Active Outline

General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
F/TV D075G
Course Title (CB02)
History of Animation (1900-Present)
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
An international survey of the historical development of the animated film, from its origins to a contemporary art form, with emphasis on the contributions of Fleischer, Disney, Warner Bros., Zegreb, Studio Ghibli, and National Film Board of Canada, as well as many important independent artists; an investigation of the aesthetic, technological, economic, and social factors that contributed to the form; an examination of the value systems reflected in and shaped by works from diverse cultures.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course teaches the international history of animation and satisfies lower-division major preparation. The course meets a general education requirement for °®¶ą´«Ă˝ and CSUGE, and belongs on the Film/TV: Animation AA degree program. The course is CSU transferable.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to CSU only
°®¶ą´«Ă˝ GEArea(s)StatusDetails
2GC1°®¶ą´«Ă˝ GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved
CSU GEArea(s)StatusDetails
CGC1CSU GE Area C1 - ArtsApproved

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Film screenings and facilitated group discussions

In-class essays

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Discussion of assigned readings

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Assignments

  1. Assigned readings
    1. Required textbook
    2. Periodicals, journals, and scholarly articles on Internet sites
    3. Class handouts
  2. Viewing of animated short and feature films
  3. Writing
    1. Written critical analyses (3-5 pages) of outside viewings and application of formal, contextual, and normative standards from lecture and readings. Students will be expected to reference pertinent terms, techniques and artists.
    2. Guided research paper on topics that will help students integrate and think critically about the materials from the course, using primary and secondary materials and proper documentation.
    3. Midterm and final short-essay exams

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Quizzes, midterm and two-hour final examination using a combination of objective and short essay questions to evaluate the student's ability to identify terms, key artists and works and to demonstrate contextual knowledge of social, political and economic upheavals that gave rise to changes in animation form and content. The essay component will require critical thinking and analysis.
  2. Evaluation of student participation in and contribution to classroom discussions and in-class collaborative work based on student's ability to analyze animated films through the application of critical methodologies taught in class.
  3. Demonstration of the student's ability to analyze critically; synthesize course materials; apply key technical, procedural, formal, and contextual elements; and write about animated films using film-specific language and the application of the analytical tools learned in class.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • Lecture room with 16mm film projection equipment in the control room, DVD/Blu-ray deck, laserdisc player and multi-format (PAL-SECAM-NTSC) VHS deck

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Beck, Jerry, ed. "Animation Art: From Pencil to Pixel, the History of Cartoon, Anime & CGI." 2004. eBook. Flame Tree Publishing, 2015.
Bendazzi, Giannalberto. "Animation: A World History: Contemporary Times (Volume 3)." Focal Press, 2016.
Bendazzi, Giannalberto. "Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation." Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1994.
Cavalier, Stephen. "The World History of Animation." Berkeley: UC California Press, 2011.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Barrier, Michael. "Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age." New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Cabarga, Leslie. "The Fleischer Story." Rev. ed. Boston: Da Capo Press, 1988.
Canemaker, John, ed. "Storytelling in Animation: The Art of the Animated Image." Los Angeles: Samuel French Trade, 1988.
Cavallaro, Dani. "Anime and Memory: Aesthetic, Cultural and Thematic Perspectives." McFarland, 2009.
Crafton, Donald. "Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898-1928." Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Finch, Christopher. "The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms and Beyond." New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2011.
Furniss, Maureen. "A New History of Animation." Thames & Hudson, 2016.
Halas, John. "Masters of Animation." Topsfield, MA: Salem House, 1987.
Holloway, Ronald. "Z is for Zagreb." New York: A.S. Barnes, 1972.
Holman, L. Bruce. "Puppet Animation in the Cinema: History and Technique." New York: A.S. Barnes, 1975.
Kitson, Clare. "British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor." Indiana University Press, 2009.
Lehman, Christopher. "The Colored Cartoon: Black Presentation in American Animated Short Films, 1907-1954." University of Massachusetts Press, 2009.
Maltin, Leonard and Jerry Beck. "Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons." Rev ed. New York: Plume, 1987.
Pilling, Jayne. "Animation 2D and Beyond." London: RotoVision, 2001.
Pilling, Jayne, ed. "A Reader in Animation Studies." Ebook ed. John Libbey & Co., 2011.
Pilling, Jayne, ed. "Women and Animation: A Compendium." London: British Film Institute, 1992.
Wiedemann, Julius, ed. "Animation Now!" Taschen, 2004.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Identify, examine, and evaluate the methods of the area study of history of animation within the field or discipline of film history, including the contextual analysis of film as popular culture.
  • Identify, apply, and compare the unique formal properties of animated motion pictures and the aesthetic norms by which they are evaluated.
  • Identify, compare and evaluate the pioneers of animation, their backgrounds, methodology, techniques and lasting contribution to the art.
  • Identify, compare and evaluate the roles of international animators and national cinemas in advancing animation as both art and popular entertainment.
  • Identify, examine, and compare the major developments in computer animation (1970 - present)

CSLOs

  • Identify and describe the development of the animated short film from 19th century pre-cinematic devices to the present, noting its role in international film history.

  • Analyze the formal evolution of the animated short film, including the development of aesthetic elements such as narrative structure, art direction, camera language, sound design and editing styles.

  • Refine and employ critical thinking skills in aesthetic, technological and socio-political contexts to understand animated films produced in various historical eras and geographic regions.

Outline

  1. Identify, examine, and evaluate the methods of the area study of history of animation within the field or discipline of film history, including the contextual analysis of film as popular culture.
    1. Examine the nature of animation
      1. Discuss persistence of vision and what constitutes animation as opposed to live-action film
      2. Examine differences in philosophical and artistic orientations among animators, most notably commercial (gag) animation vs. abstract (free-form) animation
      3. Discuss various paths to animation (vaudeville, puppetry, comic strips, manga)
      4. Analyze the changes that have occurred in animation since 1900, as well as account for aspects of animation that have resisted change
    2. Examine political context: How content and approach were affected by international upheavals
      1. World War 1
      2. Sino-Japanese wars
      3. World War 2 and the Cold War
      4. Vietnam War
    3. Examine social/cultural context: How content and approach were affected by economic conditions and evolving perspectives on race and gender.
      1. Great Depression
      2. Civil Rights Movement
      3. Anti-war Movement and Counterculture
      4. Feminist and LGBTQ movements
  2. Identify, apply, and compare the unique formal properties of animated motion pictures and the aesthetic norms by which they are evaluated.
    1. Evolving terms (cel, pegs, inker) and concepts (stop-motion, pixilation, rotoscoping) manifest in notable works
    2. Enumerate the various raw elements (chalk, pen-and-ink, cut-paper, Puppets) and ever-evolving advances (3-Strip Technicolor, multi-plane animation, CG, motion-capture, Web animation) that constitute the art form
  3. Identify, compare and evaluate the pioneers of animation, their backgrounds, methodology, techniques and lasting contribution to the art.
    1. Earliest practitioners
      1. Discuss and show examples of the work of Blackton (“Enchanted Drawing,” “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces”), Melies (“A Trip to the Moon”), Cohl (“Fantasmagorie”), McCay (“How a Mosquito Operates,” “Gertie the Dinosaur”), Starewicz (“Cameraman’s Revenge”)
      2. Discuss and show examples of Bray-Hurd Process (1917) or cel overlays
    2. Innovations of Disney, Fleischer and Pal
      1. Walt Disney profile: Show and analyze Disney advances in sound (“Steamboat Willie”), 3-strip Technicolor (“Flowers and Trees”), multi-plane camera (“The Old Mill”)
      2. Max and Dave Fleischer profile: Show and analyze Fleischer Studio advances in rotoscoping (“Out of the Inkwell”) and stereoptical processes (Popeye in “Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp”)
      3. George Pal profile: Show and analyze Pal advances in stop-motion (Puppetoons) and replacement animation
    3. Transition from short to long form, gag cartoons to features: the commercial and aesthetic arguments
      1. Show and analyze excerpts from Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937) and “Pinocchio” (1940)
      2. Show and analyze excerpts from Fleischer’s “Gulliver’s Travels” (1939)
      3. Discuss early marketing of cartoon-inspired collectibles, figurines, games
    4. The philosophy behind abstract and free-form animation
      1. Show and analyze Oskar Fischinger’s “Optical Poem” (1937)
      2. Show and analyze excerpts from Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940)
      3. Show and analyze UPA’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1953)
      4. Show and analyze Chuck Jones’s “The Dot and the Line” (1965)
    5. Wartime propaganda and racial stereotyping
      1. Discuss the politics of exclusion and why animated shorts are especially effective in demonizing “the other”
      2. Show and analyze examples of anti-U.S. Japanese and Russian propaganda, such as “Black Cat Hooray!” and “The Millionaire”
      3. Show and analyze Allied propaganda shorts, such as “Tulips Shall Grow,” “Yankee Doodle Mouse,” “Peace on Earth,” Pvt. Snafu shorts, “Superman vs. the Japoteurs,” and Disney’s “Education for Death” and “Der Fuehrer’s Face”
      4. Analyze once-accepted, now-banned 1940s racial stereotyping, such as “Song of the South,” “All This and Rabbit Stew” and “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs”
    6. Post-War American Animation, 1936-1964: Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and Warner Bros.
      1. The anti-Disney studio: anarchic, self-reflexive, more adult Warner cartoons as a reaction to the more sentimental and conventional Disney style
      2. Profiles of “Wise Guys” Jones and Avery and the backstory on Termite Terrace
      3. Show and analyze “A Wild Hare,” “Wabbit Twouble,” “Duck Amuck,” “What’s Opera, Doc,” “One Froggy Evening”
      4. Pioneering armature/stop-motion work of Willis O’Brien and Ray Harryhausen illustrated through excerpts from “Mighty Joe Young” and “7th Voyage of Sinbad”
      5. Cutting Corners: Hanna-Barbera TV shows, limited animation and out-sourcing
    7. Counter-Programming: Independent and adult animation
      1. Because of outsourcing and limited animation, the tools of the trade are made more accessible to independent (non-studio) artists
      2. Hanna-Barbera’s “Huckleberry Hound” and other popular TV series, including “Tom Terrific,” “Mickey Mouse,” “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” and “The Flintstones,” the first prime time animated sitcom
      3. John and Faith Hubley (“Moonbird”) and Will Vinton (“Great Cognito”)
      4. Ralph Bakshi and “Fritz the Cat,” the first X-rated animated feature
      5. Don Bluth (“The Secret of NIMH”) and Brad Bird (“The Iron Giant”)
      6. “The Simpsons” gives rise to a new generation of satirical, adult-oriented TV shows: “South Park,” “Beavis and Butt-head,” “Ren and Stimpy,” among others
  4. Identify, compare and evaluate the roles of international animators and national cinemas in advancing animation as both art and popular entertainment.
    1. International animation, how and why it differs in content and form
      1. A more allegorical approach stemming from literary roots (fables, fairy tales, manga) and strong political bent
      2. Evaluate how government funding of animation works to the artist’s advantage and disadvantage
    2. British, Canadian and Australian animation
      1. Halas and Batchelor’s adaptation of Orwell’s “Animal Farm”
      2. Richard Williams (“Little Island,” credit sequence “Charge of the Light Brigade”)
      3. Pixilation and Canada’s Norman McLaren, including “Begone Dull Care,” “A Little Phantasy on a 19th Century Painting” and “Neighbors”
      4. “The Yellow Submarine” (1968) and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975)
      5. London’s Channel 4 and Aardman plasticine animation
    3. Western Europe: France and Italy
      1. René Laloux’s “Savage Planet” (1973)
      2. The life and satirical works of Italy’s Bruno Bozzetto, illustrating with “Baby Story” and “Life in a Tin” and excerpts from “Allegro Non Troppo”
      3. Sylvain Chomet’s “The Triplets of Belleville” and its limited use of computer animation
      4. The emergence of animation festivals in Stuttgart and Holland
    4. Eastern Europe and Russia
      1. Context: How socialist realism, east-west politics (socialism vs. capitalism), creation of Soviet bloc nations, and 1991 dissolution of Soviet Union influenced form/content
      2. Soyuzmultfilm agitprop, including “Black and White,” “Mr. Twister,” “The Millionaire” and “The Shooting Range”
      3. Yugoslavia’s Zagreb school: criticism of Stalinism cloaked in irony and allegorical storytelling, such as “Ersatz,” “The Ceremony,” “Curiosity” and “The Fly”
      4. Czechoslovakia: Jan Svankmajer’s postmodern claymation shorts “Dimension of Dialogue” and “Death of Stalinism in Bohemia”
    5. Japanese Animation
      1. Context: importance of children’s fables, puppetry, cut-paper and silhouette animation
      2. Popular themes and topics: harmony, generational conflict, fear of nuclear war, technology run amok, pollution and deforestation, pro- and anti-American sentiment stemming from U.S. Occupation
      3. The turn from fairy-tales to manga-influenced science fiction beginning with “Cyborg 009” (1966)
      4. Two Masters: Takahata (“Grave of the Fireflies”) and Otomo (“Akira”)
      5. Hayao Miyazaki, aka “Disney of Japan,” and Studio Ghibli productions, such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away” and “Ponyo”
      6. Impact of Japanese anime on American culture: from Pokémon to Powerpuff Girls to “Matrix” and “Kill Bill, Vol. 1”
  5. Identify, examine, and compare the major developments in computer animation (1970 - present)
    1. Context: Why computer animation?
    2. Define terms: CGI, rendered, morphing, digital imaging, motion capture, 2D and 3D animation
    3. Early experiments in computer animation stemming from the first computer games
      1. “Star Wars,” “Tron,” “The Last Starfighter,” “Young Sherlock Holmes” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
      2. Disney’s “The Black Cauldron” and “The Great Mouse Detective”
      3. Transitional features, such as “The Little Mermaid”
    4. New computer-animation studios and breakthrough films
      1. Pixar partnership with Disney
      2. PDI’s alliance with DreamWorks
      3. John Lasseter and Pixar’s “Luxo Jr.,” “Tin Toy” and “Geri’s Game”
      4. “A Bug’s Life” (Pixar) and “Antz” (PDI)
      5. “Toy Story,” the first fully computer-animated feature, is followed by the increasingly sophisticated ‒ and expensive ‒ “Shrek,” “Wall-E” and “Up”
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