Noelani

The Private Shufu series uses humor to engage new soldiers by illustrating the mistakes a clumsy soldier might make and what not to do, followed by sarcastic narration that points out those mistakes. In this short film, Private Snafu neglected all his machinery and he edns up captured by a Nazi. The animators use exaggerated drawings of the weapons failing for comedic effect while narrators joke about them to make the lesson easier to understand.

It’s most likely his series also aimed to encourage people to join the army, displaying the environment of the military in a light-hearted and comedic tone, leaving out the realities of war and the damage it did to many people.

Post WWII, Western countries like the US and Canada did not need to rebuild their economies, so most animation focused heavily on individual success and consumerism. This is apparent in the vast majority of film studies that received most of their profits from commercials and TV advertisements alongside fantasy and adventure-based long-length feature films. To draw people’s attention, Western animation adapted a very colorful aesthetic featuring simplistic drawings, dynamic movement, emotional storytelling, and themes of heroism and personal achievement. Postwar prosperity in Western animation was often depicted as having achieved or protected “The American Dream”. Many large film companies, such as Disney, also created popular franchises and merchandise to profit from the growing consumer demand. Ultimately, Western animation was used as a form of entertainment and capitalist propaganda.

In contrast, Eastern countries such as the Soviet Union focused on the importance of collective labor, workers, and the success of a socialist system of government. Narratives in Eastern animation mainly depicted economic struggle and progress under socialism. Because these themes were structured around realism rather than escapism, like in the West, aesthetics such as colors were muted, and drawings were more detailed to convey political messages that would inspire and educate the working class. Eastern animation was largely government-funded, so film studios’ main focus was on communist propaganda and educational content. Ultimately, Eastern animation was used to promote ideologically thinking rather than profit.

In “Rooty Toot Toot,” the use of color drives the mood and the perspective from which the story is told. The movements and general shapes of the characters also give us an understanding of their personalities and how they move the story forward. In the beginning, the colors are a series of muted browns and reds as Frankie, the accused, and her lawyer, Honest John McCrook, are introduced, meanwhile, blues and grays are with the bartender and the mistress, Nelly Bly. The red of Frankie’s dress could also symbolize blood on her hands. In the lawyer’s story, she’s depicted in a white dress, which is seen as a pure and clean color, which furthers the lawyer’s narrative that she’s innocent when she was not. When it comes to the movements, they do an excellent job of establishing the characters. For example, the way Frankie walks like a ballerina, delicate and remorseful, gives us the impression that she too just just a victim. The overall drawings were simple, not too much detail to be hard to animate, but enough to see the character environment around them. The jury especially did not move much, yet each had individual features that added a layer of personality to the background itself. All these elements allowed for effective storytelling and have compelling themes of deceptive and comedy.

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.

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.