Class Discussion question:
“•Kristin Thompson asserts that Hollywood realist conception of cel animation developed partly as a defense ‘against the disruptive properties of animation’ (p. 108). This trivializing of animation and adoption of the language of cinema made it palatable and recognisable to a classical Hollywood cinema audience.
•What properties does animation have that could potentially make it disruptive? What can animation do that live action cinema cannot? Make a list.
•How did cartoons such as Duck Amuck (Dir. Chuck Jones, 1953) http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ofats differ from/or diverge from Disney realism and classical Hollywood cinema. Make a list. Consider things such as aesthetics, the sound, the performance of the characters, the style of animation and the ideology.”
——– From Week 7 powerpoint
I think the answer to this question should first start from the 12 rules of animation, animation has offsetting, aniticipation, overlapping, exaggerated deformation, and in most cases do not conform to the reality of the mechanics of imagination, based on the real but higher than the real. This is a valuable characteristic that I think animation has but movies do not.
I think Hotel Transylvania is a good example to compare to Disney animation.
The characters in Hotel Transylvania, especially Dracula, are more cartoonish and exaggerated. The character’s facial expressions, range of motion, and body shape are often exaggerated and distorted.
Moreover, Hotel Transylvania does not strictly follow the scale and structure of animals or humans in the real world, but uses geometric shapes to abstract and simplify the appearance of the characters.
This design approach makes the characters more distinct and expressive. For example, Dracula’s design, his body is often composed of simple geometric figures, such as a round head, triangular shoulders, straight limbs, etc. These designs make the role more cartoonish features, can visually quickly convey Dracula’s tall, thin, majestic.
Disney’s character designs usually go for a more natural look, trying to make the characters look like actual animals or people. Like Simba in The Lion King.
The animal designs in Hotel Transylvania are also like this, for example, this sheep is combined with some exaggerated shapes.
However, the animal character design of Disney animation is still restored in accordance with the real animal, although some cartoon stylization is done, but there is no bold deformation of shape. For example, Bambi’s fawn character maintains the basic physical characteristics of a deer.
Compared to Bambi, animated films like Hotel Transylvania use geometric shapes and exaggerated body movements more boldly, breaking the physical laws of the real world. For example, the animal characters in Hotel Transylvania like sheep are often designed with the basic characteristics of the animal highly simplified, and through exaggerated deformation to create expressive and humorous images.
I think the following animated works are different from the classic Disney style:
- Hotel Transylvania
- Ice Age
- Kung Fu Panda
- Helluva Boss