CS294-7 Presentation

1. CS294-7 Presentation A Comparison of Animation Techniques Between American and Japanese Animation

2. Overview • American animation techniques are very broad, impossible to generalize, but best known for full animation. • Japanese animation, or “anime”, is not as well documented in the Western world, but best known for limited animation. • Differences seem to be more style and plot devices than technique.

3. Brief History - America • 1900s to 1920s • Silent age cartoons such as Felix the Cat, Mighty Mouse, and Betty Boop. • 1930s to 1940s • Golden age of Disney cartoons. • 1950s to 1980s • Television era dominated by Hanna-Barbera Productions. • 1980s to present • Decline of Saturday morning cartoons. • Resurgence of adult-oriented animation. • Mainstream popularization of “anime” in American culture.

4. Brief History - Japan • 1900 • First known animation of a boy wearing a sailor uniform saluting the camera (50 frames). • 1963 • First popular anime series, Astro Boy. • 1970s • Anime develops, separating itself from Western roots. • Emergence of “mecha” anime genre. • 1980s • Golden age of anime. • Rise of “otaku” subculture. • Mainstream acceptance of anime in Japan. • Akira sets record for production costs in 1988 with over 160,000 cels and meticulously lip-synched dialogue. • 1990s • Anime economy bubble bursts in Japan. • International growth, such as Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, etc.

5. Limited Animation • Emerged in 1950s. • As opposed to realistic animation championed by Disney. • For example, rather than lip-synching every word, just create certain mouth shapes and re-use them. Rather than animating each walk cycle, just animate one cycle and repeat it. • Pioneered as a result of low budget television cartoons. • Hanna Barbera Productions and United Productions of America. • Seen in most Saturday morning and prime time television cartoons. • Heavily utilized in anime. • An extreme example is Dragon Ball Z. • Philosophy that more time should be spent doing few good animations than spending time doing many mediocre animations. • More effort placed on animating “money shots”.

6. Wild Takes vs Face Faults • Wild Takes • Well known in Looney Tunes • Exaggerated facial expressions • Face Faults • Symbolic things representing certain emotions. • For example, sweat drop, nosebleeds, forehead veins, large shining eyes, flames in eyes, giant hammers. • Commonalities • Hammer space: pulling ridiculous objects out of thin air

7. Physics and Timing • American Animation • Gravity is negated by fear. • Prolonged death scenes. • Everything falls faster than an anvil. • Arms and necks holding heavy objects can stretch to infinity. • Anime • Dramatic moments distort time. • Also prolonged death scenes. • Scenes repeated in different angles for emphasis.

8. Camera • “Anime regularly uses close-ups of faces, establishing shots, background shots, rack focus, over the shoulder shots, low and high angles, long takes.” http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=1352

9. Anime Influenced Animation • Styles and techniques are recently influencing American animation. • Examples: Teen Titans, The Boondocks, Aeon Flux