Ghost in the Shell Assignment

              Matt Jones

                  Ghost in the Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995) is a science fiction anime set in futuristic Japan.  The film centers on Section 9, a division of the Department of Home Affairs, and their attempts to locate a hacker referred to as “The Puppet Master”.  The protagonist is a female cyborg named Major Motoko Kusanagi.  The fact that she is a female in a primarily male operation lends itself to examination of the role of gender in the film as a thematic or stylistic choice. 

                The first scene in which we see Motoko has her waiting outside a building, perched up high observing her targets.  She is seen crouched down, listening discussing the assignment with her squad.   When the time comes for her to complete her mission she disrobes, revealing an enhanced female body, covered in a skin tight, flesh-colored body suit which prominently displays her large breasts.  She then dives off the roof as the angle changes, looking up with her breasts filling a majority of the screen.  The scene shifts to the interior of the building as heavily armed police rush down the hallway and barge in on a small room lined with screens displaying an image of an aquarium.  An exchange occurs between the man in the room, a foreign ambassador and the head of the police operation, regarding a hacker’s desire to seek asylum in a foreign land.  Motoko’s voice is heard as the screens are shot out, and the ambassador is violently gunned down.  The police representative rushes to the window to see Motoko, clad in her skin-tight, flesh-colored suit falling from the building, with a grin on her face.  Seconds later she activates a thermal camouflage device and blends in with the cityscape as she falls. 

                This scene showcases Motoko as being two things: A very skilled agent and a very attractive female.  She is not only the stone-cold operative who carries out the mission with excellence, but she also does it with a huge does of sex appeal.  While it is refreshing to have a female heroine in Science Fiction who does more than her male counterparts, the message is very clear.  Motoko is the definition of perfection: she is smart, efficient, and most of all attractive.  Therefore, in order to measure up, the female viewer must find themselves not only as a tough-as-nails operative, but also a model-esque woman with physical traits that are impossible barring surgical intervention.  This fact is also hammered home by the fact that Motoko is a cyborg, scientifically and technologically enhanced in every conceivable way.  Her two main partners from Section 9 are the cyborg Batou and the human Ishikawa.  These two provide a stark contrast to Motoko, while both are shown as incredibly adept at their jobs their physicality is not shown on the same level as Motoko.  Batou, a cyborg has modified eyes and these are the only part of him that is discernibly enhanced other than his hulking frame, which is covered at all times, unlike Motoko whose curves are shown off throughout the film.  Ishikawa is shown as a human and is exceptional at a section populated by Cyborgs, the implication being a male can come closer to achieving this perfection naturally, whereas a female must have all the help available to her.  Much like Batou, Ishikawa remains modestly clothed throughout the film, his body hidden behind loose-fitting clothing. 

                If Motoko is to be viewed as a feminine hero, then one must make the assumption that there is no real opportunity for this in the real world.  Technological innovation not possible was the only way in which Motoko was able to achieve this perfection.  And if she is to be viewed simply as eye-candy, then it is an insult to the character and women in the real world.  If you are beautiful, smart, and good at your job, you will still be viewed as something nice to look at, nothing more.  Therefore, I believe that the film offers a poor exhibition of the function of gender.  

“Globalization in Animation: The Influence Between Japanese and American Animation”

Matt Jones

Post Nine

“Globalization in Animation: The Influence Between Japanese and American Animation”

While the trend of Globalization in media is nothing new, it can be exemplified in the convergence of animation between Japan and the United States.

A)           Luca Raffaelli in his essay comparing the animation of Disney, Warner Bros., and that produced in Japan offers examples of the similar aspects between them as well as key differences, as well as possible explanations for those differences. 

               

   Disney animation is typified by a reliance on sound to allow for an increased complexity and realism.  “Walt Disney realized that by investing a lot of money, artists, time, and effort he could revolutionize cartoons... Audiences will no longer merely laugh at their gags but, through them, will be moved, suffer, feel sympathy.”  (115)  Disney sought to do more than merely make his cartoons funny, he sought to make his cartoons relatable and as a result his creations, specifically Mickey Mouse became a beloved part of culture.  Disney characters were given a level of maturity and introspection that was missing from other animated characters.  Disney films offer a happy ending after the characters learn to work together against a common enemy.  The characters act serious, or as serious as they can in a film full of madcap adventures, and obeyed basic laws of physics (they may have fallen from great heights, but they still fell.

     

     In contrast, Warner Bros. cartoons featured characters who defied the laws of gravity and stopped in mid air.  The cartoons frequently drew attention to their artificiality by having a narrator or even characters address the audience, commenting on the cartoon that they inhabited.  And, as in the majority of animated films of the day, the films relied on conflict between characters to propel their story.  While Disney films had conflict in the form of an evil villain, the Warner Bros. cartoons relied on adversarial relationships between its main characters to set the story. 

    Finally, animated films produced in Japan feature characters who are orphans or without a family.  Technology  and children who must learn to obey the rules of society often play a major role. 

            

    In Brian Ruh’s essay, “Early Japanese Animation in the United States”, the author traces the history of Japanese animation and it’s exportation to the United States.  Early Japanese animation was heavily influenced by the animation that was being produced in America and in turn it was then exported to America.  The first Japanese animated film to be broadcast in the United States was shown on September 7^th, 1965 on WNEW.  The broadcast was altered with a narration that explained an accident as the result of a technologically advanced highway.  This was not present in the original show, as the Japanese culture was not afraid of technology, instead, the embraced it.  This could be a reason why so much of the animation produced in Japan heavily features futuristic technologies. 

                 

B.)          I watched a video that was kind of fun for this week.  It was a “mashup” containing the audio from the trailer for the Cohen Brothers film The Men Who Stare at Goats (Cohen Brothers, 2009) along with scenes from the anime series Full Metal Alchemist.  This mashup was created as a student’s final project. 

The video is actually very well done, as the character’s mouths are synced with the audio.  There is no real substance in the video, however, in light of the readings this week regarding the copting of animation between the United States and Japan.  

C)            To be completely honest, nothing was furthered regarding my paper this week.  Between an increased workload and an illness, my paper has remained at a stalemate.  

“Aesthetics in Animation: Sound in Motion in the Animated Film”

Matt Jones

Post Eight

“Aesthetics in Animation: Sound in Motion in the Animated Film”

Animation is torn between two aesthetic approaches, full and limited and each provide an opportunity for expression.

A)           The readings this week focused on the two distinct aesthetic approaches in animation, full and limited.  Full animation is focused on movement, with a minimum of recycled animation, whereas, limited animation reuses animations and is more reliant on sound and dialogue.  The reuse of animation is known as “cycling”, this process can be exhibited in animation produced for television, such as those from Hanna-Barbara.  As two characters chase after one another, their movements are looped and shown against a backdrop that is scrolling behind them on another loop. Full animation emphasizes the movements of the characters, going to great lengths to create a unique and original animation for every movement.  Characters move through the axes of the frame, gaining an almost three-dimensional quality to them.  Limited animation also makes use of camera movement which can mask the lack of movement exhibited by the characters.  Limited animation is reliant on sound as evidenced in Gerald McBoing-Boing (UPA, 1950), and dialogue as evidenced in The Simpsons.  However, the term “limited” is perhaps misused in this situation according to Furniss, as it denotes that something is missing or of a lesser degree of quality.  This is simply not the case; it simply has a reliance on different aspect than does full animation. 

The reading goes on to describe the formation of the UPA, formed by artists who left Disney following the strike.  As the studio was formed by unionized animators many films produced by UPA had a strong liberal lean to the.  As another differentiation between the UPA and Disney was the UPA’s focus on developing films that featured Human characters as opposed to anthropomorphized animal characters.  Although focused on theatrical releases at the inception, UPA turned its attention to animation made for television.  Television animation exploded with cartoons produced by the Hanna-Barbara studios, creating characters such as The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, etc.  One result of this cost-effective production was the movement of certain animation tasks to low-cost laborers in other countries. 

In the other reading, the animated show Ren and Stimpy is discussed.  The creator, John Kricfalusi was an admitted Animatophile or someone with a fondness and appreciation of animation.  The show was hailed by genius by some and derided as juvenile, gross-out humor by others. Despite frequent run-ins with Nickelodeon, the show became immensely popular and successful.  In my opinion, as well as that of the author, Kricfalusi was a master at deconstructing American society using the tropes found in the animated films that came before, whether it is the hosts of children’s programming or the superhero archetype featured in the Superman cartoons of the 1940s.

B.)          Given the reading for this week I decided to examine Gerald McBoing-Boing’s symphony (UPA, 1953)

This short features the eponymous Gerald McBoing-Boing, a child incapable of speech other than sound effects played for humor.  The film definitely falls under the category of limited animation.  Backgrounds are reused as are character’s movements.  Gerald is hired to perform sound effects for a radio program and much of the humor is derived from the sound featured in the film coming from Gerald. Eventually he is asked to perform a symphony from his vocal articulations.  The film is reliant not on the movement or physical interaction of characters, but is instead derived from the soundtrack and voice work.  The movement is not realistic, nor are the drawings, however as previously stated, this is not the purpose of the film. 

C)            I have begun the actual writing of the paper after compiling my notes.   

Animation Assignment #3

This is my third animation assignment.  It is a short video of a car parallel parking, getting run over by a tank and ending in a tribute to Monty Python and Looney Tunes.  

“Uncle Walt’s Dream”: The Rise and Continued Domination of Disney Animation

Matt Jones

Post Seven

“Uncle Walt’s Dream”: The Rise and Continued Domination of Disney Animation

Although credited for the first feature length cel-animated film, it was the business decisions made by Walt Disney and his successors that made The Walt Disney Company an entertainment juggernaut. 

A)           When one thinks of animation, the name of Walt Disney is often at the forefront of the discussion.  And while there were many individuals who contributed to the process and development of animation, Disney’s saturation of the market deserves recognition.  Although born in Chicago, IL, Disney’s family moved to Kansas City, MO as a child and it was there that Disney began his journey in animation by working at the Kansas City Film Ad Service, creating short animated films which he called “Neuman Laugh-O-Grams” for a local theater chain.

                Soon after, Disney moved to California and began a business relationship with Margaret Winkler, a successful animation distributor in New York City.  Winkler was fond of Disney’s series of “Alice” films, which featured a combination of live-action and animation.  Winkler was very fond of keeping the animated films heavy on gags, and light on plot development.  However, Disney felt he was capable of creating more complex films.  Eventually the “Alice” series began to lose steam, and Disney introduced a new character, the fully animated Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, now described as a combination of Julius, the animated cat in the “Alice” films and what would become Mickey Mouse.  Eventually, after Margaret Winkler married Charles Mintz, Disney was edged out of the company and away from the character that he created, yet did not hold the rights to. 

                Ousted out of the lucrative character that he had created, Disney along with his brother Roy, Composer Carl Stalling, and Ub Iwerks created the animated short Steamboat Willie featuring the new character that would become famous as Mickey Mouse.  While Disney partially recycled the appearance of Steamboat Willie, as well as some of the gags contained in the short, the film was a rousing success.  Away from Mintz and Winkler, Disney was free to structure his film in any manner he wished.  This of course allowed him to further explore narratives.  This alone helped ensure Disney’s dominance in entertainment.  As the sheer novelty of the animated film was waning, along with the preponderance of simplistic sight gags in silent cinema, the rise of the sound cinema meant that the audience expected more in the way of a narrative structure and a comedy based in the spoken word. 

                This success led Disney to produce the first feature-length cel-animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.  The film was groundbreaking on several levels, not only being the first feature length cel-animated film, but also going to great lengths to realistically capturing movement in its animation.  Stand-ins were used for the dwarfs and a ballet dancer was used to animate Snow White’s movements.  The results were astonishing and the film became an immensely popular and profitable film, allowing Disney to set the groundwork for what would become one of the top media conglomerates of all time.  Disney continued his model of basing stories on folktales, fables, myths, and legends until present time. 

                Disney, despite his success was not immune from the production code that swept through Hollywood in the 1930s.  Cartoon characters were forbidden from spitting, animals were not allowed to be seen relieving themselves, and the villain was not allowed to escape without punishment.  In response to his combination live-action/animated film Song of the South (1946), Joseph Breen suggested that Disney “take counsel with some responsible Negro authorities...As I have already presumed to suggest to you, our Negro friends appear to be a bit critical of all motion picture stories which depict their people, and it may be that they will find in this story some material which may not be acceptable to them.”  (120)  To me, this statement is at the same time hilarious and sad.  It is hilarious that someone could actually believe that African-American’s at the time simply took offense at their depiction in cinema simply to be contrary.  And unfortunately, it is sad for the exact same reason. 

                During the Great Depression, Disney’s success allowed for a great number of people to be employed, however, as the economy regained strength however, tensions between the company and its labor intensified.  Disney fired a number of the union organizers before any actual picketing occurred; however as a result, Disney lost a great deal of talented artists. 

                Despite their success in the feature length animated film, Disney began producing live-action films and later fully adopted the process by the end of the 1940s. Their success in film production allowed the studio to open a theme park, forever changing the business of media manufacture and marketing. 

Despite Disney’s expansion as a business entity, concerns still existed regarding their representation of women.  The country as a whole was changing during the 1970s and 1980s and the definition of what was considered a “respectable woman”.  Between 1989 and 2005, Disney produced eighteen feature length animated films, six of the films featured primarily non-human characters, and thus issues of female representations could not be adequately evaluate.  However, the remaining twelve films presented three categories for female characters: The Princess, The Good Daughter, and the Tough Gal. 

The Princess is evidenced in characters such as Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Jasmine in Aladdin.  In most cases the princess is presented as having no mother and is often an only child. 

The Good daughter is evidenced in the characters of Belle in Beauty and the Beast and the eponymous character in Mulan. 

The Tough Gal is evidenced in the characters of Esmerelda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Meg in Hercules.

While the expansion of roles and differentiations in character presentation provided better female representation than was seen in the past, there were still problems.  Ariel for example was convinced that a fork was actually a tool called a dinglehopper and was used for combing hair.  Despite all evidence that this information was in fact wrong, Ariel continued to believe it.  Whether this was simply for comedic effect, or if it was a true issue in representation is very much up for debate. 

B.)          Given the reading for this week I decided to view a Disney animated short: The Art of Skiing (1943) featuring the character of Goofy. 

This is an example of orthodox animation and serves as how-to video with Goofy’s ineptitude as a skier providing much of the humor.  However, the evolution from mere sight gags is shown in this short animated film, as the conflict between the narrator’s dialogue and the actions of Goofy.  The nature of the instructional video (a well-known convention) and the failure of Goofy to be instructed by it allows for a great display of comedy.  The fluidity of Disney’s animation is also evident in this short film, providing for more humor.

C)            I have had the chance to speak to several SIU faculty members about the study of intertextuality and how it relates to The Simpsons.  I feel that these discussions are almost as valuable as journal articles and book sections as it provides me the opportunity of gaining instant feedback.