Tyree McQueen

One of my favorite modern-day adaptations of shonen manga produced and serialized in the 1980s-90s, Hiroko Araki’s ” Jojo Bizarre Adventure,” comes to mind when thinking of product placement within an animated series. This series is no stranger to incorporating certain brands and commodities into its plot, whether through smartly displayed backdrop art or the designs of the original characters. Hiroko Araki, the creator of Jojo, has always been known for his artistic eye and love of fashion, and this aspect of his personality really does shine through the distinctive and captivating style of his many illustrated characters, which made his work easily distinguished and authentic; considering that most of the apparel and styles he encompasses within his characters designs are inspired from socially significant reference materials such as Versace, Moschino, and even Vogue. Funny enough, in 2013 there were marketing visuals for GUCCI’s spring fashion line that included Araki’s Jojo characters donning Gucci clothing, shoes, and accessories. Araki even created two special one-shot mangas that feature Jolyne Cujoh, the female protagonist of Part 6, and Rohan Kishibe, a supporting character from Part 4, embarking on journeys that incorporate Gucci-related items, definitively establishing this fashion brand as canon within this fictional universe. Some of the designs were also included in the anime’s promotion, which was a brilliant marketing move given the fact that the anime adaptation was still relatively new at the time. Believe me when I say that the anime was no stranger to product placement either. In 2016, for Part 4 segment of the story, near the climax there is a visible billboard in the back, advertising the soft drink Pepsi. Even before the present anime version, an older Ova special for Part 3 in 1993 used the same advertising tactic but instead used a 7UP billboard.

UPA studios employs a variety of distinctive forms and design choices in “Rooty Tooty Took,” which not only adds eccentricity and vitality to the animation but also complements the narrative being delivered. At first sight of the animated short, I was struck by the visual styles of the characters, which appeared to be heavily influenced by art deco and modernism. This may be seen in the geometric, streamlined shapes of the characters since the majority of the aforementioned characters are quite angular and have a smooth-lined, sleek appearance, as well as the bold, polychromatic hues utilized to accentuate the characters, as well as the background setting. Given the prominence of art deco, impressionism, and modernism in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly during the roaring ’20s, it’s understandable why the symmetrical and linear characters and settings inspired by said era are accompanied by swing jazz-inspired music that both sets the tone for the animation and serves as a storytelling mechanic.   With music playing a significant factor in the tale being told, it’s clear why the authors chose this strategy; it adds auditory sensation and enjoyment of the experience, as well as assisting in emphasizing the comedy of the short. Even just looking at the characters’ movements; since their models are much more condensed and simplified, they can express much more fluid and smooth movement. It’s a good thing that their minimalist designs contribute significantly to this; if they were more detailed, I’m not sure if the impact would be the same. The short’s distinctive look is as expressive and endearing as any animation from this era, but what makes “Rooty Tooty Took” so unique is that it uses its style to illustrate the action and witty humor conveyed throughout the story, and the geometric, angular forms characteristic of art deco designs assist a lot in emphasizing said the characters’ actions, and also help shape the short’s overall tone, Through these inventive and modernity designs, UPA animation really did know how to proffer the future potentiality of what could be accomplished through the medium of animation.

Both films, “Bust the Axis,” a stop motion animated feature directed by American puppeteer Lou Bunin, and “Momotarō no Umiwashi,” a traditional 2D Japanese animated feature produced by studio Geijutsu Eigasha, depict their adversaries in an incompetent, foolish manner, not only to primarily influence their audience but also to advance their war agenda. For example, in “Bust the Axis,” the Axis power leaders, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo are depicted as inept, dull-witted individuals who appear to lack competence in their high-ranking positions and are ultimately viewed as the war’s “laughing stocks,” with the film going as far as to show the United Nations exploiting their incompetence and winning the war as a result. “Momotarō no Umiwashi” takes a similar approach to this form of propaganda. This is demonstrated bluntly with the Japanese soldiers being depicted as these attractive and astute soldiers, while the East Indies were depicted as these facetiously perverse long-haired monkeys, evoking their naive and simple nature as indigenous people, as well as British soldiers with exaggerated features such as large eyes, gargantuan noses, and lanky limbs. For “Bust the Axis,” I truly believe that stop motion adds a whole new dimension to the puppeteered figures and helps define the characters’ actions. With stop motion puppets, their movements are much more deformed and janky, which contributes significantly to their portrayal as facetious and incompetent, owing in part to their motion. The 2D animation in “Momotarō no Umiwashi” is no exception in the terms of defining the characters through their animation techniques. The fluidity and smoothness of the animated sections with the Japanese soldiers, particularly the dramatic close-up shots, help portray the soldiers in their tale as these “noble, stoic” types, while everyone else is deemed an impediment to their war efforts.

In Walt Disney’s 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie,” sound is employed to emphasize the activities of the eponymous character Mickey by imbuing him with personality and enhancing the storyline itself. Songs used to enhance the story have always been a staple of Walt Disney Animations, particularly with their animated short series “Silly Symphony,” and just as those shorts flawlessly combined visual effects and music to define their characters’ emotions and dispositions, Steamboat Willie did the same with its unique narrative plot structured around an intriguing musical choice. Not only does the music in “Steamboat Willie” serve as one of the earliest sequenced cartoons to incorporate sound, but it also serves as an integral advancement within the animation industry.  There have been numerous animated shorts with synchronized sound and animation in the past, but what made “Steamboat Willie” so distinctive was the fervent and vivacious personality of the Mickeys’ character, with the music assisting in conveying his mischievous, fun-loving nature as he ventures through the uproarious world in which he is portrayed in. This is also true for all of the other supporting characters. The numerous diverse cadences and distinct melodies utilized to introduce new characters not only assist distinguish them from our eponymous character but also help them develop their own sense of identity. For instance, with Minnie’s introduction rushing to the boat, it’s a considerably higher-pitched rendering of Mickey’s introduction. It demonstrates that, despite the gender difference, she is an extension of Mickey herself,  not quite her own character yet, and appears to envy Mickey’s playful attitude, demonstrating their similar nature and special relationship.

Both early methods of animation, Emile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie (1908) and Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), employ a conventional hand-drawn technique of 2D line animation comprised of hundreds of drawings that portray the art of movement. A distinction from Cohl’s approach is that, rather than compiling each frame and shooting it on negative film, McKay’s animation included background objects and scenery, indicating that he not only considered continuity for something other than his character movement but also took a more mounted approach when adding frames. Fantasmagorie has much more of a faster tempo, displaying much more absurdist movements, whereas Gertie the Dinosaur took a much slower pace, allowing the viewer to settle into the environment while slowly introducing the titular features of Gertie, given that she was a much more realistic character.

Both animations take a novel approach to storytelling, relying on techniques such as interactive storytelling, whether it be interacting with objects on the screen or even with the narrator/audience members themselves. Fantasmagorie features a fast-moving stickman interacting with a few objects, continually shifting and reshaping to fit the new setting. This animation has a familiar feel to it, being originally inspired by the fantasmograph, lanterns that projected shadows onto the walls, which explains the video’s general visual and somber ambiance. Gertie did use a similar method of interacting with her environment, but McCay took a unique approach by having the narrator act as her handler, commanding the puerile Gertie to perform all sorts of tricks and maneuvers, which added a sense of realism to the character, which really convinced you that this 2d creation was a living, breathing organism among us.