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“The Hand” (1965) by Jiří Trnka would probably been seen as subversive by the communist government because at the time of the film the soviet invasion was happening, the soviets didnt love the type of free thinking the film in their minds would help with the resistance. The film drew power from its metaphor of the relationship between the artist and the state. This view scared the communists. The portrayal of the State to Artist relation was a critique of totalitarianism and all the visual symbolism made the state scared for the strength of their control of artistic expression. The large hand in the film was scary and represented oppression, the artists home is shown as a cage and the characters where manipulated by strings, all these visuals meant to scare the people into seeing what was really happening. They communist party obviously would want that, it makes them look so bad.

In “Bust the Axis” (UK/US, 1943) and “Momotarō no Umiwashi” (“Momotaro’s Sea Eagles,” Japan, 1943) the animation dehumanizes the enemy. It makes them look like bumbling fools, still dangerous enough to fight but weak enough to beat. The animation is exaggerated with crazy stereotypes, they mock cultures to create a big distinction between “us” and them.

In “Bust the Axis” (UK/US, 1943) the enemy is Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. They are portrayed is idiots. The Axis is almost incompetent and just bad at theres jobs, they animate them courtly running away at times. Stereotypically Hirohito has some crazy racist East Asian facial features (squinted eyes, buck teeth, glasses). They made Hitter crazy and his mustache hilarious and Hirohito as way too fat. They animate the enemy as laughable and cowardice. They are easily beaten and lack any form of dignity. Their animation wile simple it’s just mean to the enemy. They look and act stupid.

In “Momotarō no Umiwashi” (“Momotaro’s Sea Eagles,” Japan, 1943) the enemy is American and the British but at times it means like it’s really just the west. They are depicted of twisted demons with great technology that they only use for even. They are drawn as animals (bears and bluebirds). Stereotypically their Western characteristics consist of big heavy builds and big nosed. They act like animals who are lazy or drunk. The animators make them very ugly with dark color pallets, they also make them also incompetent. They are never ready for an attack, They are arrogant and un coordinated and just like Bust the Axis” (UK/US, 1943) they are depicted as very weak.

Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) and Émile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie (1908) represent two early approaches to animation, each demonstrating unique stylistic and technical choices. Despite their differences, both films share foundational characteristics, such as the use of hand-drawn animation, black-and-white line work, and a focus on movement. However, their approaches to storytelling, background usage, and line quality set them apart. One of the most striking differences between the two films is the treatment of line work. Fantasmagorie employs thin, sketchy, constantly shifting lines, creating a fluid, dreamlike quality. Objects morph seamlessly from one form to another, reinforcing the film’s surreal nature. In contrast, Gertie the Dinosaur features more defined and consistent line work, particularly in the depiction of Gertie herself. The animation strives for a sense of weight and realism, evident in how Gertie moves and interacts with her environment. Background usage further distinguishes the two films. Fantasmagorie has minimal background detail, often allowing the space to shift or disappear entirely, contributing to its abstract and experimental aesthetic. In contrast, Gertie the Dinosaur maintains a stable background featuring a rocky landscape, anchoring the character’s actions in a defined space. This approach enhances the illusion that Gertie exists within a physical environment rather than floating in an undefined void. 

Winsor McCay’s “Gertie the Dinosaur” and Emile Cohl’s “Fantasmagorie” are both innovative breakthroughs in the history of animation in their unique ways. most modern animations made today are created with a linear pipeline like “make thing move!”, “make thing keep form!”, while that is widely accepted, it can easily be repetitive. Mr McCay and Cohl do something quite different.

Before any sort of video game was invented, Winsor McCay created a hand-drawn animation that would give us a first look into how we’d interact with a stylized environment in real-time. Well.. to some extent. “Gertie the Dinosaur” is the name of this hand-drawn animated film, where we’re taken to a world of pre-historic times to meet a tall friend of Winsor McCay, Gertie. When the film originally premiered Mr McCay would be on a stage next to the film for the whole film, why? Because McCay would be interacting with Gertie, asking Gertie to make gestures and obey his animator. It feels surreal and legit but the way this was done was innovative. The animation of Gertie and the animation’s environment would be choreographed well to the point where Mr. McCay’s actions can seamlessly be synced up with the timing of the animation. The animation’s environment/background had to be redrawn each frame, this was before the invention of cell animation where you can keep a consistent background.

Emile Cohl’s “Fantasmagorie” also is an early hand-drawn animated film, similar to “Gertie the Dinosaur” where you’re immersed in an other-worldly environment, you’re taken too.. various things. Unlike “Gertie the Dinosaur”, there’s not really a clear narrative or story going on, it is just a bunch of actions and morphs happening all at once, and fast. There doesn’t seem to be a background present in the film at all because of said morphs (it could’ve been really hard to do). But I guess a common trope between “Fantasmagorie” and “Gertie the Dinosaur” gives you a vision of things that aren’t possible in the real world.