Genre (322-0-20)

Topic

History of Animation

Instructors

Scott Curtis

Meeting Info

Helmerich Auditorium: Tues, Thurs 1:00PM - 2:50PM

Overview of class

This course surveys the history of animation from its sparse beginnings in the 1900s to its pervasive presence in contemporary visual culture. It will cover influential cultural institutions of the silent era, such as stage performance and print comics, to see how animators adapted these for their new art. Then the commercialization of animation will receive an especially close look, starting with an examination of the industrial practices and themes of the Hollywood studios. The "limited animation" model that arose from the ashes of the studio animation units provides a glimpse into animation practices globally, from Japanese anime to Zagreb festival films to educational films of the Middle East. Modernist aesthetics, especially the idea of "visual music," will help to frame films from independent animators outside the studio system. Yet the studio and limited models also provide a framework for understanding the industrialization of computer animation from Flash to Maya.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• explain the major historical trends and modes of production in animation practice in written discussions of readings
• describe features of character design, layout, color, movement, and line in any given animation in written analyses of films
• describe the connection between common technologies, techniques, and modes of production to the formal features of any given animation in written analyses and oral presentations of regional animation
• describe the persistent challenges animators have faced throughout the history of animation and the various solutions they have implemented via written reflections on animation activities

Class Materials (Required)

Maureen Furniss, A New History of Animation, second edition (Thames & Hudson, 2026). (ISBN-13: 9780500024096) $102

Class Attributes

SoC Humanities and Fine Arts Distro