The evolution of Animation

Although I do not consider myself an expert in animation, I'm certainly an enthusiast dating back to my formative years where there was no such thing as a Pixar. The 1980's were filled with toy lines masquerading as cartoons but the one that stood out from all of them was The Transformers. I loved the look and feel of the angular, japanese robots as they battled over the Northwest terrain. However there were certain episodes that just didn't feel right. It turns out these episodes were done by the AKOM animation team, rather that Toei Animation, who's responsible for many a famous cartoon. Then I saw the Movie in 1985 and saw what Toei could really do, given time and a budget. The subsequent season left little to know impression on me, primarily because the characters and direction of the cartoon had changes. But I think it also had to do with Toei only doing a handfull of episodes.

Similarly, in the early days of Batman: the Animated Series, there was an A and B animation team that were night and day. The A team would produce striking and dynamic poses with the dark knight, using light and shadow to turn him into the myth we all know and love. The B team suffered from perspective issues, often made gotham too bright, and at times framed the scene too close so characters were sometimes crouching

I think you can figure out which team is which. Interestingly enough these are from different parts of the two part episode "Feat of Clay". I assume the producers sacrificed the first episode, knowing they'd want their A team to animate the shape shifting Clayface.

The Simpson's started out the afore mentioned AKOM team who's early efforts were often quite crass and the characters ended up off model. Remember the unidentified purple goop the family used to scarf down at the dinner table? The writer's explain in the commentary that this baffling substance was not by their request. The style quickly improved but there was a particular moment around season 5 where a distinct, fluid style appears which reflects the more surreal subject matter. As the Simpsons humor grows beyond the dysfunctional family and becomes more scatological, the animation seems to be falling in step. Notice how Lyle Langely gingerly floats up to the main stage in the classic Monorail song:

There are also several episodes where the Simpsons pupils have increased dramatically, giving them a dilated effect. When a character was in extreme emotion, the animators would have their pupils dartto the side awayt from one another giving them a real feel of lunacy.

The producers go on record in the DVD commentary that this was not to their liking, but I think it's perfect given the nature of the humor and it automatically lets you know that this is one of the good ones.

Eventually, the animation moves to the digital realm and seasons 10-20 become impossible to identify. Coincidentally, the humor becomes more independent of the characters and ceases to have any real consequence. Batman: The Animated Series also refines it's style in it's later years and it looks professional and slick. There's no doubt this is the most sensible approach and is the ultimate desire of the creator. But for me, I enjoyed the gambit of finding out in the opening minutes whether you were in for a real visual treat, or just another average experience.

(If you really want to delve into the intricacies of animation, I suggest you visit John Kricfalusi's excellent blog on all forms of cartooning

DVD Review: Batman: Under the Red Hood

I'm gonna say good, but not great here are my issues:

1. Voice acting - At this point, there's no reason to cast anyone other than Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil as the Joker. This would have given it an even closer tie to BTAS. I thought DiMaggio had an interesting interpretation, but his voice is just too well known to me at this point. I just kept thinking of Bender on Futurama. Equally as distracting was Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing. Too jokey, not enough heft. Plus, he's the Music Meister on Batman B&tB. And whomever was the Black Mask didn't just chew the scenery, he swallowed it whole.

2. Tone - I wasn't a big fan of the aggro tone of the piece which clashed heavily with the retro flashback's to Todd as Robin. Batman's in full a-hole mode and you never feel any remorse for the what Jason Todd has become. He was shocked when he learned Red Hood's identity (which BTW, the world's greatest detective should have caught onto a lot earlier) but trauma like this should have cracked his grim visage. Maybe have him open up to Nightwing and express his pride in his first partner/adopted son. Instead he shoos him away like a pesky fly. Which brings up a bad piece of plotting: Nightwing rolls his ankle and is never seen again in the film? He should have appeared somewhere in the final act.

3. Animation - For the most part it was good, but the CGI was uneccesary and really poor.

So certainly not as off as Superman Doomsday, but nowhere as good as Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. Next up on the DC direct to DVD slate is an adaptation of Superman/Batman vol. 2 Supergirl which I didn't care for much the 1st time around. After that is supposedly All Star Superman, which is probably the greatest Superman story since Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? I'm a bit worried...