Reading: Issues of Representation

This chapter was taken from Maureen Furniss' book Art in Motion (1998). It's important to analyse the way people are represented within animation specifically as it differs significantly from live-action. 

• Caricatures featured in silent era
• Decrease of racist imagery by 1950s - thanks to NAACP
• Yet not an increase of positive imagery
• Depiction of black characters rare until 1970s
• Doug 'neutralise colour issues' with unnatural skin colours like blue 
• Van den vos Reynaerde: anti-semitic - features money grabbing rhino
• Important to consider "whose standards are being employed" p. 233
• Argues that we shouldn't just ignore offensive images but watch them to analyse our own feelings

Gender and the Animation Industry

• Sharon Couzin: "historically the women had no voice at all" p. 234
• Networks trying to hire more female creators and producers
• Women in the media often used "masculine-sounding or at least gender neutral" names to escape gender inequality p. 236
• Lots of women new in management level jobs

Representation of Femininity in Animation

• Idea that males won't watch "female-oriented" programmes
  I'm aware that Disney often try to market their films to appeal to both genders in order to increase sales. For example the film Tangled (2010) was changed from being named Rapunzel to draw the focus away from the female protagonist. Instead they wanted her male counterpart Flynn Rider to be seen as just as much of a central character, so that boys would want to see the film too.
• Geraldine Laybourne from Nickelodeon expressed desire to "demonstrate to girls that we listen to what they have to say" opposed to being treated like property
• References to many live-action shows not animation
• Examples of well represented, female protagonists in animation: Daria (1997);  Pepper Ann (1997); The Legend of Calamity Jane (1997)
  As this book was published in 1998, all the examples given were from the late 90s. I believe female representation in animation improved throughout the 2000s as I recall watching many cartoons with female protagonists. For example I enjoyed Kim Possible (2002) and Powerpuff Girls (1998) which I think appealed to both genders as they prove that females can be superheroes too. 
• Working with predominately males made it hard to create shows about women
• "Male animation creators and directors usually do not design female characters who have substance and provide strong, positive role models" p. 240
  This is why I believe that as a female animator it's important to speak from my own viewpoint and help to erase the already existing stereotypes that prevail in the male dominated genre.

Developing an alternative form of expression

• Jun Falkenstein argues she got her success from thinking/acting like a man
• Women's work focused on "family, the environment and global unity" p. 241
• Faith Hubbly avoids linearity- instead uses cyclical structure
• Karen aqua uses elements of non-modern culture; non-narrative, metamorphosis i.e. in her films Shrine to Ritualised Time (1989) and Katuna (1989)
• Sara Petty used metamorphosis rather than physical actions in her film Furies (1977)
• Carmen Habanera (1995) was made by Aleksandra Korejno who studied painting music and poetry. The films imagery was created using salt

It's interesting to understand the ways in which alternative, female animations differ from the mainstream perceptions

Further reading: 'Racism and Resistance: Black stereotypes in Animation' Cohen