WP2: Animation

Jennifer Tran

Academic Writing

March 7, 2021
 With the rising age of digital media, animation has soared to major popularity over recent

years with many realizing the major cultural impact that it has. The globalization of animation

has elevated it beyond just its own unique artform with many fans noting the major influences

that it has had on other forms of media and the ways it can showcase storytelling in and of itself.

The goal of this literature review is to showcase the importance of animation in modern society

from multiple perspectives. Bringing together academic and non-academic sources allows for

broader thinking about the relationship between real-life and animation and how that relationship

itself impacts culture and the expression of themes and ideas.

In the academic article “Animation: The New Performance?” Teri Silvio, an associate

research fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, writes about animation

from an anthropology perspective, discussing how it may very rival live-action media in its

cultural influence. Silvio first stresses the impact that live-action media has had on culture noting

that “performance emerged as a major concept for linking popular aesthetics to social

structures”1 and thus pointing out that scholars have analyzed animation in this same way. Many

popular live-action movies and shows have also been adapted to have their own animated

version. The buildup of digital communities has brought about the nature of self-expression

through the use of animation, not just in movies or shows but also through the concept of role-

playing in video games or using emoticons, all examples of the huge variety that animation

brings. Animation has brought about new ways to express ourselves and communicate with one

another.

Within the vast genre of animation, there are many films and projects that have the power

to influence and inspire others, whether through storytelling or animation style. With one

1 Silvio, Teri. "Animation: The New Performance?" Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 20, no. 2
(2010): 422-38. Accessed February 2, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43104272.
specific example where in the Youtube video “Satoshi Kon - Editing Space & Time”, the

channel Every Frame a Painting, goes over the work of one specific man, the japanese filmmaker

Satoshi Kon. The narrator and creator of the channel, who only says his name as Tony,

specifically discusses the way in which Kon edited his movies with the imagery and scene

transitions that are showcased in his films. Like in Silvio’s article, the idea that real-life and

animation influence culture in similar ways is expressed in Tony’s video as he notes that Kon

drew his inspiration from the way he used “matching scene transitions” which was a trend in

famous shows like the Simpsons and sci-fi films.2 What Kon did, however, was take this method

of editing and go far and beyond expectations, using different elements to make the scene

transitions more complex and add to his themes of blending together dream and reality. Many of

his imagery and transitions were then replicated in popular live-action films such as the world-

renowned film Inception, where if you compared many frames side-by-side it would almost seem

as if it had been plagiarized, showcasing how influential his films were that they influenced

filmmakers of different cultures.

Every Frame a Painting’s Youtube video, although very informative in and of itself, is

mostly an analysis taken from an outsider’s perspective of someone else’s work. If one wanted

the viewpoint of a filmmaker on their own work then W.R. Miller’s interview with the japanese

filmmaker Makoto Shinkai would provide someone with a better idea. The benefit of reading an

interview like this is because generally as a consumer, you can not readily detect nuance and care

put into movies so being able to get the perspective of a creator is invaluable. Makoto Shinkai is

a well-known filmmaker who is well-known for his most popular work Your Name which

received wide-acclaim and in 2019 he did this interview about his most recent work Weathering

2 Every Frame a Painting. “Satoshi Kon - Editing Space & Time.” July 24, 2014. YouTube video,
7:36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz49vQwSoTE
with You. In this interview he goes over his inspiration to be an animator and the process it took

to storyboard for the movie. For Weathering with You one of the key ideas that he wanted to

express for the movie was the major issue of climate change and his worries about having to live

in a “crazy world” in which consequences may not be reversible. These are ideas that he can

uniquely convey through his stylized animation and that’s what Shinkai himself explains makes

his movie and anime itself so unique to a global audience.

Though Shinkai Makoto took climate change as an inspiration to make Weathering with

You, many animated works are specifically made to comment on and address real-world issues.

One of which is presented through the academic article “Magic, "Shōjo", and Metamorphosis:

Magical Girl Anime and the Challenges of Changing Gender Identities in Japanese Society”

written by Kumiko Sato, a Japanese professor at Clemson University. Within this article Sato

describes how magical girl anime has grown and evolved over the years, citing many popular

series such as Sailor Moon and Precure. The genre for magical girl anime had been initially

viewed as a way to empower young girls and combat gender norms3 during a time where women

were starting to break free from oppression with the idea of creating a strong young female

protagonist that fights evil. Writers, in their own way, adapt and reshape genres4 and this is

evident through Sato’s analysis of the way creators have evolved the magical girl genre in anime.

Although Sato has also analyzed the genre itself has also somehow incorporated heterosexual

norms within its presentation as it evolves. In spite of that the article is able to showcase that

people have used animation to present and tackle more serious societal topics in a unique way.

3 SAITO, KUMIKO. "Magic, "Shōjo", and Metamorphosis: Magical Girl Anime and the Challenges of
Changing Gender Identities in Japanese Society." The Journal of Asian Studies 73, no. 1 (2014): 143-64.
Accessed March 7, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43553398.
4 “GENRE in the WILD: Understanding Genre Within Rhetorical (Eco)Systems.” Go to the cover page of
Open English @ SLCC. Open English @ SLCC, August 1, 2016.
https://openenglishatslcc.pressbooks.com/chapter/genre-in-the-wild-understanding-genre-within-
rhetorical-ecosystems/.
 Though many of these previous articles deal with asian animation and its global influence

and acclaim, animation in the western world has also gained a well-renowned reputation. This is

noted in the review for the movie Into the Spiderverse by Matthew Lamar. This review allows

for a more personal opinion on the impact of animation rather than an analytical one. Lamar

provides his own opinions on the movie and one of the core things that makes it such a

masterpiece lies in the animation. He states himself that animation can do things visually that

live action can’t do, and each animated work has an undeniable and unique character that isn’t

found in live action.5. Animation holds a special place in his heart, even if animated movies have

the reputation for children. This idea was similarly conveyed by Shinkai Makoto in his interview

in the previous interview. Animation being a unique mode of storytelling is an idea that is shared

globally. This review is able to convey that idea differently by giving off a more personal feeling

to someone reading, since it is someone just simply sharing their opinion rather than an analysis

or article about animation itself.

The world of animation is ever-evolving as digital technology proceeds to advance

further and further. Because of this evolution many people have begun to realize the cultural

impact that animation has on our modern society. Analyzing these academic and non-academic

articles allows us to see and analyze this influence through different perspectives. Animation is

able to have the power to provide it’s unique way to present and tell stories and comment on

real-world issues. This has not gone unnoticed by others, many taking inspiration from other

works to create their own stories or share their own perspectives and it will probably keep doing

so for many years to come.

5 LaMar, Matthew. “Pop Culture Corner: The Unmatched Power of Animation.” Royals Review.
Royals Review, May 8, 2020.
 Works Cited

Silvio, Teri. "Animation: The New Performance?" Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 20, no. 2

(2010): 422-38. Accessed February 2, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43104272.

LaMar, Matthew. “Pop Culture Corner: The Unmatched Power of Animation.” Royals Review.

Royals Review, May 8, 2020.

Miller, W.R. “INTERVIEW: Makoto Shinkai, Director, ‘Weathering With You.’” Animation

Scoop, November 6, 2019.

Every Frame a Painting. “Satoshi Kon - Editing Space & Time.” July 24, 2014. YouTube video,

7:36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz49vQwSoTE

SAITO, KUMIKO. "Magic, "Shōjo", and Metamorphosis: Magical Girl Anime and the

Challenges of Changing Gender Identities in Japanese Society." The Journal of Asian Studies 73,

no. 1 (2014): 143-64. Accessed March 7, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43553398.

“GENRE in the WILD: Understanding Genre Within Rhetorical (Eco)Systems.” Go to the cover

page of Open English @ SLCC. Open English @ SLCC, August 1, 2016.

https://openenglishatslcc.pressbooks.com/chapter/genre-in-the-wild-understanding-genre-within-

rhetorical-ecosystems/.