Please visit our blog to read an interview with Daisy Yan Du. This volume on Chinese animation and socialism is the first in English that introduces the insider viewpoints of socialist animators at the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in China. Although a few monographs have been published in English on Chinese animation, they are from the perspective of scholars rather than of the animators who personally worked on the films, as discussed in this volume. Featuring hidden histories and names behind the scenes, precious photos, and commentary on rarely seen animated films, this book is a timely and useful reference book for researchers, students, animators, and fans interested in Chinese and even world animation. This book originated from the Animators' Roundtable Forum (April 2017 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), organized by the Association for Chinese Animation Studies.

The Ultimate Action Hero. For twenty years one man has dominated action cinema worldwide. He is adored by more fans than Stallone, Schwartzenegger or Willis and yet until recently was virtually ignored by America and the UK. All that has changed now. Welcome to the world of Jackie Chan, martial artist, comedian and stuntman. Most people associate Jackie Chan with the recent smash hit films Rush Hour and Rumble in the Bronx but there is a lot more of him to see. Jackie learnt his trade from the harsh world of Peking Opera School and began to appear in films as a child. He slowly progressed from minor roles to becoming a head stuntman and eventually lead actor in a number of kung fu movies in the 1970s. It was only when he began to direct his own films that the real Jackie Chan film was born. If you have never seen a Jackie Chan film before, you are in for one wild ride. They are a unique blend of visual comedy, incredible stunts and electrifying fights. What makes them so special is that Jackie performs all of his own stunts, no matter how crazy, no matter how dangerous. And they are dangerous. In the course of his career Jackie has broken nearly every bone in his body and come within a hair's breadth of death...No one will insure him. In this book we'll be taking a look at the world's most popular action hero - See! Jackie skateboard through rush hour traffic. Against the flow... See! Jackie fall from a tall building. Handcuffed... See! Jackie drive through a town. Literally through the town... See! Jackie run down the side of a building. While it is falling down... See! Jackie leap from the top of a car park.. Onto a balcony across the road... You'll laugh. You'll gasp. You'll wince. You've never seen anyone like Jackie Chan.

Anime: A Critical Introduction maps the genres that have thrived within Japanese animation culture, and shows how a wide range of commentators have made sense of anime through discussions of its generic landscape. From the battling robots that define the mecha genre through to Studio Ghibli's dominant genre-brand of plucky shojo (young girl) characters, this book charts the rise of anime as a globally significant category of animation. It further thinks through the differences between anime's local and global genres: from the less-considered niches like nichijo-kei (everyday style anime) through to the global popularity of science fiction anime, this book tackles the tensions between the markets and audiences for anime texts. Anime is consequently understood in this book as a complex cultural phenomenon: not simply a "genre," but as an always shifting and changing set of texts. Its inherent changeability makes anime an ideal contender for global dissemination, as it can be easily re-edited, translated and then newly understood as it moves through the world's animation markets. As such, Anime: A Critical Introduction explores anime through a range of debates that have emerged around its key film texts, through discussions of animation and violence, through debates about the cyborg and through the differences between local and global understandings of anime products. Anime: A Critical Introduction uses these debates to frame a different kind of understanding of anime, one rooted in contexts, rather than just texts. In this way, Anime: A Critical Introduction works to create a space in which we can rethink the meanings of anime as it travels around the world.

Providing a detailed historical overview of animated film and television in the United States over more than a century, this book examines animation within the U.S. film and television industry as well as in the broader sociocultural context. From the early 1900s onwards, animated cartoons have always had a wide, enthusiastic audience. Not only did viewers delight in seeing drawn images come to life, tell fantastic stories, and depict impossible gags, but animation artists also relished working in a visual art form largely free from the constraints of the real world. This book takes a fresh look at the big picture of U.S. animation, both on and behind the screen. It reveals a range of fascinating animated cartoons and the colorful personalities, technological innovations, cultural influences and political agendas, and shifting audience expectations that shaped not only what appeared on screen but also how audiences reacted to thousands of productions. Animation and the American Imagination: A Brief History presents a concise, unified picture that brings together divergent strands of the story so readers can make sense of the flow of animation history in the United States. The book emphasizes the overall shape of animation history by identifying how key developments emerged from what came before and from the culture at large. It covers the major persons and studios of the various eras; identifies important social factors, including the Great Depression, World War II, the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, and the struggles for civil rights and women's rights; addresses the critical role of technological and aesthetic changes; and discusses major works of animation and the responses to them. Documents the evolution of U.S. animation, from its origins in newspaper cartooning at the beginning of the 20th century to the digital creations of the late 20th century and beyond Reveals social influence on animation across history, including issues of race and gender Identifies a new preoccupation of the American public with animation and reconsiders popular animated films and TV shows in this light Discusses major figures, themes, and studios involved in the production of American animated film and television Identifies major achievements and controversies in the history of animation in the United States

Let your creativity soar with Totoro!

Celebrated for being one of the best hand-drawn films in the history of animation, My Neighbor Totoro is a true inspiration. This luxe hardcover sketchbook is a must-have for Totoro fans.

• Cloth case with a foil stamping of Totoro on the cover
• Lay-flat binding for ease of writing or drawing
• Extra-thick blank pages are perfect for sketching—no ghosting or show-through
• 7 x 9 inches, 128 pages—a great size for all types of creative work
• A great gift or self-purchase for Studio Ghibli and animation fans; collectors; artists; and anyone who owns other My Neighbor Totoro products or loves cute Japanese art, stationery, and pop culture

Showcasing gorgeous concept art from Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film My Neighbor Totoro, this paperback journal provides note-taking inspiration for Studio Ghibli and Totoro fans of all ages. Incudes full-color artwork on the front and back covers, spot illustrations throughout―plus 4 full spreads of concept art.

My Neighbor Totoro © 1988 Studio Ghibli

Since Toy Story, its first feature in 1995, Pixar Animation Studios has produced a string of commercial and critical successes including Monsters, Inc.; WALL-E; Finding Nemo; The Incredibles; Cars; and Up. In nearly all of these films, male characters are prominently featured, usually as protagonists. Despite obvious surface differences, these figures often follow similar narratives toward domestic fulfillment and civic engagement. However, these characters are also hypermasculine types whose paths lead to postmodern social roles more revelatory of the current "crisis" that sociologists and others have noted in boy culture. In Pixar's Boy Stories: Masculinity in a Postmodern Age, Shannon R. Wooden and Ken Gillam examine how boys become men and how men measure up in films produced by the animation giant. Offering counterintuitive readings of boy culture, this book describes how the films quietly but forcefully reiterate traditional masculine norms in terms of what they praise and what they condemn. Whether toys or ants, monsters or cars, Pixar's males succeed or fail according to the "boy code," the relentlessly policed gender standards rampant in American boyhood. Structured thematically around major issues in contemporary boy culture, the book discusses conformity, hypermasculinity, social hierarchies, disability, bullying, and an implicit critique of postmodern parenting. Unprecedented in its focus on Pixar and boys in its films, this book offers a valuable perspective to current conversations about gender and cinema. Providing a critical discourse about masculine roles in animated features, Pixar's Boy Stories will be of interest to scholars of film, media, and gender studies and to parents.

Here is the long overdue first biographical reference and first book of its kind to chronicle the amazing careers of nearly 300 of animation's most honored and recognized animator-directors and animator-producers from around the world. Publication coincides with the 100th anniversary celebration of the very first American animated cartoon, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, released on April 16, 1906. From Max Fleischer (Betty Boop, Popeye) to Brad Bird (The Simpsons, The Incredibles), Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat) to Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), they are all here. With more than 70 never-before published photos and illustrations, including a full-color section of animation art, culled from private collections and many animators' personal collections, this book is an invaluable guide to the people who have shaped cinematic and television animation for decades to come.

The definitive book on animation, from the Academy Award-winning animator behind "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
Animation is one of the hottest areas of filmmaking today--and the master animator who bridges the old generation and the new is Richard Williams. During his fifty years in the business, Williams has been one of the true innovators, winning three Academy Awards and serving as the link between Disney's golden age of animation by hand and the new computer animation exemplified by "Toy Story."
Perhaps even more important, though, has been his dedication in passing along his knowledge to a new generation of animators so that they in turn could push the medium in new directions. In this book, based on his sold-out master classes in the United States and across Europe, Williams provides the underlying principles of animation that every animator--from beginner to expert, classic animator to computer animation whiz --needs. Urging his readers to "invent but be believable," he illustrates his points with hundreds of drawings, distilling the secrets of the masters into a working system in order to create a book that will become the standard work on all forms of animation for professionals, students, and fans.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit emerged at a nexus of people, technology, and circumstances that is historically, culturally, and aesthetically momentous. By the 1980s, animation seemed a dying art. Not even the Walt Disney Company, which had already won over thirty Academy Awards, could stop what appeared to be the end of an animation era. To revitalize popular interest in animation, Disney needed to reach outside its own studio and create the distinctive film that helped usher in a Disney Renaissance. That film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, though expensive and controversial, debuted in theaters to huge success at the box office in 1988. Unique in its conceit of cartoons living in the real world, Who Framed Roger Rabbit magically blended live action and animation, carrying with it a humor that still resonates with audiences. Upon the film's release, Disney's marketing program led the audience to believe that Who Framed Roger Rabbit was made solely by director Bob Zemeckis, director of animation Dick Williams, and the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, though many Disney animators contributed to the project. Author Ross Anderson interviewed over 140 artists to tell the story of how they created something truly magical. Anderson describes the ways in which the Roger Rabbit characters have been used in film shorts, commercials, and merchandising, and how they have remained a cultural touchstone today.

Make mistakes vanish with this set of five erasers featuring characters from Studio Ghibli's award-winning film Spirited Away. Eraser sleeves include Chihiro, Haku, No Face, Yubaba, and Radish Spirit-all packaged to look as if they are crossing the bridge into the spirit world! * GREAT FOR STUDIO GHIBLI FANS: This eraser set, part of a continuing official partnership with Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli, captures the nostalgia and magic of the classic Ghibli film Spirited Away. It's a great gift or self-purchase for animation fans, collectors, artists, and anyone who loves cute Japanese art, stationery, and pop culture. * OWN A PIECE OF THIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILM: Spirited Away is the highest-grossing film in Japan's history. It won the Academy Award (R) for Best Animated Feature, and has appeared on many critics' lists of the best films of all time. * DISTINCTIVE SCHOOL OR OFFICE SUPPLY: Bring some flair to your school or office supplies with this fun eraser set-the eraser sleeves depict the film's characters Chihiro, Haku, No Face, Yubaba, and Radish Spirit. * INCLUDES: 5 erasers with full-color illustrated sleeves in die-cut box tray (c) 2001 Studio Ghibli - NDDTM