Journal Entry – Week 8

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.

The film was subversive to the communist government simply because they were highly offended by it. The hand was supposed to be the oppressive government enforcing its opinions and rules on the main character, who represented the people and the creator of this film himself. The struggles of trying to freely express their creativity is clearly shown when the main character is trying to fight off the hand while it continues to mess with his clay pot.

Prompt 1

The differences are quite pronounced. In Western culture, the styles of animation are diverse and dynamic, often influenced by the rhythm of music and sound. They can range from energetic and lively to calm and serene, serving various artistic purposes. Western animation often employs minimalistic backgrounds to highlight character movements and emotions or detailed ones to emphasize specific aspects of the story or style. Characters are designed with intense personalities to create depth, and aesthetically, any artistic style can be embraced to enhance the animation and narrative. There are few restrictions on creativity, even in the face of political scrutiny. Big film companies actively support the production of both short and feature-length animated films, primarily for entertainment and profit. In some Western countries, tax revenue is also used to fund animated films aimed at educating the public.

In contrast, Eastern animation focuses more on education than entertainment. It often takes an abstract approach, emphasizing the narrative through artistic means. The creative aspects are beautiful, with a tendency to innovate techniques. However, they are restricted because some governments don’t accept artistic freedom. The lack of it is remarkable. Some Eastern animated works contain elements of communist ideology, which can influence viewers’ beliefs. The creation of animation in this context has a strong focus on political or ideological narratives. The money support for these movies comes from the governments, instead of private companies.

Jiří Trnka’s short film “The Hand”(1965) was seen as subversive by the Czechoslovakia’s community party at the time, due to the hand in the film being seen as an oppressive entity that exerts their expression over the main character, which can be seen as an allegory for the oppressive Czech government exerting their own opinions over artist like Jiří and hindering their creativity. This can be seen in the actions of the hand within the film, such as when the hand barged in uninvited and changed the main character’s clay pot into a clay hand, and would break his clay pots when he refused to conform to the hand’s ideas.

The Czech government refused to distribute Jiří Trnka’ s short film “The Hand” (1965). Why do you think the film was seen as subversive by the communist government at the time?

I think the Czech government didn’t like The Hand because it was basically calling them out. The big hand in the film forces the artist to make things he doesn’t want to, which feels like a metaphor for how the government tried to control artists and what they could create. It was a quiet way of pushing back against censorship, so the government probably saw it as a threat and didn’t want people to see it.

Jiří Trnka’s The Hand (Ruka, 1965) was seen as subversive by the Czechoslovak communist government because it was a thinly veiled critique of authoritarian control and censorship. The film tells the story of a simple artist who just wants to create his own work, but a giant hand—representing power and authority—constantly pressures him to sculpt what it demands. As the hand’s tactics escalate from persuasion to force, the artist is ultimately destroyed, and his death is repackaged as a state-approved tribute. For the communist government, the message was unmistakable. The film was a reflection of what many artists in Czechoslovakia were experiencing—constant interference, ideological restrictions, and the looming threat of punishment if they didn’t conform. The fact that Trnka, an internationally respected animator, was making this statement made it even more dangerous in the eyes of the authorities. They couldn’t allow a film that so clearly criticized the system to circulate, so they banned it.

The film was seen as subversive by the community government at the time due to the fact that they do not seem to agree with the government. It was seen or perceived as an anti-authoritarian symbolism and went against what they wanted or their beliefs/idea.