Post #6: “Your a Sap Mr. Jap”

This animation is a Max Fleischer cartoon called Popeye the Sailor Man: Your a Sap Mr. Jap and it is part of the cartoon characters go to war segment in history. The cartoon itself was made in 1942 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor which occurred on December 7, 1941. This cartoon as the title suggests is full of war propaganda and racist stereotypes of the Japanese. I feel that this cartoon and many others like it were used in order to unite the nation against a common enemy and give comic relief to a very tragic point in the history of the world.

In this animation the Japanese people are depicted as small skinny people in big baggy clothes with huge buck teeth and Coke bottle glasses fishing off of their dinky boat. These stereotypes were used in order to make the Japanese look foolish and make them appear to be less of a threat so that the American public would not fear them.

On top of these racist stereotypes the Japanese were shown trying to make peace with Popeye and when he wasn’t looking they would attack him in quick and cowardly ways. These attacks alluded to the bombing of Pearl Harbor which Americans felt to be under handed and cowardly, allowing the American people to remember why they were sacrificing for the war. As a reminder that we are Americans and will win the war, Popeye eats his spinach and instead of his famous muscles turning into their usual high-powered piece of machinery, his arm turns into a giant V for victory, a famous hand sign used at the time (later becoming the sign for peace).

The propaganda continues after Popeye starts dismantling their battleship. After going on a rampage on the Japanese ship Popeye leans on a post which causes the ship to fall apart revealing a made in japan sign. This was at a time when it was considered good to buy American made products and avoid the shotty products of our enemies. The final propaganda bit used is the attempted suicide of the Japanese captain. Instead of being captured the Japanese would commit suicide in order to protect the secrets of the Japanese military and protect the individual soldier’s honor by dying for their country. However, this animation reveals to the viewer in terrible broken English that the “actual” reason for the suicide is because the Japanese are cowards.

All in all this animation used a beloved trusted cartoon character to unite the American people during the trying times of war. The use of Popeye as the messenger not only gave the war some comic relief but also united people against the nations enemy. Over 60 years later you can still see the use of cartoons to further a war effort as shown in the Islamic cartoons following 9/11 depicting Muslims as terrorists. The only difference between now and then is that today we live in a more politically correct society.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

Post #5: Stick Fight

This animation portrays the hero (blue stick figure) versus the army of bad stick figures (red).  The hero takes on hoards and hoards of enemy stick figures without missing a beat. Although he continues to kill them over and over again it does not get boring because he continues to find new and inventive ways to do it. This fight scene is able to take simplistic characters such as stick figures and turn it into an epic battle. I think that the use of camera angle,  sound track, and sound effects along with the running allusion to The Matrix (fight scene with Neo and thousands of Mr. Smiths) take this good fight scene and make it great without too much animation.

The sound track and sound effects work to take this fight to the next level. The sound track syncs up with the fighting growing in intensity and pausing to create moments of suspense. The sound effects work to give the actual fighting added impact as you can hear the slashing of the swords and the dull thuds of bodies dropping.

With the fight set to such great sound, the camera work adds even more to the fight. In some scenes the camera pans back and forth giving the viewer the feeling that the hero is surrounded. In one scene in particular, the camera zooms out in stages to reveal thousands of red stick figures bearing down on our hero.

Through out this entire animation there were small references to one of the greatest fight movies of all time, The Matrix. The scene where the hero jumps into the air and the camera spins around him is directly out of the movie. Also, there was a scene where the hero was facing off with the one red guy who did the “bring it on” hand gesture which is another cheesy part from The Matrix.

When looking at this animation one would expect it to be kind of boring and repetitive because of the use of stick figures. Through the use of sound, camera angles, and the allusion to The Matrix the creator of this animation was able to do the unexpected and make something entertaining, all while using stick figures and 2D animation.

eta: I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

Post #4: The Gift of Music

The animation I have chosen for this weeks entry is The Piano by Aidan Gibbons which is about an old man and his love for music. Throughout this animation the old man is experiencing flashbacks. These flashbacks consisted of his deceased wife, a friend who died in his arms, and one of himself receiving a gift that he found dear. Throughout these happy and tragic memories he is able to play his music, comforting him and being the one ting he can enjoy. I think this animation shows that music is a gift that one can cherish their entire lives and it is necessary to share with future generations.

The man depicted in this animation obviously loves music and is able to express his emotions through it. In the end of the animation he is shown sharing his love of music with his grandson. At first I thought it was a teenage version of himself after he got tired of the wooden horse, but judging by the difference in clothes this is not the case. He is looking to pass on the joy that he has experienced with music in his life so that his grandson can experience the same joy.

As schools in impoverished areas continue to cut programs, I feel this animation is making a statement about the importance of music. Music can be used to convey emotions and be a source of joy and amusement for yourself and people around you. As music programs continue to be cut, children are missing out on the joy of music. This leaves them at a disadvantage and depriving them of a way to express themselves and something that could change their life forever.

*After watching this animation I was curious about the actual meaning and inspiration behind this animation so I looked up the creator after I made my interpretation. Here is a link to an interview with the creator Aidan Gibbons.

I commented on Megan’s Blog and Chuck’s Blog.

Post #3: Honda Animated Commercial

Honda’s recent promotion has been their new 2010 Crosstour. One ad in particular ran during the Super Bowl. This ad depicted a squirrel storing all sorts of things in a tree, comparing this amount of storage to the storage capacity of their new vehicle. I think the use of this animated squirrel along with the shadows in this commercial increase its effectiveness and draws the interest of the viewer. 

The commercial starts with the squirrel storing a nut to allow the viewer to see something expected. This draws the viewer in. Then the squirrel begins storing all sorts big and heavy things. The use of the squirrels movements and facial expressions allow the viewer to see the effort the squirrel is putting in, in order to get all of this stuff stored in its different places. Once the car trunk opens and the squirrel sees all the available space in one place, you can see the eureka moment in its face. This is very effective in getting the point across that the Crosstour has a lot of space, by using the master of storage (the squirrel) to showcase the storage capabilities.

In order to keep the viewer interested the animation uses shadow and a very warm color scheme. The squirrels movements are quick and squirrel like, but it is able to create facial expressions that are purely human. This increases the effectiveness of the squirrel because he is able to capture the cute squirrel like behavior, but is also able to show the soulful expressions of a human increasing his marketing range. This allows Honda to stick to the advertising criteria of using cute animals to sell merchandise, while being able to control every movement and expression of the animal by making it an animated character.

I commented on Megan’s and Chuck’s Blogs.

Post #2: Dinosaurs vs. Pig

This series of shorts involves two dinosaurs and one pig. During the shorts there is usually a drawn out set-up, such as a dinosaur jumping on a trampoline, followed by a punch line, the pig pushing the trampoline out of the way causing the dinosaur to fall on the ground. This blunt punch line adds to the comic effect as the viewer watches in anticipation. Although, there is one short that the dinosaurs best the pig in the end, in general the pig wins out. So in response to this I feel that the main point behind these animations is to showcase the superiority of mammals over dinosaurs, implying the evolution theory survival of the fittest.

Below are three videos from the series. The first involves the T-Rex, raptor and pig sitting around releasing flatulence. After the T-Rex and raptor pass gas and seem proud of themselves, the pig lets one rip with very little effort causing the T-Rex to pass out squashing the raptor. This leaves the pig (mammal) the last one standing. The pig knew to get out of the way of the falling T-Rex showing his superior brain power and cunning.

Farting Dinosaurs and Pig

The second video involves the T-Rex sneaking up on the pig with the intention of eating him. As the dinosaur gets closer and closer the pig seems unaware. Finally the dinosaur opens his mouth to eat the pig, all just to get the whiff of a well-timed release of flatulence, again causing him to pass out. Once again this shows that the pig, although seeming unaware, is actually fully aware and conspiring against the dinosaurs.

Dinosaur vs. Pig

It could be argued after watching the first two videos that the pig just has a bad case of gas and everything that results from it is a coincidence. After watching the third video it becomes apparent that this is not the case. In this video the raptor is jumping on a trampoline and the pig runs up pushing the trampoline out of the way causing the raptor to fall on the ground. As the raptor first jumps on the trampoline, he seems to be discovering the law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. As the pig runs up and pushes the trampoline out of the way it is made clear that the pig has a firm understanding on the law of gravity, what goes up must come down. On top of this understanding, it shows that the pig saw a chance to get the first lick in on a dinosaur, showing that he may not be as strong as the dinosaurs, but brain wins over brawn.

Trampoline Dino vs. Swine

eta: See my comments on Megan Pettry’s blog and Chuck Soo-Hoo’s blog.

Post #1: “King of the Hill” Bobby Can’t Play Baseball

Post #1: “King of the Hill” Bobby Can’t Play Baseball

Even though Bobby has all of the confidence in the world, having been pumped up by his coach, it becomes apparent to himself and everyone else (other than the coach) that he is not good at baseball. Bobby is chewing a huge wad of gum, has his game face on, yet his skill has not improved. Even after making a couple of mistakes his coach continues to give him false praise, while everyone in the stands is becoming impatient with his performance.

In this episode the roles of coach and parent seem to be flipped. It is usually the parent who is telling their child that as long as they put their mind to it they can achieve whatever they want. The coach will not let Bobby back down, even though he is a detriment to the team. Even with a bunch of confidence and a can do attitude Bobby is unable to succeed. In the end Bobby’s dad (Hank Hill) has to pull Bobby when no one is looking. Although this seems as though Hank is stifling Bobby’s development, he is actually protecting him from embarrassment.

This scene challenges a few issues that parents face when raising children. The first is whether or not you should tell your children that they can be whatever they want to be or should you tell them that different people have different skills and are good at different things. It also challenges the new coaching technique of equal playing time throughout developmental leagues. Although this is done to instill confidence within the children, it may also cause them harm. If a child is not good at a sport and the coach keeps them in, the other children may see the child as the reason for them losing, causing strain in peer relationships and embarrassment.  Although the coach had good intentions, in the end it was not the best for Bobby, allowing his father to step in and take him out of the game, ultimately protecting Bobby.

Bobby’s First Start

ETM I commented on Megan Pettry’s Post and Chuck Soo-Hoo’s Post