Female characters often have a tough time with variety. While there is plenty of debate and discussion surrounding the prevalence of stereotypes that send poor messages to viewers, there is something else that is completely overlooked. Dave Pressler ponders the interesting question of why female characters are often forced too look feminine by executives.
This is sort of a question to readers as opposed to a post, but is the animation industry being held back by existing, established, players? Consider the car industry and the fact that it wasn’t a manufacturer that made the biggest breakthrough in driverless cars, it was Google.
Is animation similarly hamstrung by studios already in business? Will real innovation come from outside it?
It’s tricky to say because even so-called innovative studios and internet efforts still rely on talent and their ideas/notions that are solidly rooted in the existing industry.
In other words, where is the animation ‘disrupter’?
Kickstarter is a service that continues to enjoy a lot of popularity among filmmakers and entertainers. One of the main reasons that people turn to Kickstarter is to help fun the actual content. That carries a certain amount of risk though, so it’s always good to see someone using Kickstarter to fund something other than the animation, like what WAKFU is aiming to achieve.
Software seems like a funny thing to compare animation to, doesn’t it? After all, one is mostly recreational and the other is, well, mostly utilitarian. Yet there are many common traits between the two, especially now that both are expected to be given away for free. Thankfully, someone has already figured out a way to make money from software.
There was a post scheduled for today, but in light of the news of the passing of New York animator Michael Sporn, I would instead, encourage you to visit and explore his blog, the Splog; theworld’s finest animation blog that has sadly come to an all-too-early end.
Over at The Architizer, Zachery Edelson has taken a thorough and in-depth look at the architecture within the Pixar film The Incredibles. It’s a fascinating read for anyone with even a passing interest in either the film or architecture. yet it highlights an astonishing attention to detail that the filmmakers when the filmmakers could have gotten away with a lot less.
Baiting title aside, Mickey Mouse really is more popular than Bugs Bunny. He sells a lot more merchandise, appears in far more places around the world and is lauded as a mascot for the company that operates ‘The Happiest Place on Earth.’ Bugs never even got such opportunities and yet as a character, he is far superior to Mickey. Why is that?
Adventure Time; a show famous for it’s awesome lead characters and bros for life, Finn and Jake but also for it’s great supporting cast of diverse female characters. Princess Bubblegum (Peebles), Marceline the Vampire Queen, and countless other princesses from the magical Land of Ooo. Yet McDonalds thinks that only boys deserve the show’s toys in their Happy Meals. What gives?
Bronies and Bronyism has long solidified itself into the broader cultural consciousness as a phenomenon with a lot of positive, inclusive qualities that have also been a contributing factor in the success of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. But has the fandom of Bronies ruined the enjoyment of the show for others and could a similar phenomenon have negative connotations for a different show?
Last week, I announced that the Week Links series of posts I publish would be moving to an email subscription platform. The reason is simple, an email newsletter is easier to put together than a blog post and I feel it suits readers better insofar as they don’t have to visit the blog to read it. That said, here’s a few reasons why you should add your email address to the list:
It’s All About Animation!
As far as I can tell (and goodness knows I’ve looked), there isn’t anyone out there compiling animation news and features into a concise list. Sure you can visit the larger animation websites, but you have to visit them all and filter through the commentary to boot.
This list presents the links and only the links. You come to your own conclusions!
It’s About More Than Animation
Rehashing links from the same sources covering similar topics over and over doesn’t make much sense, especially if you read those sites on a regular basis anyway. Instead, by subscribing to this list, you will get news and features that will impact the animation industry that you won’t find at the usual sources.
In Your Inbox Only Once A Week
I hate daily emails; all except one that is. That’s why RSS was invented and it’s what I tend to use instead of the deluge of daily updates. The Recommended Reading list will instead arrive once a week and only once a week. This stops you from getting annoyed and also ensures that you’re getting only the best articles; no filler junk.
Subscribing is Simple!
Put your email in the box below and confirm. No fuss, no muss.
