Understanding Animation

First Published in 1998. Understanding Animation is a comprehensive introduction to animated film, from cartoons to computer animation. Paul Wells'' insightful account of a critically neglected but increasingly popular medium:
* explains the defining characteristics of animation as a cinematic form
* outlines different models and methods which can be used to interpret and evaluate animated films
* traces the development of animated film around the world, from Betty Boop to Wallace and Gromit.
Part history, part theory, and part celebration, Understanding Animation includes:
* notes towards a theory of animation
* an explanation of animation''s narrative strategies
* an analyis of how comic events are constructed
* a discussion of representation, focusing on gender and race
* primary research on animation and audiences.
Paul Wells'' argument is illustrated with case studies, including Daffy Duck in Chuck Jones'' Duck Amuck<