Abstract The author of the paper relates the history of the Hanna Barbera animationstudio. The writer examines the studio's founders and their activities prior to the founding of the studio and the factors that influenced the founding of the Hanna Barbera studio. The author then goes on to describe the development of the studio, the animation productions that brought the studio to the public eye and notable productions over the course of time. The paper's writer also examines animation techniques used by the studio and innovative use of sound, lighting and special effects. The paper concludes with an overview of the company's position today.
Outline:
Brief History of Both Hanna & Barbera and How Each Evolved as Animators How They Met or Joined Forces
What Profession Were They in Before Becoming Animators?
How They Started the Company of Hanna Barbera
What Made Hanna Barbera a Success?
What Cartoons They Created
Process of Animation They Used
Special Effects, Techniques, Lighting, & Sound Effects That Were Used
The Position of the Company Today
References
From the Paper "When MGM closed its animation unit, Hanna and Barbera founded Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Inc., their own production company. The company was known for its magical formula of producing low cost cartoons that focused more on humor, story and characters than on action. The company gained success with the production of 'The Flintstones'. In the year 1980, the company started operating globally by distributing the work through its international network. The Hanna Barbera Company was staffed with the members of MGM animation unit. In order to keep Hanna Barbera productions a secret to the MGM officials, the show 'I Love Lucy' was anonymously promoted. Hanna Barbera made $40000-$60000 for Tom and Jerry shots as compared to $2700 given by Screen Gems for a cartoon having duration of 5 minutes. This forced them to think about earning more profit by reviving the whole cartoon concept. They shifted the focus from visual action, which was followed at MGM, to dialogue and story. They made cartoons which were cheaper by limiting the amount of drawings. However it was not a fruitful solution to remain competitive in the industry. Then the introduction of voices to the cartoons was intended to gain the interest of the audience. In 1957, Daws Butler and Don Messick gave voice to the characters of Ruff and Ready. This enabled the company to produce shows in less time, thereby increasing the sales and enriching the development of the shows. Later the company was sold to Great American Broadcasting in 1987 when there was a slow growth witnessed, and later Turner Broadcasting purchased it in 1991. Turner Broadcasting later merged with Time-Warner Inc. In 1992, Turner started 24-hour cartoon network with Hanna Barbera cartoon series. (History of Hanna Barbera Cartoons Inc)"
Tags:animatorsfilmsoundmoviecartoonsturnermgmstudio, the flintstones, time-warner television
Abstract The paper discusses the invention of animation in the 1880's and explores the popularity of cartoon productions in the aftermath of World War I. The paper discusses technological advancements in the animation industry such as color, sound, and voice and shows its impact on the popularity of cartoons. The paper discusses the first animated feature film and explores social discrimination in cartoons, focusing on racial discrimination towards African Americans.
From the Paper "Animation was first attempted in 1906. A commercial artist, J. Stuart Blackman, created his small animation attempt called "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" (Finch 23). However, Emile Cohl, who may not be the first animator, is recognized for being the first to do individual frame-to-frame drawings in animation. "Mr. Stop" was his first cartoon. Although he knew that he was not such a good illustrator, he helped invent this style of animation (Heraldson 24)."
Abstract The paper discusses the first feature-length cartoonfilm "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" that was made by the animator Lotte Reiniger, using cutout silhouette figures and a technique called stop-motion animation. The paper describes the film's creation, destruction in the war and subsequent restoration. The paper maintains that contemporary animators somehow fail to reproduce the same captivating magic that Reiniger achieved in this film.
From the Paper "Animation is an art with a rich history of artists whose patience and attention to detail in their work has led to many timeless treasures of film for adults and children alike. These works have lasted through time from the 1930's to today, and are still enjoyed as if they were brand new. It is widely known that the first feature-length animated film was Walt Disney's 1937 film Snow White. It was the first commercially successful full-length animated film and the earliest that still exists entirely in its original form. However, a feature that pre-dates Snow White was made by an animator named Lotte Reiniger using cutout silhouette figures and a technique called stop-motion animation. This film was made in 1926 and is called The Adventures of Prince Achmed."
Abstract Many examples of claims made by various individuals and groups about subliminal sexual and racist messages scattered throughout many Disney movies are examined in this paper. These include the "Lion King", "Aladdin" and "Snow White".
From the Paper "When the Disney animated movie The Little Mermaid was released on home video, viewers saw inappropriate "sexual messages". (www.snopes2.com). After this incident Disney released two more movies with subliminal messages, The Lion King and Aladdin. Disney has long been known as an icon for wholesome family viewing. Allegations of subliminal messages have tarnished this image. One homemaker said she, "felt as if I had entrusted my kids to pedophiles"(The Wall Street Journal), and threw these videos in the trash. America was founded on morals that parents thought Disney upheld. Parents now feel betrayed by Disney. The case at hand is not whether or not children are affected by these subliminal messages, but that Disney is not so "Snow White"!"
Abstract This paper discusses the beginning of the end of the silent motion picture industry. The paper examines the resistance shown to the emerging trend of films with recorded sound sequences. The resistance came partly from the public, partly from technology and partly from the industry. First, it took some time for "talkie" filmsound to be perfectly synchronized with the picture. This generated a level of indifference from the public, who had become well accustomed to silent film and generally preferred it due to a high level of familiarity. Second, the industry, similarly, had become ensconced in the business of silent film, and the many movie theaters in the United States produced a gross revenue of about 360 million dollars by the mid 1920'=s. Consequently, an enormous business had grown out of the production and distribution of almost exclusively silent films and "talkies" stood as a distinctly risky endeavor.
From the Paper "Additionally, by 1927 the film industry had truly come into its own as a fully fledged art form. The art of drama had been nearly perfected by the silent stars. "Even ordinary actors seemed more than that when effectively presented in a silent film because their own specific identity was somewhat nebulous." (Eyman 73). In fact, the very absence of sound permitted the audience to draw their own conclusions and insert their own feelings and imagination into the film. Much like a reader conjures their own image of characters and settings, the silent film viewer envisioned the omitted aspects of reality according to their own, personal feelings. The consequences of this made silent film a particularly potent devise from an artistic perspective. Obviously, as an art form, film was not required to accurately mimic reality, but instead, render a representation of it that was equally powerful to the audience. This fact made arguments in favor of sound based upon accurate depiction of events groundless; they were analogous to saying that Picasso's paintings were somehow worth less than more realist-based works of art."
Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive description of DreamWorks Pictures' animatedfilm "Shrek", looking at animation, editing, sound, acting, storyline, and writing. The paper argues that the film challenges the traditional Disney fairy tale-animation conventions.
From the Paper ""Shrek", released by DreamWorks Pictures has been characterized by critic Todd McCarthy as an instant animated classic that rudely sends up even the most beloved fairy tale traditions while at the same time effectively embodying them. The film is the story of an ogre's odyssey from oblivion to love, thus suggesting elements of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". Indeed McCarthy believes that one of the key aspects of the film was that it challenges the traditional Disney mode of presenting animated films..."
Abstract This paper addresses how Siegfried Kracauer believed that films allowed for the viewer to address them in a realistic context, and where the films themselves contained a significant degree of realism without being demonstrative of specific forms of reality or realistic settings (e.g. the documentary).
Tags:FILM STUDIES / MOVIE REVIEWS, ANALYSIS, CRITICISM, theories siegfried kracauer
Abstract This paper addresses the Cohn Brothers' film "Barton Fink" in terms of its relevance to the term "subjective reality". Here, "subjective reality" refers to the non- conventional way of presenting the film, rather than the standard narrative provided by the Hollywood blockbusters.
Tags:FILM STUDIES / MOVIE REVIEWS, ANALYSIS, CRITICISM, subjectivity barton fink
Abstract This paper traces the growth of the American silent film from its origins to 1920. It focuses on technology and music. It discusses influential filmmakers such as D.W. Griffith and Ceceil B. DeMille, Charles Chaplin and Mack Sennett. The author also explores the impact of World War I.
Abstract Max Hare and Toby Tortoise are just part of the early Disney cartoon cast, but, in the opinion of the paper's author, they are enduring because they possess universal appeal based on a number of positive factors. In the paper, the author examines and discusses these factors. The author attempts to show that a clear and succinct moral message is given by the cartoon which is echoed in many other Disney works. The writer also contends that the absence of violence in the cartoon is another feature that gives the film lasting value. The author of the paper also compares the cartoon's artwork, animation and music to modern cartoons in order to further demonstrate the long lasting, universal appeal of the film.
From the Paper "For example, Toby falls for Max's well-known "psyche" gag where he is offered Max's hand to shake only to have him pull it back in a "thumbs-up" fashion not once but twice before the race even starts, and Max makes it clear from the outset who is going to win this race. The clearly established personalities of Toby Tortoise and Max Hare also contribute to this sense of who is going to win, but also help create a sense of an "under-tortoise" who deserves to win because he has the pluck even though the rabbit has the speed among viewers. These straightforward images of the bully and the bullied, the fast and the slow, the quick and the dull, are accompanied by a rich musical score (recorded by RCA Victor "High Fidelity" Sound System) and background scenery ("in Technicolor") throughout. According to Jacobs, the color in Disney's Silly Symphonies is seldom static: "As the characters fly, dance, run, or evolve into other shapes, the color too is animated, becoming sinister, gay, sanguine, or merely decorative, but always taking on a new hue with each of the emotional developments and moving with the images and sound.""
Tags: academy award, animation musical, silly symphonies, studios character pluto goofy, donald duck, fable moral
This paper discusses the many elements that made William Wyler's 1959 film "Ben-Hur" a classical example of the big budget, larger studio productions of the late fifties.
Abstract This paper explains that the conservative classical ensemble music in the film "Ben-Hur" emphasizes the emotion in the film and highlights the scale and grandiosity of both the motion picture and the Biblical story. The author points out that the movie's camerawork shows the big-budget epic tradition of pioneering new camera technology as an important facet of this movie, in this film, a process known as "MGM Camera 65", a 70mm anamorphic print at an aspect ratio of 2.76:1, considered to be one of the widest prints ever made, having a width of almost three times its height. The paper relates the skill of director Wyler to balance the many different elements of the film--the themes of religiosity, the historical accuracy right and the dramatic tension of the plot--without being over-analyzed or pompous.
Table of Contents
Music
Cinematography
Camera Work/Editing
Actors
Directors
Script
From the Paper "The advanced nature of the cinematography of Ben-Hur is another aspect of the film that shows it to be a big-budget epic film, but unlike some of the other mentioned areas of moviemaking that have changed more over time and become less strictly representative of convention since the fifties, advanced and expensive cinematography is still an area of moviemaking that is closely associated with the big-budget epic film, even in movies that are not necessarily straight action pictures. The cinematography in "Ben-Hur" is no exception to this general rule, as many other areas of movie making represented by this film are also stridently conventional. Bigger, better, and faster seems to be the
rule of thumb for this sort of film when approached from the area of cinematography, whatever the time-period. Although the cinematographers of Ben-Hur did not have the advanced effects available today through CGI and computer aided design, this in a way
makes their efforts even more impressive when seen through the perspective of hindsight."
Abstract In this article, the writer maintains that the British film industry often frames itself in respect to its counterpart, the American film industry. The writer notes that movies made in the United States typically gross larger sums than British films, a point that has long motivated the British film industry to identify American movie-making as a more profitable model. The writer argues, however, that the emulation of American films by British studios has typically fallen short of projections: the British film-going audience, which hungrily devours American blockbusters, is surprisingly hesitant to engage in films that are made in Britain and utilize American-style plots, cinematography, acting, and special effects.
Outline:
Introduction
British Film Media
Issues of Consideration in British Film British Film and American Film Summary
From the Paper "When this process occurs, the value of a film made by a British film studio is challenged. The outcome is problematic, as the film itself may contribute to the British film industry as a composition with significant artistic merit, but the lack of financial incentives indicates that there is a strong potential for the film to get "lost" in the cinematic archives. Films that have permanency within an audience are not necessarily those with the greatest intrinsic merit but are instead those that have had backing through a strong studio and have created a market identity through advertising, widespread distribution, and so on. A film that communicates a strong message or has profound artistic composition will not necessarily become a permanent achievement in the film industry, and for most investors and studios an obscure picture might as well have never been made."
A discussion of how much the transition to sound changed the nature of films, according to Scott Eyman, in his essay "The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926-1930."
Abstract This paper discusses the effects on Hollywood of the transition from silent films to films with sound. It analyzes the transition from the point of view of film historian Scott Eyman, in his essay "The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution, 1926-1930." The paper discusses Eyman's theories based on certain films that have been produced since sound was introduced.
From the Paper "Eyman may be correct that technology changed the financial dynamics of the studio systems, made filmmaking more expensive, and required the import of new actors and talent to Hollywood. Individual actors whose voices clashed with their on-screen personas, like John Gilbert saw their stars diminish, or end. But the nature of the cinematic medium as a visual medium remained constant, even after the introduction of sound. Of course, this is not to deny the presence of films like screwball comedies that were purely the production of the talkies, or the presence of some staged plays for film that became popular. But for the most part, audiences still come to films to see a good show, unlike the theater, where they expect more dialogue and character development, and less technology and spectacle."
Abstract This paper discusses the history of filmanimation in Japan. Particularly, it discusses anime produced by Japan's Studio, Giblias, and whether it plays a part in Japanese culture. The paper concludes that though Japanese animation has it's roots in western animation, it has developed and continues to do so in a very different direction and that it draws on its own cultural influences like kabuki theater and woodblock prints as well as developing it's completely unique style.
From the Paper "By the 1990's anime took a more serious turn that in my opinion is not present in modern day western animation. While still outputting light-hearted so called children's anime, studios began to release more intellectual sophisticated anime such as Anno Hideaki's television series Neon Genesis Evangelion and Miyazaki Hayao's film Princess Mononoke. These films often touched on themes and issues that modern Japanese faced. To truly explain the Japanese nature of these films I believe that an in depth look at one of them in necessary."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses, and analyzes Peter Jackson's film "King Kong". Specifically it discusses human/animal relationships in the film, which the author views as the key to the plot and theme of the movie. The author also uses Anna's relationship with Kong as an example of finding the good in others.
From the Paper "At home on the Skull Island Kong is a fearsome creature. He is also the dominant animal on the island and has control over all the other beasts, and the humans, too. They all acquiesce to him and worship him. Thus, in his own environment he is truly "king," and so, he cannot cope with being caged and gawked at by onlookers. He is no longer in control of anything, and this sets the stage for all the human and animal relationships in the film. By removing Kong from his native environment, the loose the "beast" so to speak and they pave the way for the inevitable conclusion. Kong does not belong in the city any more than the filmmakers belong in the jungles of Skull Island. Bringing his back to captivity places them in control over the beast, and of course, he will do anything he can to survive and return to his home. He is not a domestic animal, and he should not be expected to adapt. He is not adaptable, he has always made others adapt to his wishes and demands. "
