Experimental Animation

Experimental animation is an art-based form of animation and is mostly concerned with exploring new techniques, most commonly in the form of abstract animation. Abstract animation is a form of animation which explores the use of non-figurative forms and movement.

Hans Richter's Rhythmus 23 (1923) is an early example of abstract animation. It has no narrative and pretty much consists entirely of squares changing shape and size and is entirely in black and white. I personally think this animation is boring to watch because nothing exciting really happens and the colours are very dull. It is however, interesting to try to figure out how this animation would have been achieved in 1923.

Oskar Fischinger's Toccata and Fugue in D minor (1940) (above, top) and his Early Abstraction (1950) are also early examples of experimental animation. Early Abstraction is far more abstract than Toccata. Toccata is part of Disney's Fantasia (1940), so the animation fits the music in a more classic, semi-abstract way. However, after watching Early Abstraction, it is arguably evident that the latter animation actually fits its music better as it uses bolder and brighter colours, and the visuals correspond with the beat more accurately. However, despite this I prefer Toccata as the style used in the animation is more varied throughout so I find it makes it more interesting to watch.

Early Abstractions (1946) by Harry Smith is also an abstract animation, though not as early as some of the previous examples. It is far more dynamic than some of the earliest examples, making it more interesting to watch. It also sticks to the concept of cells, shown by many of the shapes; and the movements of the shapes look as though they are splitting like cells under a microscope. The colours used are also very natural, and the music sounds quite organic, which sticks to this kind of natural science style within the animation.

A Colour Box (1935) (above, top) by Len Lye, is an animation which was made for G.P.O (now called Royal Mail) as a piece of advertising. It is lively and doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's quite a bold and fun animation to watch; especially when coupled with the lively music. However it is a bit weird when, towards the end, it starts advertising the various prices of sending a parcel, it almost ruins it really.
Rainbow Dance (1936) by Len Lye was also produced by G.P.O. Again, it is very lively and fun to watch and uses bright colours and fast-paced music. However, it is less abstract, and the fact that a dancer is used as a central subject, it gives the viewers eyes something to follow, and a little more narrative, rather than allowing your eyes to flit around the screen like in his previous animation.

Boogie Doodle by Norman McLaren is another example of abstract animation, again to lively, fun music. I like this animation better than the previous examples of abstract animation because the style is more interesting in that adding the white and black marks to the blue shapes gives them a more 3D look, which contrasts really nicely with the 2D looking black marks. Also, because the animation focuses on just a couple of central shapes, it gives the viewer's eyes something to focus on as opposed to just flailing around the screen.
Neighbours (1952) by Norman McLaren is an example of experimental animation which is not abstract, and it also has a storyline. This animation has also been done using stop-motion, which was less common in early experimental animation. This animation really works though because it is clearly using real actors, but gives a very comical look to it, and certain points in the animation happen which would have never been possible in live action, such as when one of the characters is flying.

Tango (1983) by Zbig Rybczynski is an experimental animation about the chaos of life, where the increasing number of people in that one room builds up a sense of anxiety, but the routine and repetition in it makes it easy to cope with the amount of information happening at once in this animation. It is a great animation to watch, really original, and one of the most fascinating things about this animation is it's impeccable timing and coordination; a really great animation.

United Productions of America (UPA)

The UPA, previously called The Screen Cartoonists Guild, was formed in 1938 by a group of animators who had previously quit Disney Studios as a result of a strike regarding the lengthy processes they had to go through to create their animations. However, their style was different to that of Disney's, namely it was more simple and stylised; often think-lined. They also used distorted perspectives and a strong use of story and voice. Limited animation is also used to reduce the amount of drawings used to make the animation, so therefore the cost reduced as well.

The Dover Boys of Pimento University (1942) is a Merry Melodies cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones. It is an example of how the UPA used limited animation in their cartoons. This is evident by the fact there are a number of places in the cartoon where backgrounds are shown with no moving character in front of them for a longer amount of time than would normally be used. It is also very noticeable when the woman, Dora Stanpipe, walk down the stairs in her house and just slides along the floor as opposed to having any kind of walk cycle, which I did find a little irritating, but it was still funny in a way. Despite the animating on the cheap, the cartoon still works as a whole because of its strong use of story and the humorous gags it pulls out; especially when Dora Stanpipe is screaming for help, but at the same time is quite ably beating up her kidnapper.

The Magic Fluke (1948) is another early example of UPA's limited animation. In this cartoon, the limited animation is far less evident than in The Dover Boys of Pimento University, however it is also less funny, although the story is still very strong.

Gerald McBoing Boing (1951) is a great example of how using limited animation can be very effective, and is one of UPA's most famous series. The characters are very simple and stylised, and the backgrounds are not fully drawn in, but I think it actually gives a really nice atmosphere and style to the cartoon. The story to the cartoon is pretty cute, which matches the simple, cute style of the characters and backgrounds. The limited pallet of colour also works great because the colours used are all mostly neutral and therefore they go together well; the fact that parts of the background and characters are not coloured in only adds to the charm.

Mr Magoo (1949) is another of UPA's most famous animated series. Like Gerald McBoing Boing, this cartoon has partly coloured-in backgrounds, again adding to this original style. This also has a very simple concept, which matches the simple style and makes it easy and light-hearted to watch.

Fred "Tex" Avery

Tex Avery started off animating at Walter Lanz Studios in the early 1930s, then in 1935, he moved to Leon Schlesinger Productions where he ran a production unit with Chuck Jones and Bob Clampett. Their studio was nicknamed "Termite Terrace" and Avery worked with many famous characters such as Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck; the building has now been demolished. Avery then moved to MGM studios in 1941, following a dispute with Schlesinger where at the end of The Heckling Hare Bugs Bunny and Hunting Dog fall off a cliff three times, but before the third fall they were to look at the audience and Bugs says "hold onto your hats, folks, here we go again", which was the ending line of a well-know porn sequence at the time. During Tex's time working at MGM with Fred Quimby, he began to push gags to the extreme to a point where they became very surreal and out-of control.

Red Hot Riding Hood (1943) is a great example of Tex's out-of-control style. This cartoon is clearly quite frantic, and the gags are pushed to the extreme but that really does work as part of the gag, such as when the wolf turns into a car, and when the granny goes flying because the wolf stuck a pin in her back side. The set-up for the latter joke is very clever because you don't actually see the pin stab her bum, but you see the pin and her bum then you see her in pain so you know exactly what has happened. The comedy in this is very aggressive, in-your-face, and not child-friendly but it is incredibly funny. It's also an original take on little red riding hood which makes it a bit more interesting.

Ventriloquist Cat (1950) is an example of how Avery used exaggerated body capabilities to create humour, such as the dog being able to survive having his insides blown up again and again and still being able to recover. It is also an example of using repetition to make things more funny. This is a classic cat and dog fighting cartoon, but the way the cat tries to injure the dog are quite original so it's still funny.

Bad Luck Blackie (1949) is very similar to Tom and Jerry, on which Avery also worked. It is another great example of how repetition can be used as a gag, namely everytime the black cat walks past the dog, something falls on the dog's head. Again, this is a classic cat and dog cartoon but by pushing the gags to the limit it continues to be funny.

Tom and Jerry

Tom and Jerry is a cartoon with a simple storyline about a cat (Tom) and a mouse (Jerry), involving surreal injury gags, usually at Tom's expense. Tex Avery's influence in this cartoon series is greatly evident by the comically violent nature of the characters towards each other.

Puss Gets the Boot (1940) is an early example of Tom and Jerry. Even though the cat in this cartoon is called Jasper, from looking at the design it is easy to tell that this is an early design of Tom. It also shows that Jerry's design has mostly remained the same throughout the years. Even though it is funny to watch, I almost feel as though it's a bit irritating to watch because the lady calls Tom "Jasper" whereas I know him as Tom so it seems a bit strange.

The Little Orphan (1949) is a great example of how the crew working on Tom and Jerry really use the musical score to make the fighting funny and light-hearted. They also use the story behind thanks giving as the concept for Tom and Jerry's fighting.

The later Tom and Jerry cartoons (directed by Gene Deitch at Rembrandt Films, then later by Chuck Jones) were successful but not as critically acclaimed as the early ones. The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit (1962) is a later cartoon, and it really doesn't have the same charm as the earlier cartoons.