25/10/2014

HOLLYWOOD
ANIMATION

What is Animation?
Definitions according to the Oxford English Dictionary online:
8. orig. Film.
b. The process or technique of filming successive drawings or positions
of puppets or models to create an illusion of movement when the film is
shown as a sequence; a film produced in this way. Later also: the creation
of an appearance of movement from still images by other means,
typically involving a computer (cf. computer animation ); moving images
produced in this way.

According to Paul Wells, author of Understanding

Animation

Animate and other related words are derived from the

latin verb animare which means to give life to.

The artificial creation of the illusion of movement in

inanimate lines and forms.

a film made by hand, frame by frame, providing an

illusion of movement which has not been directly
recorded in the conventional photographic sense. (10)

Typically to describe conventional cel, hand drawn and

model (clay, puppet, etc) animation.

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Why Animation?
With animation, because you can draw anything
and do anything and have the characters do
whatever you want, the tendency is to be very loose
with the boundaries and the rules.
- Matt Groening

Source: http://joericketts.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/animation-timeline/

Early Animation
Flipbooks (16th C) Praxinoscope (1889)

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Types of Animation
Can be broadly categorized into 3 major categories:

1. PIXILATION time lapse or stop-action cinematography

Frame-by-frame animation process in which 3-DIMENSIONAL

OBJECTS (MODELS) are moved between frames, resulting in the
animation of inanimate objects.

Earliest form of projected model animation - 2 kinds:

i. PUPPET ANIMATION (not just puppets but any kind of objects)

ii. CLAY or PLASTICINE ANIMATION (also known as Clay-mation)

i. PUPPET ANIMATION
use of stop motion techniques to achieve the effect of
movement in models, cut-outs or any kind of object.

highly labour intensive

object has to be manipulated and shot frame by frame in

order to created an illusion of movement

object could be re-used at different times in the work

Hollywood uses this method to animate models or giant

movies in fantasy and science-fiction movies. E.g. Gremlins,
Batteries Not Included and Star Wars

ii. Clay-mation
uses the same techniques of stop
motion

generally more difficult

use of clay or plasticine,

characters allows for flexible
features & action can be more
fluid-looking.

objects can melt or

metamorphasize into other
shapes, characters, or objects

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Types of Animation
2. DRAWING (CLASSICAL OR TRADITIONAL ANIMATION)

- traditionally, individual hand drawings that are shot frame by

frame. This has evolved over the years into what is known
today as CEL ANIMATION.

3. COMPUTER ANIMATION

- using computer graphics to animate images whether in 2D

or 3D. This method is more commonly known as the use of
Computer Generated Imagery/Interface (C.G.I).

DRAWING
labour intensive and tedious process that needed a battalion of artists,
technicians and painters.

Story boards are planned and drawn by hand frame by frame.

These drawings were then filmed at 24 frames per second.

To make the process less labour intensive, the cel* animation process
was invented in 1915. This innovation is often attributed to Earl Hurd
and John Bray though the latter was said to have adopted many of
Winsor McCays (father of the animated cartoon) techniques.

*Cel is short for celluloid film which was first used for early cel
animation work. This was later changed to a less flammable material
cellulose acetate film.

Cel Animation
Using a fixed painted background,
layers of cels often containing the
characters or moving parts are
painstakingly photographed frame by
frame.

Using the transparent cels, animators

only needed to concentrate on drawing
individual movements.

However, using too many layers of cels

created problems such as
I. Fogging (blurry background image)
II. Colour differences as the layers of cels
increased.

Hence animators had to make use of

as little cels as possible.

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COMPUTER ANIMATION
C.G.I is a common technique used today to create special effects in films e.g.
Transformers, Harry Potter etc

digitizing stop motion animation - images are digitally scanned, rendered,

inked and stored

allows for more control via the creation of a digital environment where the
manipulation of rendered images can take place through the use of software
that allows for camera, multiplane and 3D imaging effects

this process produces very high quality 2D and 3D images and movements but
made cel animation and the multiplane camera obsolete

The development in computer animation came to be known as now as the

Computer Application/Animation/Assisted Production System (CAPS)

1st traditionally animated film to be entirely produced on computer and 100% digital
feature film of any kind to be produced: The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

DEVELOPMENTS IN
COMPUTER ANIMATION
Computer animation was first given
recognition with Beauty and the Beast
(1991).

combination of hand-drawn art with 3-D CGI
material

first animated film ever to be nominated
for a Best Picture Academy Award

Disney embraced CAPS fully

subsequently in all their works

Toy Story (1995) became the first fully

computer generated feature film

Developments in
Hollywood Animation

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EARLY ANIMATION IN
HOLLYWOOD
Windsor McCay

Little Nemo in Slumberland (1911)

The Story of a Mosquito (1912)
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)

Influenced Earl Hurd and John Bray,

who invented cel animation

1920s - Felix the Cat

Otto Messer and Pat Sullivan

comic strip and the animated

shorts were very popular -
cultural icon in animation
history

lost his popularity to Disneys

Mickey Mouse with the arrival
of sound

1930s - 50s
The Golden Age of Animation
4 studios dominated the animation
i. FLEISCHER BROTHERS (distributed by PARAMOUNT)
ii. WALT DISNEY STUDIO (distributed by United Artists, then RKO, then
finally Buena Vista)
iii. WARNER BROS. STUDIO
iv. MGM (Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer)

cartoons were distributed as part of packages, along with newsreels,

shorts, etc.
Animators considered relatively unimportant so animators were pretty much
left to do what they wanted

Variety of animation styles, content and subject matter were

produced by these studios.
Disney was the only one that made animated feature films
The rest differentiated themselves by making shorts or doing what Disney
avoided.

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FLEISCHER BROTHERS STUDIO

founded and headed by Max Fleischer.
Together with Dave, Joe & Lou
Fleischer, created Betty Boop, Popeye
and the Superman cartoon series

emphasized fantasy and artificiality

Invented the bouncing ball lyrics sing

a-long

hindered by the Production Code of 1934

- Betty Boops risqu nature

invented 2 important processes

rotoscope & stereoptics

Paramount took over in WWII & the

Fleischer brothers left

ROTOSCOPE
A machine that allows for live-action footage to be traced onto celluloid, and
then photographed as part of the cel animation process creating extremely
life-like movement and images.

STEREOPTICAL PROCESS
cel mounted in front of a miniature 3D set where the character can
be manipulated for the narrative

much greater depth though characters were still flat

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WALT DISNEY STUDIO

Founded by Walt and Roy Disney on 16th October 1923.

Pioneered feature length animation pieces and built on the aesthetics of

Ub Iwerks

Differentiation from the Fleischer Brothers by embracing narrative story

telling and editing

Perfected the business & craft of animation begun by the Fleischers

Increased the assembly-line aspect of production; division of
labour (thought of animation as an industry)

Employed many labour & time saving practices (storyboards,

professional art classes for staff, pencil-test & detailed analyses of
the key characters)

Perfected the rotoscope & developed new innovations that

transformed the Disney product as well as animation in Hollywood

Mickey Mouse and Sound

Disney left behind the surrealist
tendencies of Felix the cat

first seen in a couple of silent

test screenings: Plane Crazy
(May 1928), Gallopin Gaucho
(August 1928)

Steamboat Willie (1928) the

first synchronised sound
cartoon.

was supposed to be Mortimer

Mouse, a character that will
replace the earlier cartoon
character Oswald the Lucky
Rabbit.

Mickey Mouse
Started out as an antihero figure but had to gradually change
his behaviour due to his star status (Mickey Mouse club had 1 million
members by 1932, so he had to be a role model)
this made him boring and cartoons started losing popularity

Became symbolic of everyman like Charlie Chaplin

Donald and Goofy were introduced as a result to cause

mayhem and increase the variety of comic situations

Walt Disney received an honorary Academy Award for the

creation of Mickey Mouse in 1932.

Mickey Mouse merchandising earned Walt Disney millions.

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Other Successes at the Disney Studio

Innovations in:

Music

Technicolour

Multiplane camera

Music in Silly Symphonies

matching movement to music
and not the other way around

no continuing characters

The Skeleton Dance (1921)

The Three Little Pigs (1933)

led to Disneys ingenious use

of sound in its animated
features that contained
elements of an integrated
musical

Technicolour in Silly Symphonies

Used Technicolours 3 colour
process in Flowers and Trees
(Oscar for Animated Short
Subject)

Silly Symphonies would

exclusively use Technicolour but
character cartoons only used
colour 3 years later

Colour was very important to their

success; Disney was first to
realise that colour need not be
realistic in animated films.

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Multiplane Camera in Silly Symphonies

The Old Mill (1937) introduced the use of the multiplane
camera

a special motion picture camera that moves a number of pieces of

artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances
from one another (a three dimensional effect).

Various parts of the artwork layers are left transparent, to allow layers
to be seen behind them.

Movements are calculated and photographed frame by frame, with

the result being an illusion of depth by having several layers of artwork
moving at differing speeds the further away from the camera, the
slower the speed.

Consolidating Innovations
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1938)
Disneys first feature film

Represented the culmination of style, technique and narration

(multiplane camera allowed for background and foreground to move in
opposite directions, creating rotations)

Able to create realistic 3 dimensional images

Created a sense of realism

Conformed to the CHC model in style and narration (based on the

conventions of integrated musicals)

Tremendous success (US $8+ million worldwide) -> made it a formula:

Films based on fairy tales, told via typical classical Hollywood film
style and narrative; follow the integrated musical style; built for
merchandising

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FANTASIA (1940) and

Disneys rejection of Art Animation
Fantasia was Disneys 3rd
animated feature

experimented with the artistic side

of animation especially that of the
artists representation of music

tried to deviate from the Classical

Disney animation style but
received criticisms

Financial flop and hence Disney

abandoned all attempts at making
art

WARNER BROS. STUDIO

Differentiated from Disney: self awareness (knowing
winking of eyes), clever social satires with sexual
innuendo, lampooning of classical Disney, violence and
subverting authority

animators were rejects of Disney

Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Frank Tashlin: made adult

cartoons with slapstick features to appeal to children and
often critiqued Disneys modes of story telling and
sentimentality.

Success made it a major contender to Disney.

Important creations at Warner Bros

Merrie Melodies, Looney Tunes, Tiny Toons
Adventures, Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated
Series, Superman: The Animated Series

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MGM Cartoon Studio

(became MGM Animation later on)
Created plenty of good & popular
animation at the end of the Golden
Age

Tom & Jerry series was created by

William Hanna & Joseph Barbera in
the 1940s

Tex Avery and Chuck Jones left

Warner Bros & joined MGM in 1941

Droopy, Barney the Bear, Spike and

Tyke

William Hanna & Joseph Barbera in

1957 started their own studio and
produced for television

1950s-80s Rise of Television &

End of Golden Age
End of the Golden Age arrived due to the PARAMOUNT CASE and
end of block booking.
removal of studios system of vertical integration and oligopoly
feature films were offered individually; cartoons that were
previously packaged together with these films were no longer
seen as necessary

RISING COSTS of producing high quality animation especially after

WWII
studios were forced to simply drawings, reduce depth, detail, &
action while increasing dialogue

Popularity of TV affected cinema attendance and decreased demand

for animated shorts in cinemas

Impact on Walt Disney Studio

Shifted focus to live action and TV Disney started to make more
family friendly live action movies instead such as Treasure Island
(1950) & 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (1953)

Concentrated on their TV show The Wonderful World of Walt Disney

Focused on theme parks Disneyland & later on Disneyworld

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Hanna - Barbera
(later on Cartoon Network)

H&B dominated American television

animation for four decades becoming
the major player in animation for TV

Top Cat, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones,

The Jetsons, Huckleberry Hound,
Scooby Doo and The Smurfs

Used the limited animation style for

its visuals to economize and produce
more efficiently

Turner Broadcasting bought over the

company and ran its programs over its
channel called Cartoon Network in
1992. Classic H&B cartoons were
mainly shown, reviving interest in
H&Bs work

The Simpsons
Began 17th December 1989 by Matt
Groening under Fox Broadcasting Company

Satirizes the American middle class -

parodies and references to current issues or
popular culture icons

26 seasons, 555 episodes and a movie in

2007.

appealed more to adults and teenagers than

children.

listed as one of the greatest TV shows /

cartoons of all time

like Mickey Mouse, has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Revival in the late 80s -90s

Two important films marked the revival of, and ushered in the modern
era of the animated feature film, consolidating once again Disneys
position as the leader in this field

1988 1989

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Bluth Sullivan Studios

Don Bluth, John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman and 8 other Disney
animators left to setup their own studio with Morris Sullivan in 1985.

Tired of Disneys bureaucracy and factory style of producing

animation, these animators struck out on their own under the
leadership of Don Bluth but churned out Disney tradition films.

The Secret of NIMH (1982), An American Tail (1986) and The Land
Before Time (1988).

The Land Before Time seen as a reworking of Bambi (1941)

Bluths nostalgia of Disneys Golden Age - use of Disneys formula

of employing music and sentimental narratives.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Following Bluths success, the interest in the animated musical
revived (nostalgia for the Golden Age) and The Little Mermaid
marked Disneys return to the forefront in animation with an
onslaught of similar films in the 1990s.

Reasons for success:

Stuck to CHC model and use of integrated musical conventions
Retained elements of earlier films like the sidekick, romance, OST,
merchandising
Stars voiced the characters and songs were sung by famous pop artistes
(capitalizing on celebrity/star power)

Dreamworks Animation SKG

founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey
Katzenberg and David Geffen, hence (SKG).

main competitor to Disneys Pixar today

uses a variety of styles including claymation

Chicken Run (2000) & Wallace and Gromit:
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

higly self reflexive in their narratives

examplified by Shrek, and like the Warner
Bros, had more adult oriented themes and
jokes

however, Disney remains the dominant model

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PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS

estb in 1979 as part of the computer division of Lucasfilm that
became independent in 1986 (funded by Steve Jobs)

developed C.G. tech RenderMan - enables 3D scenes to be

turned into photorealistic images

core product: Pixar Image Computer (high end computer

hardware meant for medical and government agencies)

Disney bought the above and using Pixars custom software,

engaged in its secretive CAPS project to automate traditional
2D animation

often in debt and bailed out by Steve Jobs

Toy Story was part of a 3 picture deal signed

with Disney and became huge commercial
success

Showed the possibility and viability of computer

generated animation

Heralded the age of computer generated

animation in animated films; CGI replaced
traditional animation as the standard process for
making films

Disney bought Pixar for $7.6 billion in 2006

Steve Jobs the largest shareholder in Disney
board of directors

Conclusion
Disney effectively colonised the field of animation by
creating an ethos which embraced and defined the
machine age in regard to its creative output and its
industrial standing - Paul Wells

The evolution of form, style and subject matter has taught

us to tolerate and expect the fantastic

Different expectations have been tied to the different

animation studios often seeking to differentiate itself from
Disney

TV has also challenged and created a different sort of

animation narrative style from the animated feature film

Disney is the model and current benchmark that even

Warners The Lego Movie seems to be replicating some of
its styles and conventions

Tendency towards realism via CHC and bears similarity to

live-action films

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Film Response
1. Identify one element of film style that Toy Story has used to
create a sense of "reality" for its audience, enabling us to
identify with and believe what we are watching. This element
should be an aspect of mise-en-scene, cinematography,
editing or sound.

2. Explain HOW the element you've identified above creates a

sense of "reality" in the film.

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