Detailed Description
This course is designed to provide students with an overview survey of
animation history from pre-cinema to the present day. Students
examine the evolution of the medium and how technology, economics,
artistic trends, individual artists and national cultures have
affected its development. Through interactive lecture, screening of
films and research, students analyze works created for movie theatres,
television and the web, all of which utilize drawings, stop motion,
software and other techniques.
Program Context
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Bachelor of Animation |
Program Coordinator: Mark Mayerson |
This course is a single
Animation History breadth
course required in the first
year of the BAA (Animation)
Program. It provides an
important overview of the
development of animation as an
art, a craft and an industry.
The course broadens students'
frame of reference and
stimulates them to use a wider
variety of design, animation
and film making approaches in
their core classes.
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Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes
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Critical Performance
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability
to analyze the evolution of animation as a medium of communication and
the development of various techniques employed to create animated
works.
Learning Outcomes
To achieve the Critical Performance, students will have demonstrated
the ability to:
1. Analyze the role of technology in the evolution of the medium.
2. Explain how economics has shaped the creation of animated films.
3. Explain how artistic trends in other media have influenced the
development and growth of animation.
4. Compare and contrast the impact of various national cultures on the
design and development of animated films throughout the world.
5. Describe how the contributions of individual artists have shaped
the medium.
6. Analyze the wide range of techniques used in the creation of
animated films.
7. Discuss the nature and development of various studio organizations
and environments from an historical perspective.
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Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:
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Course Evaluation Dates:
Mid-Term Exam (Week 7) 40%
Research Paper (Week 11) 20%
Final Exam (Week 13) 40%
Total 100%
Assignments:
Assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of class, to Chris.
Assignments handed in more than 15 minutes after class begins are
penalized 20%. Late assignments must also be handed in directly to
Chris, via hard copy. You cannot hand in via the server for this
course.
Late Policy for all courses in the program:
All assignments are due within the first 15 minutes after the start
of class on the due date. Late projects, submitted after the first 15
minutes of the start of class will receive a 20% grade reduction.
Late projects submitted the following week will receive a 30% grade
reduction. There will be no submission of work after the last day of
semester unless arrangements have been made and documented by the
professor.
Work that is more than one week late will not be graded unless a
prior arrangement has been made with the professor; the arrangement
must be documented on email or a memo, with the new due date
identified. There will be no resubmission of work unless, under
exceptional circumstances, this has been agreed to or suggested by
the professor. Again, a hard copy of the agreement is necessary.
If there is a valid reason for the late project, the student must
email the professor at least 3 days before the due date. If the
reason is deemed to be valid, there will be no late penalty. A new
due date with be set by the instructor.
The basic late policy as laid out above will be followed, except in
the instance that an instructor requires a variation in policy. That
variation will be provided to the student in writing as part of the
actual assignment, which will be handed out by the instructor.
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Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities requirements:
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Essential Employability
Skills
Essential Employability Skills emphasized in the course:
X
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Communication
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X
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Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
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Interpersonal
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Numeracy |
X
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Information
Management |
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Personal
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Notes: N/A
Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact: Angela Stukator
Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement
of the course learning outcomes through previous life and work experiences.
This course is eligible for challenge through the following
method(s):
Challenge Exam |
Portfolio |
Interview |
Other |
Not Eligible for PLAR |
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X |
X |
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Notes: N/A
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Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Effective term: Winter 2012
Professor: Multiple Professors
Textbook(s): Required Textbooks / Learning Materials:
Required Textbook (available at Sheridan Bookstore, Amazon.ca,
various used book stores):
Leonard Maltin, 1987: Of Mice And Magic- A History of American
Animated Cartoons (revised). The Penguin Group, ISBN 0-452-25993-2
(Paperback)
Suggested:
Paul Wells, 1998. Understanding Animation. Routledge; ISBN 0 415
11597 3 (Paperback)
Karen Mazurkewich, 1999: Cartoon Capers: The History of Canadian
Animators. McArthur & Company Publishing, Ltd; ISBN 1552780937
(Paperback)
John Grant, 2001. Masters of Animation. Watson-Guptill; ISBN 0 8230
3041 5 (Paperback)
Jerry Beck, editor, 2004. Animation Art. Flame Tree Publishing; ISBN
0-06-073713-1 (Paperback)
Giannalberto Bendazzi, 1995. Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema
Animation. Indiana University Press; ISBN 0253209374 (Paperback
Applicable student group(s): Bachelor of Applied Arts (Animation)
Course Details:Lecture - Chris Walsh
Lecture/Screening - Kaj Pindal
Details of Screenings Are Subject To Change.
Week 1 Lecture: 3 hours
Topic: Course Introduction, Pre-Cinema Visual Entertainment-puppets,
magic lantern, comics, "The Persistence of Vision," flipbooks, the
thaumatrope, the phenakistoscope, the zoetrope, Emile Reynaud and his
Praxinoscope, the significance of the shutter to motion pictures
Hand Out: "Precursors and Experiments," from The History of Animation
(p3-11) by Charles Solomon
Week 2 Lecture: 3 hours
Topic: Part 1: The Mechanics of Motion Pictures and The First Films-
Daguerre, Muybridge, Edison, Lumière Part 2: Animation Begins-
Blackton, Cohl, McCay, Barré, Bray, Sullivan
To Be Read For This Week: "Precursors and Experiments," from The
History of Animation (p3-11) by Charles Solomon
Screenings:
Selection of Edison Kinetoscope Films (1894-1896)
Selection of Lumière Films (1895-1897)
Humourous Phases of Funny Faces (1906)
Fantasmagorie (1908)
Little Nemo (1911)
Gertie The Dinosaur (1914)
Selected Films from Barré Studios (Animated Grouch Chasers, Phables,
Joys and Glooms)
Selected Films from Bray Studios (Heeza Liar, Krazy Kat, Bobby Bumps)
Felix In Hollywood (1923)
Felix Finds Out (1924)
Week 3 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Walt Disney's Beginnings- The Silent Era
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p. 1-34, "The Silent Era" and first
part of "Walt Disney"
Screenings:
Alice¿s Wonderland (1923)
Alice¿s Wild West Show (1924)
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Kaj¿s Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Steamboat Willie (1928)
Plane Crazy (1928)
Building A Building (1928)
Touchdown Mickey (1932)
The Steeplechase (1933)
Week 4 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Fleischer Studios Part 1: The Silent Era
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p. 34-52 (to end of paragraph
"photography are minimized.")
Screenings:
The Tantalzing Fly (1919)
Fishing (1921)
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Kaj's Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Skeleton Dance (1929)
Ugly Duckling (1939)
Father Noah¿s Ark (1933)
Three Little Pigs (1933)
Grasshopper and Ants (1934)
Wise Little Hen (1934)
Tortoise and Hare (1934)
Week 5 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Fleischer Studios Part 2: Betty Boop
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p.83-114 (to end of paragraph
"implement and exploit them.")
Hand Out: Lotte Reiniger essay in Experimental Animation- An
Illustrated Anthology by Robert Russett and Cecile Starr
Screenings:
Snow White (Fleischer¿s, NOT Disney's) (1933)
Not Now (1936)
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Kaj's Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Band Concert (1935)
Who Killed Cock Robin (1936)
Pluto¿s Judgment Day (1934)
Music Land (1935)
Through the Mirror (1936)
Moving Day (1936)
Country Cousin (1936)
Week 6 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Legendary Women In Animation
Review For Midterm
To Be Read For This Week: Lotte Reiniger essay in Experimental
Animation- An Illustrated Anthology by Robert Russett and Cecile Starr
Screenings:
Excerpt from Prince Achmed (1926)
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Kaj's Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Art Babbitt Special
Old Mill (1937)
Wynken, Blinken and Nod (1936)
Brave Little Tailor (1938)
Elmer the Elephant (1936)
Woodland Café (1937)
Week 7 MIDTERM EXAM- Worth 40% of Final Mark
To Be Read For This Week: TBA
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Kaj's Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Popeye (3 films)
The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Week 8 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Walter Lantz Studios
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p. 159- 187 "Walter Lantz", and
Maltin p.323-342 "UPA"
Hand Out: Research Paper Assignment
Screenings:
The Barber of Seville (1944)
Ski For Two (1944)
Return MidTerm
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Kaj¿s Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Hellbent For Election (1944)
Gerald McBoing Boing (1951)
Rooty Toot Toot (1951)
Madeline (1952)
Unicorn In The Garden (1953)
The Tell-Tale Heart (1953)
Week 9 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: MGM
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin p. 281- 310, "MGM"
Screenings:
Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)
The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945)
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Kaj's Lecture/Screening: 2 hours
Hen Hop (1942)
Fiddle Dee Dee (1947)
Begone Dull Care (1949)
Neighbours (1952)
Blinkety Blank (1955)
Chairy Tale (1957)
Le Merle (1958)
Pas De Deux (1968)
Hand Out: "Norman McLaren and the National Film Board of Canada,"
from Experimental Animation- An Illustrated Anthology by Robert
Russett and Cecile Starr
Week 10 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Warner Brothers
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p. 223- 280, "Warner Bros," AND
ALSO:
"Norman McLaren and the National Film Board of Canada," from
Experimental Animation- An Illustrated Anthology by Robert Russett
and Cecile Starr
Screenings:
Porky's Romance (1937)
Rabbit Seasoning (1952)
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Kaj's Lecture/Screeing: 2 hours
Romance of Transportation (1952)
Potpourri/ Hors d¿oeuvre (1962)
Very Nice, Very Nice (1961)
I Knew An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly (1963)
Great Toy Robbery (1963)
What on Earth! (1966)
Week 11 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: Early Stop Motion Animation
RESEARCH PAPER DUE- Worth 20% of Final Mark
To Be Read For This Week: TBA
Screenings:
Excerpt from The Mascot (1934)
Excerpt from King Kong (1933)
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Kaj's Screening/Lecture 2 hours
The Owl Who Married A Goose (1974)
Hot Stuff (1971)
Log Driver's Waltz (1979)
The Street (1976)
The Sweater (1980)
Why Me? (1978)
Every Child (1979)
The Cat Came Back (1988)
Week 12 Lecture: 1 hour
Topic: The History of Computer Animation
Review For Final Exam
To Be Read For This Week:
TBA
Screenings: Excerpt from Ryan (2004)
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Kaj's Screening/Lecture: 2 hours
Anna and Bella (1984)
Borge Ring Special
The Karate Kid Trilogy
The Charge of The Light Brigade
Week 13
FINAL EXAM- Worth 40% of Final Mark
Lecture: 2 hours
Topic: Russian Animation and Japanese Animation: Historical Overviews
To Be Read For This Week: TBA
Screenings:
Ball of Wool (1968)
Man In The Frame (1966)
Fox And Rabbit (1973)
Hedgehog In The Fog (1975)
Crane Feathers (1977)
Birth of Astro (??)
Robio and Robiette (??)
Excerpt from Akira (1988)
Mt. Head (atama yama) (2002)
Excerpt from Paprika (2006)
Week 14 Lecture: 2.5 hours
Topic: Recent International Animation: Major Figures and Films
To Be Read For This Week: Maltin, p. 343-355, 'The Rest Of The Story"
Screenings:
Body Beautiful (1991)
An Old Box (1975)
The Cathedral (2002)
Are We Still Married? (1991)
Dimensions of Dialogue (1982)
Billy's Balloon (1998)
Laugh Lines (1979)
The Big Snit (1985)
Guard Dog (2004)
My Financial Career (1962)
Walking (1968)
Return Final Exam
Contact Information:
For any questions or concerns, please talk to Chris after class, or
email him at christopher.walsh@sheridanc.on.ca, or call him at
extension 2211 to arrange a meeting time.
Please speak with Kaj before or after class to discuss meeting times.
Important Remarks:
If it is impossible to avoid missing a test, the responsibility is
YOURS to contact Chris as soon as you become aware of the conflict,
in order to arrange another time. If you miss a test and have not
given Chris advanced notice (for example, you get sick on the day of
the test), a signed Doctor¿s Note or other official documentation
must be provided by you to qualify you to take the test at a later
date.
The Research Paper will have a 20% per day penalty applied for
lateness, no excuses, after 9:15am, the day it is due. If you can't
hand it in on the due day, have a classmate hand it in for you in
class, or hand it in early at Chris¿s desk.
Due to the historical aspect of the course, some content may contain
racially, sexually, and/or politically insensitive material. Some
content may also simply be rude/gross/disturbing. All screening
material is chosen on the merits of historical/artistic significance.
Please read the Sheridan Student Handbook carefully for information
regarding the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, plagiarism and
student conduct as this information will be applied to this course.
ANIM19599 History of Animation
Supplementary Online Reading and Website Links:
Historian Jerry Beck¿s site:
www.cartoonbrew.com
Sheridan's own Mark Mayerson's blog:
mayersononanimation.blogspot.com
Aardman Animations Ltd
Winter 2012: Syllabus: ANIM19599: History of Animation
Professor Christopher Walsh, Professor Kaj Pindal
SAAD: Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Academic Honesty
The principle of academic honesty requires that all work submitted for evaluation and course credit be the original,
unassisted work of the student. Cheating or plagiarism including borrowing, copying, purchasing or collaborating on
work, except for group projects arranged and approved by the faculty member, or otherwise submitting work that is not
the student's own violates this principle and will not be tolerated. Instances of academic dishonesty, including
assisting another student to cheat, will be penalized as detailed in the Student Handbook.
Students who have any questions regarding whether or not specific circumstances involve a breach of academic
honesty are advised to discuss them with the faculty member prior to submitting the assignment in question.
Discrimination and Harassment
Sheridan is committed to provide a learning environment that respects the dignity, self esteem and fair treatment
of every person engaged in the learning process. Behaviour which is inconsistent with this principle will
not be tolerated. Details of Sheridan's policy on Harassment and Discrimination are available in the Student Handbook.
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