On animation: a personal history- Part 3

Animation

27 August 2019

While I was charmed and beguiled by the whimsy of Small Films, American cartoons made me laugh. American cartoons had different qualities. Effervescent energy, bigger gags, more slapstick. And they had a secret...

If a pie in the face is funny, an anvil in the face is funnier.

A bit of the old ultra-violence. But you know, for kids!

_{(Clockwork
Orange + Hudsucker Proxy paraphrased)}

"These cartoons are known for some of the most violent gags ever devised in theatrical animation: X uses everything from axes, hammers, firearms, firecrackers, explosives, traps and poison to kill Y. Y's methods of retaliation are far more violent…including slicing X in half, decapitating him, shutting his head or fingers in a window or a door, stuffing X's tail in a waffle iron or a mangle, kicking him into a refrigerator, getting him electrocuted, pounding him with a mace, club or mallet, letting a tree or electric pole drive him into the ground, sticking matches into his feet and lighting them, tying him to a firework and setting it off, and so on."

For this they won 7 Academy Awards. Tom and Jerry created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

As a kid I never laughed at That Mouse or D. Duck, too wholesome by far.

I watched Disney cartoons not with any great pleasure but just to pass the time until something interesting came along. Fantasia gets a pass though.

Flintstones? The intro was the best bit but the whole Caveman in an Industrial Age conceit was nicely executed and internally consistent - at least that’s what I’d tell my mum. Not terribly funny though.

Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner, a tale from Greek mythology.

Continuing this tale of violence towards animals, that poor Wile E Coyote.

Just like Prometheus whom Zeus condemned to have his liver eaten by eagles every day for eternity, Wile E Coyote shares the same tragic kind of immortality.

At the hand of his creators, Coyote is condemned to suffer and die only to suffer and die again and again and again.

It’s hilarious.

“Fast delivery but no stars - worse stuff ever. DO NOT USE.” W.E.C. Wile E Coyote created by Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese and first shown in 1949.

So what did I steal from all this animated carnage?

Not the carnage. The biggest haul of this heist was definitely the housemaid from Tom and Jerry.

Only now I’ve made her The Mum of the dust bunny household– ever-present yet mostly unseen, an unstoppable force in pink satin and fuzzy slippers. Invoker of tidiness, Summoner of the Central Vac, Enemy of Entropy.

A force to be reckoned with. From Tom and Jerry created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Tom and Jerry was often a floor level drama. That’s getting close to the dust bunny POV.

From Wile E Coyote; his impeccable timing.

Let scenes play out.

But make sure they reward the viewer’s patience. I’m very keen on that one.

The plastic bag scene in American Beauty is an excellent example as is the approach of Omar Sharif from the desert in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. (links below)

And as the desert teaches us, you don’t have to be on top of the action to enjoy the scene; Wile E Coyote’s landing plume is much funnier when it’s tiny and far away.

His impact is felt, not seen.

Good plunder all, treasure to be drawn upon later.

“Oh dear, he’s having visions.”

In my blog I’m going to show how all my animation influences play out in my vision of the dust bunny movie.

What dimension should the dust bunnies inhabit - 2D or 3D?

How will we make them look less ‘orrible?

What will the kingdom of the dust bunny look like way down there?

How will they dance?

To what music shall the dust bunnies dance?

Who will speak for the dust bunnies? (Famous people, please get in touch.)

On animation part 2: Taking whimsy seriously. Small films with a big influence.
On animation part 1: The early years. Too much time in front of the telly