Reflect Presentation

For my final presentation at the end of the year, I was to reflect on my year and what I have gotten from the last months of university. It has definitely been a very intense year, but one of the best I have ever had.

When I moved away from London, I wanted to get away from the expense of the city and living with my parents. Independence is important to me, and I really wanted to experience it.

This year I feel like I have gained such an appreciation for animated works outside of mainstream movies. I have been able to see so many during Manchester Animation Festival, as well as ones that friends and tutors have shown me. I have learned that there is no one good way to tell a story, and no singular best style to animate in.

I also really enjoyed going to MAF and Tokyo, both trips that opened my mind and eyes up to all kinds of possibilities. Tokyo allowed me to enjoy a different culture, while still gaining some relevant animation experience at the Studio Ghibli Museum. I also really loved going abroad with friends, and getting to be with people on my course outside of Leeds. Plus, I had always wanted to visit Japan and this was a fantastic way to get to see the country.

On the down side, I feel like my weaknesses this year have mostly been based around my time management. While at the beginning of the year I really struggled with having to cope with this new workload, I do feel like I now understand how to deal with it. Still, I have been burning out nearing deadlines and this hasn't been very good for my mental health at all. Instead of burning out and working myself incredible hard, I should make sure that I am working consistently, not constantly.

I also have trouble with comparing my work to others'. I end up seeing my own work as not as good as other people's, which is not really true at all, and instead I should really be focusing on how I can improve mine and gain inspiration.

I need to start sketching more, taking in real life rather than always drawing from reference images. This will allow my skills in anatomy and backgrounds to improve, and this is something I plan to do over summer.

Overall, it has been a brilliant year, and I have leaned so much about animation and myself. I really look forward to gaining further insight when the term resumes in September.

Tom Siddell's Gunnerkrigg Court

One of my favourite comics is the long-running webcomic Gunnerkrigg Court, by Tom Siddell. I've been a fan of this comic for years now, since I was about 12, and I actually attended my first comic convention (which happened to be Thought Bubble in Leeds) to meet Siddell. Since then, I've met him various time at various conventions, to the point where he has begun to recognise me, which is pretty cool.

The comic itself follows a girl named Antimony, who starts attending a very strange boarding school, filled with magic and robots. I personally adore the art style, and it's really interesting to see how it has changed over the years. It has been running for 12 years now, since 2005.

While the pages are a lot more visually stunning now compared to when the comic began, and are a lot more realistic, my favourite point of the art style was when I got into it, and the main character looked something like this.

I suppose I like this style so much because it has influenced my own drawing style quite heavily. I love the simple block colours, the bold lines, and these are all things I have in my own work. Obviously art styles change, and for Siddell, drawing these comics all the time meant that his style developed quite rapidly. I hope that I can change mine too, to become more detailed and with more interesting lineweight. 

Anastasia aka the perfect movie

Ok so it's time to gush a bit. Last year my musical theatre nut friend Libby showed me the movie Anastasia, and I'll be damned if this isn't a near-perfect movie.

Don Bluth creates the world of early 20th century Russia, on the edges of revolution. The way the story builds and slowly reveals truths is compelling throughout, and there is never a dull moment.

One thing I really love about this movie is it's incredible soundtrack. I have written about this before, but the theatrics of each and every song is breathtaking. The opening song is a classic ensemble number, straight out of a Broadway show. There is every typical song - the "I Want" in the form of Journey to the Past, the badass villain song In the Dark of the Night which is just the best song. It has key changes and everything.

It's little wonder, then, that the movie was turned into a stage show in the last year, which was quickly transferred to Broadway and is lined up for a world tour. The theatrics of the movie honestly give me chills, and the movie does an excellent job of putting songs in when they are needed - to give meaning and open us up to the characters' lives, rather than being awkwardly slotted in as it does tend to feel in some newer Disney movies (let's just say, Shiny was not a necessary song in Moana...)

Bee and Puppycat

One show that I've really admired the style of for a while is Bee and Puppycat. It is a webseries, on Cartoon Hangover. The style of it is inspired by Sailor Moon and Japanese 90s anime, mixed with western-style modern 2D animation. 

One of my favourite things about the show is the costume design. The designs are simple but incredibly appealing, and the colour scheme ties in well with the rest of the show.

The outfits emphasise Bee's childlike personality, despite the fact she is supposed to be in her 20s. They are well-considered, and stick to a very kawaii style - relevant in Japanese culture.

Something else that is interesting about the show is the way it has progressed from pilot to final series. The show initially began as a pilot, and then through backing from supporters, got produced as a full webseries. The changes made in design are notable.

One change that was made that I am a big fan of is making Bee softer and rounder in appearance. She has quite thick legs, and is certainly a bigger girl. The varying body types in the show are very positive, and make a nice change from stick-thin girls of all the same body type, often seen in cartoons and animated movies. The other characters are just as varied - they have varying hair and clothing, and it's refreshing to see this. It's just a shame the show is only a webseries, and not airing on TV. 

The show also embraces a very anime-style for the backgrounds. Compare this background from one of the episodes to a background from traditional Japanese anime, and the similarities are not difficult to find. 

The detail in the backgrounds really adds to the character and charm of the show, and alludes to the characters' individual personalities when it comes to their rooms and homes.

Ultimately, this show stands out to me because of the style. It has been pleasant to see some character development in the new series, and I hope there is more of this, but right now it is definitely the aesthetic and design that stands head and shoulders above the plot.

The Prince of Egypt

One of my favourite animated movies is The Prince of Egypt. Released in 1998, the movie was the first traditionally animated movie released by Dreamworks.

The Prince of Egypt stands out for me amongst other animated films, as it doesn't shy away from being brutally honest. One scene that is particularly shocking is when God comes down to smite all the firstborns of Egypt. The wailing that can be heard through the city is heartwrenching, but it drives the plot forward and lends to further character development. Dreamworks does not shy away from being explicit in the representation of the Plagues, which makes them one of the most disturbing and powerful parts of the film.

In an industry where companies often shy away from such detail, The Prince of Egypt risks keeping it in for the story. I believe this to be a huge success, even if the movie is forgotten more now. The movie actually came about because Jeffery Katzenberg, while working for Disney, wanted to do an adaptation of the Ten Commandments, but it was refused by Michael Eisner. When Dreamworks was founded, the idea was brought back.

Another part of why I love this movie so much is the cinematography. There are so many scenes that carry significance in where characters are placed, and what is around them. My favourite is during the scene where Moses warns his brother to "let my people [the Hebrew slaves] go", in fear of the final plague - the death of the first borns - befalling Egypt. His brother stubbornly refuses, and the staging of his brother, the firstborn son of the Pharaoh, and Moses reflects their positions, and foreshadows the eventual death of the firstborn.

Moses stands under the Egyptian soldiers, who are throwing the firstborn of the Hebrews into the water - the same fate that would have befallen Moses had not his mother released him into freedom herself. Rameses, the brother, stands under the illustration of his father, who commanded the firstborns to death in fear the Hebrew population would grow too vast and take back control. Finally, Rameses' son stands underneath the damned babies, foreshadowing his eventual death from the same fate. 

The staging in this scene beautifully reflects the plot, and is just one of the reasons that The Prince of Egypt is a highly underrated film, in my opinion. 

Animal Crossing

One of the most beloved video games of my childhood and my now-hood is Animal Crossing. It came in various iterations on various devices, but the core values and gameplay is about the same.

One aspect of Animal Crossing that I have always loved is the escapism it provides. While real life is packed with stress and responsibility, the responsibilities in-game are minimal and without much consequence. If you want to pay off your mortgage to get a bigger house, you are free to do so, but there is no punishment if you don't. The incentive comes from whatever the player chooses to invest their time in.

Interestingly, the only things that could count as consequence in-game comes from taking things too fast. If you run everywhere, to get places quicker, the lush green grass begins to wear down and give way to the brown ground. Sometimes, you even fall over. If you don't visit your town regularly (the game performs in real-time), villagers may leave and weeds will grow, but they are easily plucked away.

Animal Crossing employs elements of popular Japanese culture, notably the concept of "kawaii". The characters, especially the playable main character, are "cute". They are rounded (especially in earlier games) with large eyes, often appear child-like. What's interesting is the way that "kawaii" deals with good and bad. Even the characters in Animal Crossing who are lazy or mean, are still cute. This is a direct contrast to how we perceive good and evil in the western world, with rounded shapes and big eyes meaning cute, and pointy, sharp edges with dark colours indicating evil.

Ultimately though, I think the main appeal of Animal Crossing is the freedom it allows. The objectives are loose, and the player is free to do as they please - be that plant a million apple trees or just spend all their Bells (in-game currency) on paintings.

How to Break the Fourth Wall

Breaking the fourth wall is a term for when a character or characters within a TV show, movie, video game etc. recognise that they are inside a piece of media, and address the viewer directly. This breaks the immersion, but it is seen often in animation.

In animation and most forms of media where it happens, the fourth wall is broken for comedic reasons. The Emperor's New Groove breaks the fourth wall in order to solidify character and plot. Kuzco literally freezes the movie in order to remind the audience that the movie is about him, and not about another character.

This provides a moment of comedic relief, but also reminds the audience that Kuzco is a self-obsessed narcissist, and that he doesn't want the audience to forget that the movie is all about himself. He also narrates the movie, further adding a layer of self-obsession to the narrative, and providing another connection between the audience and Kuzco. 

At the end of Aladdin, Genie lifts up the paper that has the animation on it, revealing the pegbar holes and paper number. This is an extremely meta form of breaking the fourth wall, as it not only acknowledges that they are in a movie, but specifically in an animated movie. This is sort of an in-joke for the animators as well, as most audiences may not know what the pegbar holes are. 

Aladdin breaks the fourth wall multiple times, with the peddlar at the beginning directly addressing the audience, even having his face pressed up against the "camera". Both the Genie and the peddlar are voiced by Robin Williams, a comedic actor, so this fourth-wall break is totally in-character for both the characters that do it.

Finally, I think it's important to address fourth-wall breaking in childrens' TV shows. In this case, more often than not, it is not done for comedic reasons but to establish a bond between character and child. In Dora the Explora, Dora and her friends often speak directly to the child watching in order to get them to interact with her, by asking questions such as "Can you see [x object]?" or "Can you say [word]?" This is for educational reasons, to encourage children to repeat things back in Spanish or recognise simple objects.