The Heart and Soul of Modern Animation

The cartoons of the past that people most readily identify with are those created by Walt Disney. The legacy he bequeathed to animation and the American psyche has left an indelible imprint upon Western Civilization through the simple retelling of fairy tales. The Disney Empire began with a simple cartoon titled “Steamboat Willie” which put Mickey and Minnie before an audience eager for distraction.

This comical, but hugely influential cartoon, would become the basis for modern animation as we know it. Yet for all the story telling devices available through incorporating techniques such as exaggeration, anticipation, secondary motion, and appeal the writer finds the Disney style to give little to the art of storytelling except bland anthropomorphized idealism and a myopic view of good vs evil, gender roles, race, class, and acceptable social mores.

Far more impressing is the experimental and colorful “Little Nemo”. Winsor McCay was far ahead of his time with the advent of his comic strip. Instead of enforcing the confining belief structure of his era, he questioned reality itself with his foray into the Dream World. His brilliant use of color, depth, and movement coincide sharply with the sudden appearance of a foppish, androgynous young prince and his clown cohorts. There was no need to question the ridiculousness; instead, we were forced to question the concept of existence itself. Indeed, the influence on later Surrealists (read: Salvador Dali) is readily visible.

Disney shall forever hold sway in the American mind when it comes to animation. Yet there are many children who grew up in the 80s watching old Disney cartoons only to follow up with a dose of “Little Nemo: The Dream Master” on the “Nintendo Entertainment System”. Whatever you might think of the game itself, the designer Tatsuya Minami, would later be involved in game design projects such as “Mega Man”, “”Resident Evil”, “Street Fighter II”, and “Devil May Cry 3”.

Disney reigns supreme among the cadre of animation professionals who helped to establish the core structure of animation techniques and style. Yet Winsor McCay has inspired as many, whether they are aware of his influence or not. The Dream World offers limitless possibilities and an entire generation of Americans is ripe for new stories and fresh ideas.