Today, one of the most popular Japanese animated TV shows in the US is One Piece by Oda Eiichiro. It belongs to the Shounen genre but has multiple subgenres, including fantasy, action, and adventure. The story follows a boy named Luffy, who wants to live a life of freedom and ventures out to sea as a pirate to find the legendary treasure, “the One Piece,” which would grant him the title, King of the Pirates. During his journey, he gains many friends while also uncovering the dark secrets of the World Government, the ultimate authority within the One Piece universe. Because of its popularity, the TV series is available across several platforms, most notably Crunchyroll, which currently holds the licenses for streaming and home video in North America. I believe it resonates with American audiences because the show contains a lot of universal themes of systemic oppression, racism, and the pursuit of dreams and freedom. I also think it’s due to its diverse and memorable characters, along with a very unique art style. One Piece is most popular in Japan and has been since the manga was released in 1997, which is insane but also a testament to how influential and inspiring it is decades later.
Noelani
5 posts
Wall-E (2009) by Pixar
I was drawn to this film for its story and the quality of the art, as well as the producer’s creative direction to use an inorganic character like a robot when talking about the total deterioration of Earth. It wasn’t uncommon to have films like this growing up that used family-centric movies to warn us about where our future would be heading, but the way the movie was so in your face about what would happen if we choose to continue neglecting our world stuck with me as a kid. I also found it interesting how expressive they made characters despite not having full facial features
Researching/Analyzing:
- Intro:
- Short summary of the movie
- Why I chose the film
- Themes:
- Climate change and the revelance of creating a movie with this message
- sub-theme of love
- The use of inanimate objects rather then people to grab the audience’s attention
- Climate change and the revelance of creating a movie with this message
- Production:
- How it was made
- Use of visual design
- Legacy/Influence:
- How has this film influenced/inspired other films
- Was it successful or not?
- Conclusion:
- How is this movie still relevant or worth watching today?
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) by Lotte Reininger
I was actually introduced to this film for the first time in middle school. It captivated me from the intricate details of the paper puppets to how expressive the movements and story telling was. I also love Reininger’s use of color and the style of the puppets themselves.
Introduction:
- The Adventures of Prince Achmed by Lotte Reininger is a retelling of one story from a collection of Middle Eastern folktales called, “One Thousand and One Nights”
Elements I will be researching/talking about
- The influence of the Bauhaus movement and Chinese puppet theater on Reininger’s work
- Her early career – pre-animation
- Public response to the film as well as current political events
- Reininger’s style – expressionism vs realism
- Distributor issues
- Her contribution to innovations in the multiplane camera and cel animation
- led to the multiplane camera, solidified by Disney
The main reason studios based early animated films on print comics was a lower financial risk. Printed comics like Felix the Cat were already increasingly popular and therefore recognizable to the general public. Creating animated films was expensive so if the audience was already available, they were more likely to turn up a profit than if they used all new characters or stories. The character’s familiarity also ensured that people would respond better to seeing a medium they did not have much. if any, exposure to beforehand.
Another reason animated films were based on comics was because of the visual aspect. Comics are a series of sequential drawings made to tell a story just as films are a series of moving photos. Since most animators were former illustrators and cartoonists, animation essentially created a smoother transition from one scene to another.
My name is Noelani. I picked this course because I feel that in order to be a good artist/animator/etc. you also need to know the history and advancements that have been made within art that brought us to where we are now–technologically or technically. The type of animation I’m most interested in 3D animation. As an artist who works solely in 2D, learning who 3D can and has been incorporated could help my own process in my own projects. I currently majoring in Animation and Motion Graphics at BMCC and plan to finish my BFA in Illustration at another college. My career goal is to be a concept artist and illustrator. I really see myself working in pre-production for films and games.
For some facts, I enjoy watching animated movies, nature documentaries, anime shows and reading manga. I’m very interested in mythology, culture and history and that inspires a lot of my art. I have a pet gecko named Redtop who is almost 16 years old. I also love fashion and like to dress up when I can.
