Irish Animation and National Cinema Liam Burke
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187 Estudios Irlandeses, Number 4, 2009, pp. 187-191 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ AEDEI Drawing Conclusions: Irish Animation and National Cinema Liam Burke Traditionally perceived as the unclassifiable action production (stars, crew, locations etc.). stepchild of many national cinemas, animation 2008 found the Irish film industry on the cusp of has recently become recognised as a form achieving a consistent level of Irish animated capable of astutely articulating and reflecting a feature production; but do the films of this nation’s identity and concerns. In 2007, burgeoning trend reflect their local origins, or do Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane they yield to marketplace pressures demanding Satrapi) was chosen to represent France in the cultural ambiguity? ‘Foreign Language Film’ category at the The animated form was first earnestly adopted Academy Awards. The film was adapted by by Irish filmmakers in the 1970s, with animators Iranian expatriate Marjane Satrapi from her own such as Aidan Hickey and later Steve Woods graphic novel, and charted her turbulent producing independent work. By the mid 1980s childhood growing up in Iran during the Iranian the form had become an industry, sparked by the Revolution and Iran-Iraq War. Although the film arrival of Sullivan Bluth, an American animation did not make the final shortlist, its effective use studio run by former Disney animator, Don of simple black and white art to convey a child’s Bluth. Sullivan-Bluth was enticed to relocate perspective of complex issues, did see it garner a from Van Nuys, California to a site near Phoenix nomination in the ‘Animated Feature Film’ Park, Dublin by substantial Industrial category: a section ordinarily dominated by big Development Authority (IDA) grants and lower budget family fare from Disney, DreamWorks wage costs. Although Sullivan Bluth’s and Pixar. The 2008 animated-documentary productions, including The Land Before Time Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman) also used surface (Don Bluth, 1988) and All Dogs Go to Heaven simplicity to more deeply penetrate a (Don Bluth, 1989) bore a superficial similarity to complicated topic. The film’s examination of the the output of Bluth’s former employer Disney, 1982 Lebanon War achieved renewed piquancy the director’s newfound autonomy allowed for by superimposing haunting, comic book-like the exploration of darker themes, with these graphics onto images that have become films proving considerable competition for worryingly familiar in live-action. Like Disney at the box office.1 Persepolis, Waltz with Bashir has also become Sullivan Bluth’s impact on the Irish animation an international breakout ‘hit’ and was chosen to scene was game-changing and far-reaching. In represent its country (Israel) in the Foreign order to develop the burgeoning studio, Sullivan Language Film category at the Academy Awards Bluth established Ireland’s first animation course (2009). at Ballyfermot College in Dublin, which Yet, it seems strange that animated features continues today under the banner of the Irish have taken this long to co-habit the privileged School of Animation.2 Many of the graduates status of ‘national cinema’ automatically granted to live-action films. If one subscribes to Jean _________________ Cocteau’s belief that ‘film will only become art 1. In 1988 Disney’s Oliver & Company grossed when its materials are as inexpensive as pen and $53,279,055 at the US box office, only narrowly out- paper’ then surely animation, while still performing Sullivan Bluth’s The Land Before Time beholden to budgetary concerns, is the form $48,092,846. Figures from: better positioned to reflect national interests, http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr= avoiding as it does, most of the vagaries of live 1988&p=.htm [Retrieved January 19, 2009] ________________________ ISSN 1699-311X 188 from Ballyfermot College found work not only at events such as the Irish Animation Festival.4 In Sullivan Bluth but also at Murakami Wolf, a time, the lobbying of Anamu (a collective of production company that had expanded from Irish animators) prompted the Irish Film Board Murakami films and was responsible for (IFB) to introduce Frameworks, a scheme for animating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. financing animated shorts. Frameworks began in Another company founded during this time was 1995 and early successes included Midnight Emerald City, established by American Al Guest Dance (John McCloskey, 1996), Guy’s Dog (clearly emulating the Sullivan Bluth model). (Rory Bresnihan, 1997) and The Last Elk (Alan This commitment to animation was echoed south Shannon, 1998). Today, ‘Frameworks’ offers of the city by the introduction of animation filmmakers budgets of up to €50,000 to produce courses with a more experimental emphasis at animated shorts with a running time of less than the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and six minutes.5 Technology (IADT). These various factors coalesced to foster the This prolific period of American animated production of a wealth of animated short films, production in Ireland drew to a close in the mid- which began receiving the kind of international 1990s when financial difficulties, exacerbated by acclaim that escaped most Irish live-action under-performing releases,3 prompted the closure efforts. 2002 proved a particularly successful of Sullivan Bluth. Emerald City soon followed year with two Irish works – Fifty Percent Grey suit, while Murakami Wolf was downsized to (Ruairí Robinson, 2001) and Give Up Yer Aul Fred Wolf films. Yet, throughout the 1990s the Sins (Cathal Gaffney, 2001) – nominated in the number of experienced animators in Ireland ‘Animated Short Film’ category at the Academy continued to grow, as animation programs at Awards. Although a Pixar effort, For the Birds IADT and Ballyfermot College produced (Ralph Eggleston, 2000) took home the prize, the filmmakers trained to a world-class level. There nomination helped propel Fifty Percent Grey were intermittent attempts during this time to director Ruairí Robinson into the director’s chair revive feature production. Most notably, Dublin- of the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced anime- based Terraglyph Production released three adaptation Akira (2011),6 while Give Up Yer Aul animated co-productions Carnivale (Deane Sins was expanded into a best-selling DVD Taylor, 2000) Duck Ugly (Emmanuel Klotz and anthology, suggesting that there was as much Deane Taylor, 2000) and Help! I’m a Fish appetite for Irish animation at home as there was (Stefan Fjeldmark, Michael Hegner and Greg overseas. Yet, as in live action, the animated Manwaring, 2000). Yet theses films failed to short can only achieve so much and in 2008 the resuscitate the animated feature. During this potential for regular Irish animated feature fallow period many animators began to production, hinted at in the shorts, finally began concentrate on short films, finding audiences at to be realised.7 _____________ _____________ 2. http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId= 4. Launched in 1994, the Irish Animation Festival was 4381094778 run out of the Irish Film Centre in Dublin. The festival initially ran for three years showcasing Irish 3. The box office performance of Sullivan Bluth shorts alongside international works. productions post-1990 lagged far behind previous successes and productions from rival studios. Sullivan 5. From the ‘About Frameworks’ section of the Irish Bluth productions and their US box offices grosses Film Board website http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/ , for this period are as follows, Rock-a-Doodle (Don funding_programmes/Frameworks/65 [Retrieved Bluth, Gary Goldman and Dan Kuenster, 1991) January 15, 2009] $11,657,385, Thumbelina (Don Bluth and Gary 6. Ironically for director Robinson, whose greatest Goldman 1994) $11,373,501, and The Pebble and the success to date has been in animation, the adaptation Penguin (Don Bluth and Gary Goldman 1995) of anime Akira will be in live-action. $3,983,912. Figures from: http://www.boxofficemojo. com/yearly/chart/?yr=1988&p=.htm [Retrieved 7. For further information on the history of Irish January 19, 2009] animation and ongoing productions see: 189 Fittingly for a stratum of filmmaking bubbling Consequently, the film is a familiar blend of just under the crust of public recognition, talking animals, musical interludes and comedy Galway-based Magma Films has been promoting sidekicks (here a cowardly flying squirrel and a animated feature production for some time. pampered, purple poodle), with animation that is Magma Films is a prolific and diverse competent, if a little rough around its digitally- independent production company, creating rendered edges. However, the film does avoid everything from Irish language fashion shows the knowing cynicism of some of the celebrity- (Paisean Faisean) to live action family films laden US efforts, and the computer-generated such as Summer of the Flying Saucer (Martin gamble seems to have paid off with Niko and the Duffy, 2008). It is also one of the greatest Way to the Stars selling to over 120 countries.9 proponents of animation in Ireland, previously The success of Niko & the Way to the Stars co-producing with European partners The Ugly does raise a number of concerns about the future Duckling and Me (Michael Hegner and Karsten of not only Irish animation, but the larger field. Kiilerich, 2006), a feature film and television As an international co-production Niko & the series that was a computer-generated twist on the Way to the Stars migrates about a vague movie- Hans Christian Andersen tale. land, displaying no traits that could be identified 2008 saw the release of Magma Films’ latest as specific to Ireland or any of its funding animated co-production, Niko & the Way to the nations. Similarly, while the film had a Stars (Michael Hegner and Kari Juusonen, significant number of Irish contributors,10 it must 2008), which like past efforts, was a family film, be acknowledged that most of the animation was this time following a young reindeer who, handled overseas.