Uses and Target Audiences
Uses and Target Audiences ♡
uses:
- Television programmes
- Children’s animations
- Film, across many different genres
- Advertisements
- Anime and manga
- Online and viral
Animated Films and TV
Traditionally, animated content is associated with younger audiences. Television programmes such as Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny, and Disney films from Snow White to Frozen, have been largely pitched at children (though as we know from Unit 1, these films also enjoy large audiences formed of older demographics)
Disneyfication
The transformation (as of something real or unsettling) into carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar qualities
British Television – Puppetry and Stop Motion
Animation was popular for children in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s
A number of children’s shows featured puppetry and stop motion
The Simpsons and Family Guy
It could be argued that The Simpsons paved the way for shows like Family Guy, due to the adult jokes embedded throughout the series.
When it was first devised, Bart was the main focal point for the series, with his recognisable catchphrases. The creators even went as far as releasing a single. Matt Groening and the other writers of the show soon realised, though, that Homer should become the focal point, and that the target audience for the show was not children, even though that they might have been the original aesthetic
In a sense – alongside manga – The Simpsons did much to change the landscape of animation, inspiring a new wave of adult animation.
The Rise of Manga and Anime in the West
Manga and Anime:
The rise in popularity of manga and anime in the West has meant that perceptions of animation as a medium have shifted. Once the exclusive domain of children’s content, animation now has a much broader appeal, depending on the technique and genre.
Increasingly, animation features adult content.
One of the first big anime hits was Akira (1988), set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
Ukiyo-e (Floating World):
Japan has a long history of erotic and violent art, dating back at least as far as the Edo period (1603-1868)
Graphic Novels and Comics:
It’s common to see people (mainly men) reading graphic novels in Japan, rather than novels. These are often very violent, erotic, or contain sexualised violence. This has given rise to the term ‘hentai’, referring to overtly sexualised characters and sexually explicit themes and images.
Manga vs Anime:
Manga is a Japanese word that roughly translates as ‘comic’ – the term generally refers to books and comics. Films and moving image are commonly referred to as anime, though many people erroneously use these interchangeably.
Influence on Television:
At the same time, Japanese and American animators started working together in the 1980s to produce some hugely popular television shows for children. Eg: Transformers
Studio Ghibli:
Japanese anime isn’t all hentai sex and violence, though.
Perhaps the best-known animation studio outside of Disney is Studio Ghibli, a Japanese company known for beautifully-drawn feature films with underlying messages, such as critiques of environmental pollution and the Japanese sex industry (both found in Spirited Away, a popular film amongst a wide range of audiences, including children).
Advertising
Animation is often used in advertising. Eg: Tony the Tiger
Online and Viral
VoD services such as YouTube and Dailymotion have become hubs upon which online and viral animation shorts and webisode comics can be found.
These are produced by amateurs who use such distribution channels to showcase their talents.
Short animated gifs can also be found on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Video Games
During the production of video games, as with animation in 3D films, actors wear motion capture equipment, which charts their movements.
It could be argued that video games are one of the largest platforms for animation.
form - cgi
genre - musical adventure, shown through songs, fast pace and fits Todorov's narrative theory
use - film, disney, entertain
target audience - young girls and their parents, gives a positive role model, rated PG, secondary
Propp's theory
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