CS2947 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/askjo
  hn.php?id1352

9
Anime Influenced Animation

• Styles and techniques are recently influencing
  American animation.
  
• Examples Teen Titans, The Boondocks, Aeon Flux