, which gave Simpsons fan a huge scare, however Fox has assured the public that they have already signed for 2 more years. And Matt himself has admitted that if he did retire, Americas most loved family will continue its reign over television.

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Blog #7
“Magic Mirror on the wall, who’s really the lamest one of all?”

Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” was a ground breaking film when it was released in 1937. It astounded people with its smooth animation, detailed sconces, and lifelike motion. Only a man like Walt Disney was capable of producing such a film at that time. It was his persistence to detail and commitment to principal that fostered the creation of this film. The animators at Disney must have spent a great amount of time studying the movements of not only the people, but also the animals. This was the first film in this class where the movements of the animals and of the people were not bouncy or over exaggerated. The movements seemed as if they have been recorded from reality. However I believe that the animation in this movie is the only thing that is lifelike. Many of the main characters of Disney are built on social stereotypes, and these stereotypes destroy the uniqueness that gives the characters their appeal.

On our first encounter with Snow White we find her singing in the courtyard of a castle. Who over hears this singing? But of course a prince on a white horse, that comes to her and sings her a love song. Bashful she runs insides, fixes her appearance, and then moves the outside again to be swooned by her new love. She blows him a kiss (through the help of a Dove) and disappears behind her curtains. Later in the movie when Snow White arrives at the seven dwarfs’ she finds the cottage in a completely filthy state, and at that point she decides that maybe if she cooks and cleans they will let her stay. At this point we are nearly halfway into the film and what do we know about Snow White? That she is a beautiful princess that cooks, cleans and keeps house, that’s all. Disney had made no attempt to help further develop her character. Instead they created the mold of a socially stereotyped woman of the 30s. Perhaps Disney did not realize that stereotypes are often used to mock a person, or the group that they represent. What’s even more interesting is the fact that Disney develops secondary characters such as the Dwarfs and even the forest animals. In the case the seven dwarfs each dwarf has a unique and underling quality that helps to define its character. Bashful, Sneezing, and Dopy, to name a few are defined by their very names, and from these attributes we find a little comic relief. But it is also these characters which people like. Their funny traits and even their appearances make us laugh. Because there is nothing interesting about Snow White or the Prince, people are generally not interested in them. They are almost like those people that nobody likes, because they do everything right.

I believe that Snow White was just the beginning of many Disney movies to follow the same path. As I think back to my favorite Disney movies from my childhood, my favorite character was always either crab with a Jamaican accent Sebastian, or swift fox Robin Hood, or the wise cracking genie from Aladdin. These characters developed something that was interesting or funny, not just a boring stereotype. I appreciate Snow White for its impressive animation, as for the main characters; I feel that they leave much to be desired.

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Blog #6
RIP Silent Era

There have been a few occasions in this course so far where I have sat back and realized I was watching a milestone in History. Theses works include the Edward Muybride Series and Gertie the Dinosaur, and now Steamboat Willy. Steamboat Willy is the first to introduce synchronized sound effects to animation.

The addition of sound to animation seems like a simple and obvious concept in our technological world. But as I watched the film I tried to put myself in the time period from which it came. A time where up until then, animation didn’t have any sound that went along with the motion of the film. As I did this I found that I really and truly became fascinated with the film, not just for the sound, but also for the fluid motion and humorously creative storyline. I had put behind me all the standards of today’s animation with the unparallaled sound effects and surround-sound that makes the action even more real, and began to appreciate it as someone would in 1928 when is was released.

I had seen Steamboat Willy before, but I did not enjoy it nearly as I did this time. I suppose that didn’t know enough about the film and the films prior to that to understand the importance of it. Through watching and learning about the creation of animation in this course, I now understand that the fusion of sound and motion was a huge milestone in the life of animation

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Blog #5
War breaks out, and the cartoons enlist.

This week I really noticed a shift in the tone of the animation we viewed in the last class.   The tone shift was from very playful and humorous films to a more serious and patriotic theme.   This theme shift occurs right at the beginning of America's entrance into the Second World War.   Right about the time that American troops were heading to war, popular cartoons were suiting up through the use of propaganda to help war efforts.

The first animated film we view was Popeye, a character that I think anyone conscience to animation recognizes.   The early cartoons were patriotic and funny to help cheer up the public that was now going through the great depression.   But as the country began to arm itself in anticipation of war, you begin to see Popeye's cartoons characterized struggles with Brutus.   Popeye, being humble and moral man, was in a constant struggle with Brutus who was avid kidnapper and thief.   These sorts of struggles were apparent in more cartoons than just Popeye.   Superman, which was starting to be released during the beginning of the war, was a depiction of a patriotic individual triumphing over crooked individuals.   However, Superman was also a character whose very abilities allowed him to overcome any injustice encountered, he was given the strength to right the wrongs of man.   But, these characters not only combating as symbols for American strength, at times they actually showed the characters combating or making fun of the Nazis such as Donald Duck in “Der Fuehrer's Face.” Where Donald Duck is sent to work at a German munitions plant.   After a long day at the plant and saluting Hitler, Donald wakes up to find that it was all a dream and that he is still in the good old USA.

It is tough for someone like me to imagine such a time where it seems that the whole country was at combat.   I grew up in an age where war has become informally declared, and often encounters violent opposition from the public.   And because of this controversy surrounding most wars today, I doubt that we will ever see Mickey Mouse battling Al qaeda, however it is always interesting to relate history to the animation being created at the time.

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Blog #4
Animation; is newer really better?

Prince Achmed was my first exposure to silhouette animation. It sounds like a very easy concept, but the documentary preceding the movie truly showed the intricacies associated with this art form. This movie was the first full length animated movie and a pioneer in the uses of stop motion animation. However, the ironic thing about this movie is that even after almost 80 years of advancement in animation the headlining animation movie the week, Tim Burton’s “The Corpse Bride,” is made with almost the exact same principals.

After the last class I related the fact that the biggest animation movie in theaters right now uses the very same techniques as the first full length animated movie. I decided to do some research to learn maybe why this style of animation is not rendered obsolete even with the huge advances in technology. What I found is that stop motion animation is a very labor intensive task requiring many man hours and a great attention for detail. For example, during the filming of King Kong (1933) the animators shot a scene outside. During the screening of the film shot they realized that during the course of the day a flower was blooming in the background, and when the film was played it showed the flower blooming at an alarmingly fast rate. This rendered the entire day useless. It is for reasons like these that movies now a days are animated with computers. Computers allow a character to be created, animated, and edited with more fluidity than traditional stop motion animation. With all the reasons that computers have rendered this technique obsolete; why is it that stop motion is still used, and preferred, over computer animation in some recent films?

“When computer animation came in, they thought it would be the death of 3-D stop-motion, but it has a particular life of its own,” said Dan McLaughlin, who teaches animation at the University of California at Los Angeles. And I believe this life it has taken is characterized by its lifelike characters that come to life right in front of our very eyes. We see these models that we know are inanimate objects moving and talking in front of our very eyes. The textures and the lighting are all real, and the advancements in film and photography have made the characters even more life like. And the unique movements of the characters often contribute to the intriguing motion that gives rise to the appeal of this type of film. All in all, stop motion animation has found a niche in which all other types of animation fall short. This is one of those few things in this ever changing world where newer doesn’t necessarily mean better.