Animation

Culture Matters in Animation, But Not As Much As You Might Think

1 Comment / Analysis /

Animation is a cultural thing, and like anything related to culture, there is national delineations and boundaries. For example, American animation is very, well, American. Canadaian animation is distinctly Canadian. Irish animation probably isn’t really coming from anywhere other than Ireland. And so on. However, the country of an animation’s origin is not the be all and end all of what it means to be animated.

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Culture Matters in Animation, But Not As Much As You Might ThinkRead More »

Culture Matters in Animation, But Not As Much As You Might Think Read More »

Why do you Animate?

2 Comments / Questions /

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In a brief, but all too painful and to-the-point post over on Tumblr, Keith Lango lays out what it means to create animation for mass consumption. It’s an eye-opener but one that could be said to be necessary for many people working in the industry. The bottom line:

Audiences. Do. Not. Care. About. “Quality”. Animation.

It almost hurts to read but it is absolutely something you should if you want to confront a lot of truths about the animation industry as we know it today.

Of course, why should audiences care. They don’t particularly care about how live-action is made because despite their thirst for making-of extras on DVDs, they remain quite ignorant of what really makes films happen. Why should animation be any different?

Why do you Animate? Read More »

Using The Croods to Explore Necessary Changes In Key Art

Analysis /

Marketing and promotional art is a key piece of the entertainment puzzle and has been a feature of the promotion business since long before film. Film posters are an art in and of themselves, but as Bill Cunningham points out in a guest post over at Truly Free Film, they haven’t kept up with the times.

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Using The Croods to Explore Necessary Changes In Key ArtRead More »

Using The Croods to Explore Necessary Changes In Key Art Read More »

Why Do Female Characters ‘Have’ To Look Feminine?

2 Comments / Questions /

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.

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Why Do Female Characters ‘Have’ To Look Feminine?Read More »

Why Do Female Characters ‘Have’ To Look Feminine? Read More »

WAKFU: Using Kickstarter Wisely

2 Comments / Business Models /

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.

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WAKFU: Using Kickstarter WiselyRead More »

WAKFU: Using Kickstarter Wisely Read More »

Why Is Animation Like Software?

Business Models /

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.

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Why Is Animation Like Software?Read More »

Why Is Animation Like Software? Read More »

Why is Mickey Mouse More Popular Than Bugs Bunny?

18 Comments / Questions /

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?

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Why is Mickey Mouse More Popular Than Bugs Bunny?Read More »

Why is Mickey Mouse More Popular Than Bugs Bunny? Read More »

Let’s Talk About Oishi High School Battle

9 Comments / Opinion /

Running on the Smosh MNC (multi-channel network) on YouTube, this live-action/animation hybrid has returned for a second season after a successful initial one (2 million+ views). So why does Oishi High School Battle seem like the kind of animation that could actually be a hindrance to the broader commercial success of online animation?

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Let’s Talk About Oishi High School BattleRead More »

Let’s Talk About Oishi High School Battle Read More »

Can You Engineer An Animated Film?

Questions /

Engineers are a funny bunch; it takes one to know one. They operate in a peculiar way, often envisioning something that is perceptible only to them. They also tend to love the art of engineering, and it’s way of solving problems using logical hypotheses and rational guesses. If it sounds boring, it kind of is; all forms of engineering operate at a slow pace. Given that an animated film is a problem of sorts, is it therefore possible to engineer it to succeed?

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Can You Engineer An Animated Film?Read More »

Can You Engineer An Animated Film? Read More »