Reading animation
Chris Robinson
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Cartoons: One Hundred Years Of Cartoon Animation - "essential reading for anyone interested in animation."
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The Lit Pimp's brief guide to a galaxy of animation lit
It's old hat by now to say that animation is more than just an assortment of character-based gag narratives aimed at kids and teens. But how does one even begin to find out about that personal, poetic and provocative side of animation that rivals (and occasionally pummels) that of any other art form? Well, aside from watching the films, you can read about them.Animation literature is, to no one's surprise, dominated by books about American cartoons. A majority of them are hack jobs - chest-pounding drivel that shows no acknowledgement that animation exists outside of Hollywood studios. There are guides to the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, studio-produced art books (Pixar's art books are so stunning that you wonder why they had to go ruin it with computers) and a litany of bios that call Walt Disney a great man or a fascist prick.
There are some gems though. The finest American animation historian/writer is undoubtedly John Canemaker. A respected animator himself, Canemaker's books (e.g. Winsor McCay, Before the Animation Begins, The Art and Flair of Mary Blair) tend to focus on overlooked figures behind famous cartoons. Canemaker's writing is clear, concise and passionate; his research is second to none.
Maureen Furniss's books include the academic but accessible Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics and The Animation Bible, a perfect introduction to the process of what it takes to make an animation film.
Claire Kitson has written on the legendary
Russian animator Yuri Norstein (whose film Tale of Tales is routinely voted the greatest animation film ever made). Kitson's most recent book, British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor, looks at her time working as commissioning editor for British TV's Channel 4. During the 1980s and 1990s, Channel 4 regularly commissioned groundbreaking animation shorts. Thanks to Channel 4 and Kitson, a number of outstanding animators emerged onto the international landscape.For those looking for a more general historical background, there is Giannalberto Bendazzi's Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cartoon Animation. Bendazzi, who worked on the book for a decade, examines the origins and key figures of every country. Cartoons has rightfully become essential reading for anyone interested in animation.
Animation Now (Taschen) is a lavishly illustrated introduction to many important contemporary animators and studios. While Animation Now lacks much engaging writing (most of the text is biographical and doesn't give the reader enormous insight into the creators and their work), the paperback version does come with a DVD.
Like Animation Now, Animation Unlimited: Innovative Short Films Since 1940 (by Liz Faber and Helen Waters) is another excellent primer that includes a DVD. The book focuses on 50 landmark independent animation films. Again, the writing is minimal, favouring large, colourful images.
Naturally, I've just skimmed the surface of animation writing. There are hundreds of books out there covering the various facets of animation (e.g., bios, technical, thematic, country histories), but for anyone interested in delving beyond the screen, the aforementioned books will provide a thorough and thoughtful guide through the rich and surprising history of the art of animation.
