Figure 1 5:47

Figure 2 5:47

Figure 3 6:27

Digital cinema animation movies and cartoons provide viewers with the pleasure of fantasy via an animated world of characters which can stretch, reshape and evolve to the limits. Beckman (2014) indicates that animated cartoons have a strong potential to stir viewers’ emotional responses and their association with non-human beings. It can be said that animation is somewhat unreal because we cannot see it in real life, yet it amuses a wide range of audiences through fantasy-oriented experiences.

In Figure 1 and 2, Roger tries to save Baby Herman across a sawmill, and finally got sawed into numerous pieces of tiny rabbits violently running until they join in one big piece to revive Roger again. Animations are governed by non-physical or unnatural laws; therefore, they entice the audience via built-in humour. For example, in the above scene, the division of Roger by the sawmill into tiny pieces and then again gathering together to make them one Roger was free from the restrictions of physical laws of real life but it has the potential to evoke humour. The depiction of non-physical laws by using computer technology can be referred to as a kind of post-human vision i.e., “an unexpected level of realism when viewed from the perspective of contemporary physics” (Wood, 2015; p.92)

Secondly, the element of sound (background music) in animations is effectively utilised to keep the viewer engaged and amused. For example, the Figure 3 roller coaster scene shows the characters riding on tree woods in water, in which case, the background sound rapidly changes with changes in the scene. It can be said that in animations, the element of sound joins with the visual to create more humour than the visual itself might have created. One can say that sound creates a reference in the animation by enabling communication and giving meaningful experiences to the visual. 

References:

Beckman, K.R. ed. (2014). Animating film theory. Duke University Press.

Wood, A. (2014). Software, Animation and the Moving Image: What’s in the Box? Springer.

Written by Yihan Xu (33675720) 15/11/22