Chapter Citation

Copeland, Gary A. "Animated Television: The Narrative Cartoon." In Television: Critical Methods and Applications, Pages 325-361. 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 2007.

Chapter Notes

Animation was in essence first distributed in the late 1920’s by engineers of RCA and NBC transmitting a signal of a wooden doll of Felix the cat.

In animation, a camera records the movement of many different sheets or Cels in a flip book style, creating the illusion of movement of the actual drawings.

In 1914 the celluloid was patented by Earl Hurd. The idea behind the Celluloid, or cel, was that an animator could create a single background, and using the cels as an overlay, only redraw that which moved, saving both time and money. The use of this technology was heavily monitored by Hurd, as he created a fee for any other animators wishing to use his new technique.

Steamboat Willie solidified the position of Mickey Mouse as an iconic figure, solidified Disney’s Position as the reigning king of animation, and finally the animation set the standard for any following animations with film.

There are two major schools of thought as far as the aesthetic design of cartoons; Abstract which glorifies outside of the box thinking and art, and Naturalist, which was more set on creating as realistic a cartoon as possible.

The use of film with sound revolutionized the field and the standards that had been set into place previously.

Technicolor employed mixing three colored dyes to record and ultimately broadcast in color. Disney snatched the chance to dominate the market, and created an exclusive contract to be the only studio to use this technique for three years. After the three years were up, almost everyone else also used Technicolor.

The rotoscope was a machine that allowed more realism in animation. A single frame from a live action film was projected onto a light table, and the animator would place pieces of paper on the light table and traces the image of the live action film.

Abstract animators used limited animation. In limited animation, the amount of animated material is cut even shorter. Rather than just redrawing every cel for every scene, the abstract artist re-used the same cels for different situations. An example would be of a talking moment. Rather than redraw, every time a character talks, the same set of cels would be used. This cut the financial cost of creating cartoons by quite a bit, and helped with time constraints.

Technology’s largest leap was that of Computer Generated Imagery, or CGI. CGI allows animators to use computers to create even more lifelike characters, more amazing backgrounds, and even more astounding visual effects, such as the light cycle race in TRON.

One final note that is quite interesting, Many adults have found their niche in shows like space ghost and family guy, which have an unfiltered adult nature. The rise in popularity of these types of shows is so large, that Cartoon Network has actually put aside a specific block of late night t.v. Aptly named ‘Adult Swim’, specifically to house these rather rambunctious shows.

Key Terms:

Celluloid
Naturalism
Abstract
Technicolor
Rotoscope
Flattened Perspective
Abstract Backgrounds
Linear Perspective
Primary Colors
Saturated
Well-Defined Outlines
Limited Animation
Full Animation
Broadcast Standards and Practices
Computer Generated Imagery
Keyframe
Tweening
Onion-Skins
Wireframe
Motion-Capture
Rendering

Relevance to the Course Outcomes

1.Describe the functions and artistic responsibilities of each of the major members of a television crew. (1. Television Crew)
Discussion of the importance of the animators and their art being translated to story.

2.Describe and apply principles of aesthetics used in the critical analysis of a television show.(2. Aesthetics)
Discuss the different aesthetics seen in the different styles of animation (naturalism and abstract) and which is more aesthetically pleasing

3.Identify the technical elements of a TV show and explain how those elements are used to stimulate different emotional responses from the audience and to illuminate the lives of the characters. (3. Technical Elements)
Discuss the different technologies that have been introduced because of and to help push forward animation

4.Describe the characteristics of live drama, vaudeville, radio, and movies as sources of material in early television. (4. Early TV)
Discuss the importance of music in animation, from it’s beginning.

5.Analyze several significant TV shows to explain the techniques television artists use to express their ideas and values. (5. Significant Shows)
Discuss the use of newer technology to achieve more modern effects and narrative impacts,

6.Describe historic television programming breakthroughs, including their impact both at the time and later. (6. Programming Breakthroughs)
Discuss cartoons like Steamboat Willie and Gerald McBoing-Boing

7.Identify the names and major works of significant TV artists from the beginning of TV broadcasting through the present. (7. TV Artists)

Discuss the effects of animators like those of the Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy.

9.Describe the characteristics and representative examples of major TV genres, such as sitcoms, social comedies, dramas, news, sports. (9. TV Genres)
Discuss the difference in animation and content between children’s cartoons and ‘Adult’ Cartoons.

12.Identify and describe issues which television advertising is likely to encounter in the future. (12. TV Ads & the Future)
Discuss the possibility of all animations being done in a computer generated environment, and the pros and cons of that style over freehand animation.

13.Describe programming strategies for success in commercial television and non-commercial programming. (13. Programming Strategies)
Discuss the importance of shorter sketch animations like Aqua Teen Hunger Force as a way to send a message in an even more limited amount of time.



Good Examples to View

Rocky and Bullwinkle (example of abstract animation)

Steamboat Willie (example of naturalist animation)

Gertie the Dinosaur (example of early animation)

Beast Wars (example of CGI animation)