Journal Entry – Week 11 (long paper outline)

I’m using the short, “One Piece: Fan Film” for my presentation. I want to tackle this mainly due to the creative process that the directors of the animation used to push the motifs, themes, and overall story to the world they are working in. The story focuses heavily on the idea of the people in the world, being impacted by the people who are the primary pieces of this fictional world.

I will be researching the backstory of the directors, and how their experiences/work impacted the execution of this film, and the message of it

I will be doing Flow (2024) for my final presentation. I chose Flow primarily for the delivery of its story that combines both surrealism and emotional realism. The overall aesthetic of the film, through its fluid, painterly animation style, caught my attention because it effectively showcases the emotional state of a cat. The accompanying soundtrack with its mostly instrumental movement aligns nicely and magnifies the film’s introspective intimacy which made it interesting to engage with as a source of analysis.

Outline of Research and Analysis

Narrative Structure: brief synopsis and thematic exploration of the film

Visual and Sound Design: Discussion of the animation processes utilized, the colour in visual design and sound designs, if any, to achieve narrative and structure effect.

Context and Production:

Director, studio, and key creators

Production timeline and budget

Distribution and reception

Relation to Animation History:

To previous animated works discussed in class.

From other media: i.e., painting, live-action, comics.

Any advances made in animation style or technique.

Personal Analysis:

Based on my interpretation of what I took away message or significance was and my assessment of how effective it was.

I’m using the film “The Mitchells vs The Machines” for my presentation. The film was a great idea for this because of its creative approach to animation, blending 2D and 3D elements to create a very unique style of animation. The story was great: a modern dysfunctional family trying to defend against the robot apocalypse, with several references to pop culture and modern-day issues, and relating to teenagers and adults worldwide.

I will be researching the creative elements of the film, as well as the animation style used, it’s connections to the modern day lifestyle and culture, and its influence from problems that have recently come up.

I will be doing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure(2012) as my final presentation I’m drawn to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mainly because of its unique and expressive art style. Unlike most anime, JoJo isn’t afraid to experiment with bold colors, stylized shading, and character design. It also explores themes like fate, legacy, masculinity, and moral grayness through flamboyant and genre-defying storytelling. Im also drawn due to its use of Stands as externalized powers, The show’s bold fashion, striking poses, surreal color palettes, and influence from Western music and fashion make it very unique.

Things to Research/Analyze:

1. Art style evolution across different parts (Phantom Blood to Stone Ocean)’
2. Stand concept as a metaphor for identity and power
3. Joestar family legacy and generational storytelling
4. Cultural references (fashion, music, classic art)
5. Fashion and character design as storytelling tools
6. Themes of masculinity and emotional expression
7. Use of on-screen text
8. Narrative pacing and structure of each part
9. Use of color theory and surreal lighting
10. JoJo’s role in popularizing anime globally
11. Influence from Western horror, sci-fi, and philosophy
12. Exploration of morality and villain complexity
13. Symbolism in Stand names and powers
14. Impact on other anime and media

 

I will be focusing on Steven Universe for my final project. I am drawn to Steven Universe because I have a lot of fond memories watching the show growing up, and I would like to return to it.  I am specifically drawn to the shows depiction of queer relatonships as this is something that was very rare in animated teliviosion prior to this show, as well as its handling of topics like mental illness, and oppressive regimes.

Overview

What is Steven Universe about generally? (short description of events in the series)

Who worked on Steven Universe?/Where was it broadcast?

(Cartoon Network/Rebecca Sugar)

What did the creators work on previously to Steven Universe?

(Adventure Time)

Where was it produced?

What animation Techniques are used?

What does the animation style resemble?

What are some influences on Steven Universe?

Context

How was Steven Universe received when it came out?

How does the show handle queer relationships and why is this important in the time that it was released? (2013-2017)

How does the show handle abusive relationships?

What was happening politically during the 2010s?

How was Steven Universe received by audiences and critics?

What was popular in animation at the time?

Analysis

Why was the 5th season “rushed”?

What do i think about the way that the show handles Queer relationships?

What are some issues that i have with the animation?

What are the influences for Steven Universe, and how are they represented through the series?

It has taken inspiration from Steven Universe since its release.

How has Steven Universe changed the way that queer relationships are depicted in cartoons moving forward.

What are some choices in the show i would have liked to see done differently?

The Amazing World of Gumball Presentation Outline 

The Amazing World of Gumball is a British-American animated series created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. The story centers around Gumball Watterson, a sarcastic and energetic blue cat, and his sweet yet goofy adoptive brother Darwin, a goldfish who grew legs. Together, they go through tons of funny, random, and sometimes chaotic situations in the fictional town of Elmore. The show is full of different characters, all with weird but fun personalities. It’s honestly one of the things that makes the show so fun to watch. The tone of the show is mostly humorous and light-hearted, but sometimes it does touch on more emotional or serious themes in clever ways. The animation is wild since it combines 2D hand-drawn styles, CGI, photos, puppets, and even real-life footage. And the sound design matches the energy perfectly, from exaggerated cartoon sound effects to subtle moments in emotional scenes.

Ben Bocquelet created the show while working for Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe in London around 2007, and it officially premiered in 2011. What’s really interesting is that the idea came from a bunch of rejected characters Ben had made for advertising projects. Instead of throwing them away, he used them to build this mixed-up world. Ben was born on June 28 1980 in Paris, France. Ben studied animation at EMCA, a well-known animation school in France. Before Gumball, he worked at Studio AKA(a studio that is known for its high-quality animation for commercials, TV, and short films) in London, and Boquelet was mostly on commercial animations, which helped him develop his style and experience. He originally pitched Gumball as a show about rejected cartoon characters going to school, but Cartoon Network thought that idea was too dark. So he changed it into a fun family show using those same characters.

Gumball is super unique when it comes to how it looks. It mixes so many different animation techniques all in one show and it’s honestly kind of chaotic in the best way. The creators used Adobe Flash (now Animate), Maya for 3D, After Effects, and even Photoshop to blend real-life photos into the backgrounds. So, one scene might have a 2D character talking to a 3D character on a real photo of a street. It sounds messy, but they made it work really well. The show was animated mostly in London with a large team behind it, not just Ben. There were animators, storyboard artists, editors, designers, and voice actors all working together. I’ll be showing a short video clip that gives a quick look at how the characters go from sketches to finished animations. Seeing the team work together helped me realize just how complex animation is behind the scenes. Other shows produced at Cartoon Network’s UK studio during this period include several spinoffs and the development of shows like Adventure Time and Regular Show.

The show officially ended in 2019 after six seasons. Ben Bocquelet, the creator, had actually said back in 2016 that he was planning to leave the show. He felt like it was time to move on and try new things, especially after working on Gumball for so many years, so he decided to take a break. Even though the last episode ended on a cliffhanger, it wasn’t supposed to be the end. Ben had plans for a movie to give the show a proper ending. That movie is now in the works, and there’s also a new season coming, which is exciting because it means he came back to continue the story. 

However, It got critical praise and won several awards, including BAFTAs, which are basically like the British version of the Emmys. It was commercially successful and gained a big fanbase around the world. It didn’t just stay a TV show, it expanded to merchandise, games, and even talks of a movie. What’s cool is how it pushed the limits of what a cartoon could look like and how many different influences it could include. Actually, Gumball ended up inspiring other animated shows too. For example, the mix of animation styles and fast-paced, meme-style humor can be seen in newer shows like The Owl House, Teen Titans Go!, and Amphibia. These shows also blend goofy, internet-style jokes with deeper emotional moments, kind of like Gumball did. Right now, the show is available to stream on Max (formerly HBO Max), Hulu, Disney+ , Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Personally, I’ve always found The Amazing World of Gumball to be such a creative and unique show. What drew my attention the most is how it mixes so many different animation styles, from 2D to 3D, even live-action and somehow makes it all blend together perfectly. It’s fun, unpredictable, and super imaginative. The humor is really clever too; it’s not just for kids, a lot of the jokes are smart or based on internet culture, which I appreciate more now that I’m older. Working on this presentation made me realize how much work actually goes into a show like this. It’s not just one person drawing characters, there’s a whole team behind the scenes doing voice acting, storyboarding, animating, editing, and more. I also really respect the creator, Ben Bocquelet, for turning something as random as rejected ad characters into a show that ended up winning awards and inspiring a lot of people. Overall, I think Gumball deserves a lot of credit for pushing boundaries in animation. It’s not afraid to be weird, emotional, or real, and that’s what makes it so special to me, and my reason for its influences on me to be the way I am nowadays. 

Work cited 

Lightbox. “Ben Bocquelet, Creator of The Amazing World of Gumball – Lightbox Interview.” YouTube, uploaded by Channel Frederator, 7 Oct. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swxzs2NRpDI. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Cartoon Network UK. “The Amazing World of Gumball | Animation Breakdown | Cartoon Network.” YouTube, 17 Aug. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9bFXKOJKvk. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Cartoon Network UK. “Behind the Scenes | The Amazing World of Gumball | Cartoon Network.” YouTube, 9 May 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=u72JmdAyjKc. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Wikipedia contributors. “The Amazing World of Gumball.” Wikipedia, 17 Apr. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_World_of_Gumball#Reception. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Zahed, Ramin. “Gumball Begins Reign of Color.” Animation Magazine, 29 May 2011, https://www.animationmagazine.net/2011/05/gumball-begins-reign-of-color/. Accessed 8 April. 2025

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I chose this film because since I saw it for the first time as a child and until today when I watch it again, I always understand something new that I didn’t realize before, and I love its strange and uncensored characters, and how its background music and songs make it more exciting and suspenseful. I chose it for its animation technique, its dark and sarcastic tone, for its music, the design of its characters, and because, for a Disney movie, it is very dark and scary and Disney doesn’t make this kind of movies nowadays.

I’m going to focus on researching the animation technique and how it was created, the creator of the music, the designer of the characters, whether or not it had a big impact after its release, and a brief summary about Tim Burton and his other great works.

Once Upon a Studio (2023)

I chose this short film because it is the first major hand-drawn animated Walt Disney Animation Studios project since 2011’s Winnie the Pooh and celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Furthermore, we get to see different animation styles & designs interact, which means a lot of collaboration between animation talents was needed for this short to be made.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

I chose this film because I really like Spider-Man as a character and this movie is outstanding. It has great visuals and great writing and it’s animation techniques are very unique and interesting throughout the film.

I will focus on the animation techniques used, the historical context, and the influence that the film has.

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:

1. Intro:
   • Short summary of the movie
   • Why I chose the film
2. 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
3. Production:
   • How it was made
   • Use of visual design
4. Legacy/Influence:
   • How has this film influenced/inspired other films
   • Was it successful or not?
5. Conclusion:
   • How is this movie still relevant or worth watching today?

Belladonna of Sadness

Im drawn to this film because I think its is wonderfully shocking, Its also not amazing like I cant say its the best movie ever but its story is just so long and has so many mature themes what get drawn. Scenes also seem too long at times paired this disturbing music and also just disturbing themes. It is also beautiful I love the technical style and what colors they use and how scenes switch from one to another.

I want to focus on reaserching-

Historical context tied in with Thematic elements

Basic production information and Legacy/Influence

Visual style/Music and sound design

I LOVE “Fantastic Planet”. I would describe the style as brights and futuristic, round soft surrounding objects what are all very unreal and surreal. I think its obviously not make for a youth audience like Ralph Bakshi’s work and “Yellow Submarine” because, and maybe I am biased because I have watched it. Its themes are very surreal takes on society and how small people really are, the conservation of information and education and how it can build and break down societies. I love this movie its so pretty everything is so pretty and our main characters are so cute and easy to root for.