Anime changes the face of animation: Blog 10
I really agree with the reading by Luca Raffaeli on that the characters in anime are so much more relatable. They have in-depth personalities and one can become very attached to them. The reading talked about how Disney follows clear cut rules and always has a happy ending. Though they try for realism they always have a routine plot. It also talked about the lack of a father figure in Disney and how a lot the kids in anime are orphans. Anime is about overcoming hardship, believing in yourself, and hanging on.
I have to say I’m a huge anime fan and I’ve seen many different series. I started out watching Tenchi Muyo on cartoon network and ever since then I can’t get enough. The reading by Brian Ruh talked about the growth of anime especially in the United States. I really liked seeing how it developed with Astro Boy. One thing it talked about was censorship. I’ve noticed this in a lot of series like One Piece and Sailor Moon. In Sailor Moon there is lesbian couple which is completely censored out. I also knew a lot of the things in Pokemon were censored. It’s really not the same story. I started watching One Piece when it first aired but it was so heavily edited that I stopped. Adult Swim and other networks like Funimation or so much better so I mainly watch anime from there.
Now that I think about it a lot of series I watch do have orphaned protagonists or the parents seem to be nonexistent. In Full Metal Alchemist, Edward’s father left him and his mother died. In Higurashi, the main character finds himself in this twisted town. He is fighting for his life and even though his parents are there they don’t know what’s going on and don’t try to help him. I believe anime shows so much more emotion than Disney and Raffaeli nailed that it’s mostly about struggle. There are exceptions like in Death Note. The protagonist Light is a serial killer. His father is a police chief and influential in his life while is mother is caring. The series follows Light as he becomes more and more twisted. The audience may even grow to hate him. Things for Light also turn out tragic.
Here’s a link to part of a Death Note episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4soWFqvJTCs
Magen Thornhill
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Stop motion
Here is my stop motion project. It is a my little pony going up in a balloon.
Magen Thornhill
Magen Thornhill
Friday, March 19, 2010
Animating the Boob-Tube Blog 9
Animating the Boob-Tube Blog 9
This week’s reading deals with how animation grew. I especially liked the article on Ren & Stimpy. I remember watching it when I was a kid although I didn’t it like too much since I thought it was kind of gross. Although now I love it since it really stands out from the norm. The article talked about the show being geared to children and adults which I already knew. This goes with a lot of shows such as Rugrats. I also knew that some of Ren & Stimpy had been edited. I am kind of surprised Nickelodeon agreed to show it in the first place due to a lot of the humor. I can really see why it was so popular among young adults and did so well on MTV. The article also talked about fan culture or animatophilia. It kind of reminded me of the whole anime fan base.
I don’t agree with the only main animation American audiences know is humor. There is a lot of drama in series such X-men, Teen Titans, Gargoyles, and Aeon Flux. Anime is a very good example of in depth story lines and characters. I wish American cartoons would take more elements from anime.
The other article talked mostly about Gumby. It was interesting to learn about Gumby’s creator since I never thought about him before. The characters always did seem simplistic to me in looks and personality. I understand now why the creator wanted it this way. I also liked reading of how children’s television spread and how The Mickey Mouse Club led to this. There are a lot of kids so it’s a large market and it’s hard to imagine when kids didn’t have toys of their favorite cartoon characters. Furniss’s chapter seven goes more into what the articles covered. Since it’s mainly about the appeal of animation and its history on TV.
For last week’s lecture I liked the experimental section a lot better than I thought I would. The music video for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds felt very surreal and was very well done. I never knew about Oskar Fischinger but he did some things that were very revolutionary. I liked his Fantasia piece but he had other work just as inspiring. A lot of the experimentals felt psychedelic and I could see a connection with forms and shapes in experimental over the years. I especially liked the last segment we watched in class with the digital media. It was so colorful and had kind of a magical feeling.
Magen Thornhill
This week’s reading deals with how animation grew. I especially liked the article on Ren & Stimpy. I remember watching it when I was a kid although I didn’t it like too much since I thought it was kind of gross. Although now I love it since it really stands out from the norm. The article talked about the show being geared to children and adults which I already knew. This goes with a lot of shows such as Rugrats. I also knew that some of Ren & Stimpy had been edited. I am kind of surprised Nickelodeon agreed to show it in the first place due to a lot of the humor. I can really see why it was so popular among young adults and did so well on MTV. The article also talked about fan culture or animatophilia. It kind of reminded me of the whole anime fan base.
I don’t agree with the only main animation American audiences know is humor. There is a lot of drama in series such X-men, Teen Titans, Gargoyles, and Aeon Flux. Anime is a very good example of in depth story lines and characters. I wish American cartoons would take more elements from anime.
The other article talked mostly about Gumby. It was interesting to learn about Gumby’s creator since I never thought about him before. The characters always did seem simplistic to me in looks and personality. I understand now why the creator wanted it this way. I also liked reading of how children’s television spread and how The Mickey Mouse Club led to this. There are a lot of kids so it’s a large market and it’s hard to imagine when kids didn’t have toys of their favorite cartoon characters. Furniss’s chapter seven goes more into what the articles covered. Since it’s mainly about the appeal of animation and its history on TV.
For last week’s lecture I liked the experimental section a lot better than I thought I would. The music video for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds felt very surreal and was very well done. I never knew about Oskar Fischinger but he did some things that were very revolutionary. I liked his Fantasia piece but he had other work just as inspiring. A lot of the experimentals felt psychedelic and I could see a connection with forms and shapes in experimental over the years. I especially liked the last segment we watched in class with the digital media. It was so colorful and had kind of a magical feeling.
Magen Thornhill
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Disneyfication of Animation Blog 8
Blog 8
I always liked reading about Disney since there are so many takes on it. As mentioned in class I also grew up with it. It’s really interesting to think where Disney obtains its stories. If you count their major motion pictures such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Hercules, and The Princes and Frog, they all come from legends and folktales. Also if you think about it the female characters are usually the protagonists. Although with some exceptions such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Hercules.
I feel for the most part Disney does a good job of showing the female character’s point of view. Alice goes on an adventure in Alice in Wonderland, Belle dreams of getting away from her small town life in Beauty and the Beast, Ariel explores sunken ships in The Little Mermaid, and Mulan goes to war in Mulan.
The Lion King also resembles Kimba the White Lion. The names are very similar as well as the plot line. For instance both lion cubs lose their fathers and hesitate with becoming king. This link compares them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0nnCTlcIM
Art in Motion talked some about censorship and promotional strategies. I think Disney’s done a fairly good job of staying family orientated although they may have jokes that go over the kids heads. They also market themselves to the point where I get tired of seeing so many adds and previews. Although, it would be hard to imagine Disney not being apart of my life.
Magen Thornhill
I always liked reading about Disney since there are so many takes on it. As mentioned in class I also grew up with it. It’s really interesting to think where Disney obtains its stories. If you count their major motion pictures such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Hercules, and The Princes and Frog, they all come from legends and folktales. Also if you think about it the female characters are usually the protagonists. Although with some exceptions such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Hercules.
I feel for the most part Disney does a good job of showing the female character’s point of view. Alice goes on an adventure in Alice in Wonderland, Belle dreams of getting away from her small town life in Beauty and the Beast, Ariel explores sunken ships in The Little Mermaid, and Mulan goes to war in Mulan.
The Lion King also resembles Kimba the White Lion. The names are very similar as well as the plot line. For instance both lion cubs lose their fathers and hesitate with becoming king. This link compares them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0nnCTlcIM
Art in Motion talked some about censorship and promotional strategies. I think Disney’s done a fairly good job of staying family orientated although they may have jokes that go over the kids heads. They also market themselves to the point where I get tired of seeing so many adds and previews. Although, it would be hard to imagine Disney not being apart of my life.
Magen Thornhill
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