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Imagine Nation

He. Is. REAL, I adamantly insisted, stabbing my finger emphatically at the frozen TV

screen. I was certain of it dragons exist! If Mulan was based on a real war (it wasnt), on a real

girl (she wasnt), then Mushu the dragon must be real by association (oh, how nave I was). From

wreaking havoc, to getting Mulan in trouble, to helping her clean up his mess, without Mushu

the entire storyline would fall apart. He is a key player in Mulans success story and, indirectly,

Chinas continued existence! Crossing my arms and grinning smugly, I stared at my friend,

daring her to refute my impregnable defense of Mushus existence. There was silence, then loud

guffaws filled the room as she doubled over in laughter. Still chortling minutes later, she grabbed

a pad of paper and created a short flipbook. With a quick flip through, she introduced me to the

concept of animation and destroyed my belief in dragons.

At the ripe old age of six and a half, I was convinced that every movie or show contained

real actors. Unbeknownst to me, the majority of the shows I loved and enjoyed contained

animated material to some degree. I had always thought that some characters looked unrealistic

simply because they were in a different universe. It broke my heart to know that Kim Possible

was imaginary, but I was greatly relieved when I realized a living Tyrannosaurus Rex like the

one from Jurassic Park was just as fictitious. As I grew older, I came to develop a deep

appreciation for the art form. The complexity of animation never ceases to amaze me. A simple

two-second clip could take weeks to render perfectly; yet, studios are churning out full length

features every other year and new episodes every week.

Even more astounding to me, however, was the impact that animation had on people.

Starfire from Teen Titans or Sakura from Cardcaptor Sakura served as role models for my

friends and me. Each thirty-minute episode taught us new life lessons about friendship, honesty,

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and integrity better than formal education ever could. Its influence can be seen on a global scale

as well. Every year, fans flock from every background imaginable to gather and rave about their

favorite programs and games at conventions. Even animated characters for brands, like Tony

Tiger of Frosty Flakes, have a following. As animation evolved and became more accessible over

the past few decades, its application has spread beyond just the realm of entertainment. These

new developments led me to wonder: How has animation influenced society and its

development?

Since the advent of animation, it has become a staple of both the silver screen and the TV

screen. From being featured in a smattering of movies and shows, the art form has expanded to

encompass practically every industry from gaming to manufacturing to advertisements. Its

influence is undeniable as well. Though overlooked most of the time, animation affects the

consumerism, the understanding, and development of an individual. As I delved deeper into my

research, it was clear to see that animations influence is more pervasive in society than ever

imagined.

In order to understand the influence of animation, it is vital to know what it is exactly and

how it reached the acclaim it has now. Animation, when stripped of any technological

definitions, is when one creates the illusion of movement using still images. Traditional

animation involved repetitively sketching the same scene over and over with minute alterations.

However, the category also includes stop-motion, claymation, animatronics, zoetrope (a

contraption made up of two disks with images on them that, when spun, creates an illusion of

motion), and more.

In the early years of animation, there was no thought of animating an entire feature film

and was used most often as a special effect (Beck). Thomas Edisons film company most

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notably animated their title cards using stop motion, surprising the audience and creating an

engaging way to view the otherwise banal part of the film. The Enchanted Drawing (1900) by

J. Stuart Blackton is considered to be the forerunner of animation, but it wasnt until his

production of Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) that animation began resembling

modern day animation. Considered by most historians to be the first animated film, Humorous

Phases of Funny Faces only lasted three minutes but cemented J. Stuart Blacktons title as the

Father of American Animation. The cartoonist is on screen at first, drawing each character. Then,

the pictures take on life of their own as he leaves the scene. His later films continued to set the

precedence for future animated productions. Though Blackton is recognized as the father of

animation, it was Walt Disney Studios innovations that revolutionized the industry (History).

Walt Disney Studio rendered the silent animated film obsolete with the release of

Steamboat Willie in 1928. It was the first sound cartoon (a cartoon that contains an audio track

that matches the sounds of what was happening in the film) to achieve commercial success

(Cavanagh). When Mickey Mouse pursed his lips to whistle, the audience could hear the shrill

notes he appeared to be making. Water audibly sloshed against the sides of the boat as it puttered

down river. This wildly successful film catapulted Walt Disney Studios reputation

stratospherically high and spurred on the animation industry into the Golden Age of Animation

(Kruger).

Despite this surge in popularity and the economic success of subsequent sound

cartoons, animation remained confined to childish entertainment. Its not a stretch to say that

war revealed animations true potential. As World War II intensified, cartoons took on a more

political tone. Every production was tinged with anti-German sentiments and served to boost

morale on the home front. Scenes previously impossible to realize with live action could be

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created with animation up close shots of bombs whistling through the air and the moment of

impact, courageous soldiers charging the German line, and imposing tanks rolling through

desolated towns. When the United States government realized the versatility of animation and

that it could be used to create anything, and they capitalized upon this discovery with the

commissioning of animation studios (Kruger).

Disneys and Warner Brothers propaganda films were the most popular and most

effective pieces in motivating and rallying the Americans to support the war effort. Disneys

classic gang of characters Mickey Mouse, Donald, Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, and

Daisy Duck garnered the most views as they worked hard at cultivating their Victory gardens

and enthusiastically bought war bonds (Winters). Other films worked to demonize the Axis, such

as Der Fuehrers Face (1943), in which Donald Duck is shown to be an oppressed and

beleaguered worker in Hitlers Germany. This rather comical depiction shows Donald Duck

salivating over a single coffee bean and building bombs at a factory plant where one wrong

mumble meant certain death. Warner Brothers films likewise characterized Hitler and his

followers as idiotic brutes. The animation firms also created instructional videos for training

soldiers, teaching conservation, and showing proper responses to various emergencies (Mollet).

By specifically gearing these films towards the working class suburbanites, the United

States government aimed to utilize and harness the manpower available. And they succeeded.

Around the time of each films release, enlistment numbers spiked as youths rushed to join the

army. Victory gardens flourished in every neighborhood, and the rate of scrap metal recycling

skyrocketed. By the end of the war, Disney was credited with helping to sell more than $50

million worth of savings bond (Gabler 412).

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Even before the war, however, Walt Disney was already embroiled in governmental

affairs. The United States government proposed a deal for the popular animation firm on the eve

of World War II: the firm was to travel to South America as a Good Will Ambassador and create

short films depicting the realities of life south of the border while disseminating American

ideals (Spellacy). With use of military force forbidden because of Roosevelts Good Neighbor

Policy, the government hoped cultural influence would curb friendly relations between Latin

American countries and Nazi Germany. Though embittered by the not-so-subtle political aspect

of the trip, Disney still dazzled the world with highly successful films such as Saludos Amigos!

and The Three Caballeros. More importantly, the visit also won over the Latin American

countries for the Allies during World War II (Fine). Even after the war, animation was still used

to promote the United States status and other countries soon followed suit with their own

animation firms. When I interviewed Ron Zorman, an animator at Pixar, at his house, he stated

that The Canadian government likes to promote their own Canadian content. He then

proceeded to rattle off a list of such productions, all partially funded by the government, that

showcased the unique aspects of Canada.

In modern times, the content of an animated work is no longer dictated by the

government. In fact, a number of them satirize the government instead. The Simpsons is one

show in particular that consistently mocks mainstream culture and governmental actions. It may

be crass and crude, but there are indubitably crumbs of truth in the show that serve to educate

viewers. For example, Senator Charles Schumer spoke at a New York high school in May of

1999, lauding the Brady Bill for its effective crime prevention and gun control. His claim was

quickly challenged by Kevin Davis, a student, who cited a Simpsons episode:

It reminds me of a Simpsons episode. Homer wanted to get a gun but he had been in jail
twice and in a mental institution. They labeled him as potentially dangerous. So Homer

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asks what that means and the gun dealer says: It just means you need an extra week
before you can get the gun. (Irwin 160)

The senator was taken aback. Although the student did not have suggestions for better

gun control, the show had at least apprised him of the issue enough for him to challenge the

erroneous claim. The show also frequently commented on the polarizing values of the

Republicans and Democrats, and various scandals. The clout of animation, both overt and subtle,

in the political realm alone is astounding. That, then, begs the question: just how much power

and influence does animation have on other sectors of society?

The stigma around animation is that its a childrens medium and it would be hard to

refute it. Ever since Saturday morning cartoons in the 1960s, animated shows have been

delegitimized as entertainment for adults (Osborne). The simplistic plots and nave world views

held little interest for adults. With the release of Aladdin in 1992, however, childrens films

began featuring more complex plots, high profile voice actors, and, most importantly, the use of

adult-focused humor (Akers). These characteristics blurred the once clear delineation between

animation and the adult world, and there are certain animated shows and films that are decidedly

adult such as Beavis and Butthead (1993) and Sausage Party (2016). These developments have

led parents to be more engaged in animated films in general and in promoting the messages

within them. The emphasis of animation is decidedly still on children despite these changes,

though, and the impact of animation is most obvious in them.

A common discourse surrounding animation is the negative influence of Disney

princesses on girls body image and self-worth. Bombarded with images of impossible body

proportions and traditional gender roles, little girls internalize these sentiments. Girls begin to

have fears of gaining fat and other body image issues as young as five years old (Tremblay) and

boys develop desires to have the muscular physique of the princes. These perceptions are further

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reinforced by parental figures. Parents have the tendency to overly encourage and use the Disney

Princess franchise as teaching tools since many of them view them as safe compared to other,

highly sexualized models (Coyne). Despite all of this, there are several positives to the princess

films, including instilling prosocial sentiments in children. A study and analysis of thirty-four

different research projects discovered that children who watched shows promoting positive and

friendly behavior were more likely to emulate those values in real life (Mares).

Other animated works, such as Inside Out, teaches children positive ways to deal with

their emotions and with conflicts in general. I had firsthand experience with this observation

when I watched the movie. I discovered how much anguish a little four-year-old body could hold

that night at the drive-in theater. The balmy summer night air was undisturbed save for the soft

purring of car engines. The scent of gasoline and buttered popcorn danced and intermingled in

the air. Cars, dimly illuminated lumps in the darkness of the night, sat idly while the scene on the

gargantuan screen played out. All were fixated by the screen. I could only stare horror-stricken as

Bing Bong, the curious cat, elephant, and dolphin creature, disintegrated particle by particle in

the sunless chasm of the Memory Dump. I glanced over at my friends and watched as tears rolled

down their faces, gleaming dully in the light cast from the screen. I was about to turn back to the

screen when a screaming sob tore from the cab of the red pickup next to us. High pitched and

garbled, the only distinguishable words from the childs mouth were, NO NO NO NOT BING

BONG.

Her mothers gentle, lilting voice joined the din as she sought to soothe her child, Shhh,

its okay. See, right now youre letting Sadness and Anger take over, but thats not what Bing

Bong wouldve wanted. He did it for everyones good! The girl immediately quieted down. A

few seconds later, she asked her mother how Joy could take control once again.

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Likewise, Zorman recalled a parents response to Inside Out after a public screening. Her

son had been deathly afraid of swimming and diving. No amount of cajoling could get him into

the water. After watching the film, the little boy surprised his parents by jumping off the board

without hesitation during his swim lessons the next day. When questioned, he replied that Fear

was taking over his mind too much and he wanted to be brave. Similarly, films such as Toy Story

also carried important messages like those from Inside Out that dealt with growing up and

adapting to changes in a positive manner.

Beyond social education, there has been a boom in animated shows dedicated to teaching

children shapes, the ABCs, logic, and simple mathematics. Shows like Dora the Explorer seek

to teach pattern recognition and logical thinking. Animated games and apps became popular tools

for parents to give their children an edge in school. Many of these apps use characters from

childrens media such as Peppa Pig and Frozen to engage the children. Though this may seem

like a boon to teachers and families alike, in an email interview with Vincent Valladolid, a

teacher at a Title 9 middle school, he said, Although children may be learning their ABCs or

mathematics, they are missing a huge component of being social... It has been proven that play

is a key concept of academic growth. When students are unable to interact with their peers, their

performance plummets in class and they actually have a harder time learning. Valladolid goes on

to point out a troubling fact: the lack of access to such tools is widening the gap between wealthy

and poor schools. Many students at his school have limited internet connection and no funds to

purchase even the cheapest of the aforementioned educational game apps and programs. Thus,

the disparity between the socioeconomic classes worsens.

Speaking of disparity, one may assume that with a limited audience, success of animated

works in the greater economy is impossible. It is quite the opposite. The animation industry is

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worth billions of dollars. The Disney Princesses franchise (media and merchandise) alone raked

in approximately $3 billion globally and $1.6 billion in North America in 2011 alone

(Goudreau). Of Forbes Top 20 Best-Selling Entertainment Products list, twelve of the spots are

taken up by the animated productions. In contrast, live action movies like Star Wars and

Spiderman only claimed three spots on the list (Goudreau). Beyond merchandise specific to the

movie or series, animated characters often find themselves on other products such as food and

medicine. Within a year of its debut, the little yellow minions from Minions (2015) could be

found on a wide range of products from yogurts to childrens mouthwash to flip flops. Frozen

brought in $107.2 billion in retail and licensing sales (Robehmed). With these numbers, its hard

to doubt the economic power of animated films.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from these flashy films and their corresponding

merchandise, animation plays a subtle yet powerful role in advertisements. Almost every

television commercial features animation, whether it is simply the logo flashing for a brief

second or mascots like Tony Tiger from Frosted Flakes. Researchers have discovered that how

one uses animation in advertisements dramatically affects consumers. Henrik Hagtvedt and S.

Adam Brasel, professors at Boston College, studied the consumer response to different types of

animation employed by companies. Agent animation refers to more lifelike animations, like a

dog running or a woman dancing, and object animation refers to the more mechanical

animations, like a logo bouncing around a screen (Hennessey). People have a tendency to pick

brands with agent animation as it conveys vibrancy and sophistication. However, companies

whose chosen animation style does not match the nature of their business suffered. Businesses

like insurance companies that had agent animation would be seen as unprofessional and

untrustworthy. They should use object animation in order to convey a sense of stability. Even

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though animation in advertisement may seem like a minor nuance, it makes a world of

difference.

Its clear to see that animation, through its various applications, has affected the whole of

society. The art form has proven its versatility in adapting to every industry imaginable from

government issued propaganda to the massive profits made off merchandising and branding

alone. Without it, many of the services society enjoys would not be possible. As technology

improves and new needs become apparent, so will animation. Its impossible to determine just

how far animation will advance, but one thing is certain: Animation will continue to evolve and

revolutionize the world.

It surprised me how difficult it was find information about this topic at first. Searching up

key phrases such as animation and society and animations influence on society yielded little

to no usable or relevant information. I struggled for a long time, even considered changing the

question at one point. One afternoon at work, as I listened to a co-worker talk about her

daughters love of Disney Princesses, it reminded me of a discussion I had about feminism and

representation in those films. When I went home later that night, I searched up the effects of

Disney princess culture on children and was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of source

material. I realized then that I had been really narrow-minded in my researchand maybe a bit

lazy too. I wanted to find a piece of research that would corroborate with my assumptions about

animations impact on society, and I wanted it in one place for easy referencing. Searching for

specific subtopics was tedious at first, but I soon became engrossed in the articles I found. I

focused on historical impact one day, then economics the next, and so forth. I wish that I had

discovered this trick at the beginning, but this struggle has ultimately reinforced the importance

of open-mindedness even when dealing with familiar subjects and topics.

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Works Cited

Electronic

Akers, Chelsea Lynn. The Rise of Humor: Hollywood Increases Adult Centered Humor in

Animated Children 's Films. Scholarsarchive, Brigham Young University, 9 July

13ADAD, scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4723&context=etd.

Accessed 15 Mar. 2017.

Beck, Jerry. Historical Film Notes. UCLA Film & Television Archive,

animation.library.ucla.edu/pdf/BeckNotes.pdf. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.

Cavanagh, Sean. Introduction to Film and Media Studies. Introduction to Film and Media

Studies First Example of MickeyMousing Comments, Lafayette College, 1 Mar. 2015,

sites.lafayette.edu/fams101-sp15/2015/03/01/first-example-of-mickey-mousing/.

Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Coyne, Sarah M., et al. Pretty as a Princess: Longitudinal Effects of Engagement With Disney

Princesses on Gender Stereotypes, Body Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in

Children. Child Development, vol. 87, no. 6, 2016, pp. 19091925.,

doi:10.1111/cdev.12569.

Fine, Abigail. Ideology and Walt Disney's Latin American Films. Academia.edu,

www.academia.edu/30309782/Ideology_and_Walt_Disneys_Latin_American_Films.

Accessed 18 Mar. 2017.

Goudreau, Jenna. Disney Princess Tops List Of The 20 Best-Selling Entertainment

Products. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 20 Sept. 2012,

www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/09/17/disney-princess-tops-list-of-the-20-

best-selling-entertainment-products/#1d0e55b4ab06. Accessed 9 Mar. 2017.

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Hennessey, Sean. Living Brands. BC Researchers Report on Consumer Responses to

Animated Brand Logos, Boston College, 2 Feb. 2017, www.bc.edu/bc-

web/bcnews/nation-world-society/business-and-management/hagtvedt-brasel-

research.html. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.

History of Computer Graphics and Animation. The University of Texas at Dallas, University of

Texas Austin, www.utdallas.edu/atec/midori/Handouts/history.htm#disney. Accessed 17

Mar. 2017.

Kruger, Ilana. Not Just for Kids: Animation Grows Up During World War II. Brandeis IR, The

School of Arts and Sciences at Brandeis University, 1 May 2016,

bir.brandeis.edu/handle/10192/32530. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

Mares, Marie-Louise, and Emory Woodard. Positive Effects of Television on Children's Social

Interactions: A Meta-Analysis. Pardon Our Interruption, Taylor & Francis, 24 June

2010, psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1207/S1532785XMEP0703_4. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

Mollet, Tracey. Historical Tooning: Disney, Warner Brothers, the Depression and War 1932-

1945. July 30ADAD, etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/4961/1/Historical%20Tooning.pdf.

Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.

Osborne, Bobby J. An Examination of Why Animation Should Target a Broader

Demographic . Savannah College of Arts and Design, Savannah College of Arts and

Design, Aug. 2013,

ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external;jsessionid=385FDCD01800

234D14ABC658D9EEA872?lang=eng&sp=1&suite=de. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.

Robehmed, Natalie. The 'Frozen' Effect: When Disney's Movie Merchandising Is Too

Much. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 28 July 2015,

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www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/07/28/the-frozen-effect-when-disneys-

movie-merchandising-is-too-much/#659e5a8a22ca. Accessed 10 Mar. 2017.

Spellacy, Amy. Mapping the Metaphor of the Good Neighbor: Geography, Globalism, and Pan-

Americanism during the 1940s. Journals@KU, University of Kansas, 2006,

journals.ku.edu/amerstud/article/download/2933/2892. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.

Tremblay, L, et al. Perceptions of Self in 3-5-Year-Old Children: a Preliminary Investigation

into the Early Emergence of Body Dissatisfaction. Body Image., U.S. National Library

of Medicine, 8 June 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21600861. Accessed 15 Mar.

2017.

Winters, Jordan M. Send in the Mouse: How American Politicians Used Walt Disney

Productions to Safeguard the American Home Front in WWII. University of

Washington Tacoma: History Undergraduate Thesis, University of Washington Tacoma,

2014, digitalcommons.tacoma.uw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1012&context=history_theses. Accessed 4 Feb. 2017.

Primary

Valladolid, Vincent. Re: Interview for Research Project. Received by Gloria Lin, 18 Mar. 2017.

Zorman, Ron. Personal interview. 4 Mar. 2017.

Print

Gabler, Neal. Two Wars. Walt Disney: the Triumph of the American Imagination, Alfred A.

Knopf, New York, 2008, pp. 349412.

Irwin, William, et al., editors. The Simpsons and Philosophy The D'Oh! of Homer. Paw Prints,

2008.

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