Module description:

Animation has always been an integral part of the cinematic experience and remains to this day an important form of expression and artistry.

This module aims to provide the students with an in-depth understanding of the history and evolution of this form of filmmaking by discussing the trajectory of its technological developments, its relationship with “live action” cinema and sequential art, and its most important trends and traditions.

During the module, the students will watch and discuss examples of animation coming from global cinematic industries and cultures. Through the close analysis of films by famous and more unfamiliar directors alike, we will see how animation visualises fantasy and challenges our concept of reality and mimesis.

 

 

Aims and learning outcomes:

 

The module will provide the students with a range of analytical tools with which to approach Film Studies in general and Animation Studies in particular. It will provide solid insights into the history and critical issues connected with animation cinema. Its diverse focus will range from well-known examples of Western and Japanese animation to less famous works and directors thus giving the students a wider perspective on the diversity and global appeal of animation cinema.

 

By the end of the module, students should have gained the following learning outcomes:

Understanding of the history and development of animation cinema
	Understanding of key theories in the field of animation studies
	Knowledge of a range of international production studios and directors
	Knowledge of subject specific intellectual and research skills
Ability to place animation cinema within the wider context of cinema history and theory

 

Provisional Bibliography

 

Denison, Rayna. Anime: A Critical Introduction, Bloomsbury, London, 2015

Dobson, Nichola. Animation Studies Reader, New York, Bloomsbury, 2018

Furniss, Maureen. Animation: The Global History, Thames & Hudson, London, 2017

Napier, Susan. Anime: From Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle, New York, Palgrave McMillan, 2005

Paik, Karen. To Infinity and Beyond!, San Francisco, Chronicle Books, 2007

Pallant, Chris. Animation: Critical and Primary Sources, Bloomsbury Academic, New York, 2021

Pilling, Jayne. A Reader in Animation Studies, London, Society of Animation Studies, 1997

Priebe, Ken. Art of Stop Motion Animation, Boston, Cengage, 2006

Selby, Andrew. Animation, Laurence King, 2013

Wells, Paul. Understanding Animation, New York, Routledge, 1998

Wells, Paul. The Fundamentals of Animation, Lausanne, AVA, 2006

 

Provisional Filmography (subject to availability)

 

Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, Japan, 1988)

Felidae (Michael Schaack, Germany, 1994)

Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, Japan, 1995)

Howl’s Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2004)

Kirikou et la sorciere (Michel Ocelot, France, 1999)

Inside Out (Pete Doctor, USA, 2015)

Les Triplettes de Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, France, 2013)

L’illusioniste (Sylvain Chomet, France, 2010)

Mark of Uru (Obinna Onwuekwe, Nigeria, 2009)

Ne Zha (Yu Yang, China, 2019)

Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, France, 2006)

Princess Mononoke (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 1997)

Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2001)

Steamboy (Katsuhiro Otomo, Japan, 2004)

Strings (Anders Rønnow Klarlund, Denmark, 2005)

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, Germany, 1926)

The Incredibles (Brand Bird, USA, 2004)

The Red Turtle (Michaël Dudok de Wit, Belgium, 2016)

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (Isao Takahata, Japan, 2015)

Your Name (Makoto Shinkai, Japan, 2016)

 