DOCSLIB.ORG

Feature Films and Licensing & Merchandising

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Vol.Vol. 33 IssueIssue 88 NovemberNovember 1998 1998 Feature Films and Licensing & Merchandising A Bug’s Life John Lasseter’s Animated Life Iron Giant Innovations The Fox and the Hound Italy’s Lanterna Magica Pro-Social Programming Plus: MIPCOM, Ottawa and Cartoon Forum TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER 1998 VOL.3 NO.8 Table of Contents November 1998 Vol. 3, No. 8 4 Editor’s Notebook Disney, Disney, Disney... 5 Letters: [email protected] 7 Dig This! Millions of Disney Videos! Feature Films 9 Toon Story: John Lasseter’s Animated Life Just how does one become an animation pioneer? Mike Lyons profiles the man of the hour, John Las- seter, on the eve of Pixar’s Toy Story follow-up, A Bug’s Life. 12 Disney’s The Fox and The Hound:The Coming of the Next Generation Tom Sito discusses the turmoil at Disney Feature Animation around the time The Fox and the Hound was made, marking the transition between the Old Men of the Classic Era and the newcomers of today’s ani- 1998 mation industry. 16 Lanterna Magica:The Story of a Seagull and a Studio Who Learnt To Fly Helming the Italian animation Renaissance, Lanterna Magica and director Enzo D’Alò are putting the fin- ishing touches on their next feature film, Lucky and Zorba. Chiara Magri takes us there. 20 Director and After Effects: Storyboarding Innovations on The Iron Giant Brad Bird, director of Warner Bros. Feature Animation’s The Iron Giant, discusses the latest in storyboard- ing techniques and how he applied them to the film. Licensing & Merchandising 23 In the Belly of the Beast:The Advertising to Kids Conference Buzz Potamkin attended New York City’s first serious look at the increasingly complex and important world of taping into the kids’ market. He was pleasantly surprised by the insightful panels and discus- sion. 28 The 1998 Golden Marble Award Winners were announced at the event as well. 29 Also included is, Are Kids Following Little Bo-Peep’s Sheep?, a sidebar discussing the continuing ero- sion of audience numbers that will, in time, lead to a lag in advertising dollars... 30 The Tanglefoot Chronicles:A Case Study A little known Disney character, a clumsy but well-meaning horse named Tanglefoot, became a licensing sensation by not being in a film - twice! J.B. Kaufman explains. 34 The Ingredients of Prosocial,‘FCC Friendly’ Animation What elements does FCC friendly programming need to keep kids paying attention and tuning in for more? Jennifer Kotler outlines the musts. OVEMBER The Student Corner 38 Here’s A How de do Diary:August Barry Purves is nearing completion on his Channel 4 film about Gilbert and Sullivan. Follow along as N principal shooting almost comes to a close. © Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE November 1998 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS NOVEMBER 1998 VOL.3 NO.8 Festivals, Events 46 The 1998 Ottawa International Animation Festival:A Nice Mix of Films, Business and Fun Deborah Fallows relates her experiences at the 1998 Ottawa International Animation Festival, a well-run, well-organized event that managed to stay fit and trim in a crowded year on the festival circuit. 49 The Ottawa ‘98 Scrapbook features pictures sent in by Animation World Magazine readers of them- selves, animators and others enjoying the 1998 Ottawa International Animation Festival. 51 A Look Back at MIPCOM ‘98 Sony Wonder’s Loris Kramer relates her MIPCOM ‘98 experience by discussing market trends, the purpose of the event and what you should know before attending with a project. 53 The Cartoon Forum: More Advancements for Europe The 1998 Cartoon Forum, held in Greece, gave Europe a grand opportunity to put productions into motion. Marie Beardmore reports. Films 56 The Golden Cartoon 1998 Upon hearing the news that L’Enfant au Grelot/Charlie’s Christmas won the Cartoon d’Or, Animation World Magazine asked director Jacques-Rémy Girerd to share his thoughts. Available in English and French. 60 67 Aluminum Plates Oscar winner Jan Pinkava and a group of animators spontaneously collaborated to make a stop-motion animated film in one day during the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Wendy Jackson reports. Books 62 Principles of Three-Dimensional Computer Animation: Revised Edition Mark Christiansen reviews the next evolution of Principles of Three-Dimensional Computer Animation, an academic textbook on computer graphics that is worth the read. Hidden Treasures 64 A Frame By Frame Chronicle of a Unique Collection:Animation at the Cinémathèque Québé- coise Jean Hamel discusses the wide range of delights housed in Canada’s archive, The Cinémathèque Québé- coise. Available in English and French. News 70 Animation World News Tom Sito joins Warner Bros., Chung Designing For Samsung, Antz II Marching On, ASIFA-Hollywood’s Annie Noms and more... 102 On A Desert Island With....Cartoon Characters OVEMBER Speed Racer and the Pocket Dragons reveal their favorite animated films. 103 Next Issue’s Highlights 8 This Month’s Contributors N 1 Cover: A Bug’s Life. © Disney Enterprises, Inc./Pixar Animation Studios. All Rights Reserved. © Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. © Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE November 1998 3 by Heather Kenyon Disney, Disney, Disney... ularity in comic strips Disney was too good It is true. One cannot dis- and books led to a at doing what they cuss animation without discussing licensing campaign do. By creating such Disney. From early marketing on a limited number profits, “everyone” plans to today’s newest animated of items in the 1930s. wanted a piece of the feature, Disney has played a major Jennifer Kotler also animated feature pie, role in our industry. While many offers kudos to Dis- and the resulting L&M may wrinkle their nose at the ney Television in her earnings. Eisner and monolith, one must admit that the article, “The Ingredi- Katzenberg’s rejuve- impact of this one man and his ents of Prosocial, nating approach was company is amazing. ‘FCC Friendly’ Anima- so well executed and In our Feature Animation tion.” defined that now Dis- section, Tom Sito discusses the tur- Furthermore, ney finds themselves moil at Disney Feature Animation in this month’s “Dig This!,” Zahra competing with the likes of in “Disney’s The Fox and the Dowlatabadi relates how power- DreamWorks (now helmed by Hound: The Coming of the Next ful the home video market really is. Katzenberg, of course), Fox and Generation.” The Fox and the Yes, we all know Disney sells a lot Warner Bros. Hound was a film made during of video tapes...but have you ever As late November and the transition between the Old stopped to think about how many December unfold we will have a Men of the Classic Era and the video tapes that really is? Think of better idea of whether or not Dis- newcomers of today’s animation the last household you entered ney will hold onto this title against industry. While the film was made with children. Didn’t they have a the onslaught. Perhaps one day during the doldrum years, it slew of Disney videos? Now, think we will remember the Eighties and helped spawn a generation of ani- of all the households worldwide early Nineties as when Disney mators that would reinvigorate with kids — that’s millions of reigned supreme, before other the field. We hear from two of households and millions upon mil- companies, like DreamWorks, these “young newcomers” who lions of Disney tapes. Zahra begins joined them in the secure posi- are now the grand poo-bahs of to put numbers and scope to this tions that the market has grown to animation. Brad Bird discusses thought and it is mind-blowing. support. Certainly, something will “Director and After Effects: Story- So almost all roads, surpris- always be special about Disney’s boarding Innovations on The Iron ingly, lead back to Disney in this well-crafted “brand.” Giant,” the film he is currently issue. I’d like to say I was very Another article well worth directing for Warner Bros. Feature clever and had planned this to reading this month is Buzz Animation. We have a very special show the long standing superiori- Potamkin’s review of the “Advertis- treat as Mike Lyons interviews A ty of Disney in the realm of this ing to Kids Conference.” Buzz Bug’s Life director in “Toon Story: issue’s two themes, Feature Anima- makes heads and tails about a cru- John Lasseter’s Animated Life.” tion and Licensing and Merchan- cial shift that is happening in tele- Concerning Licensing and dising. Instead, it is what they call vision viewing. Always insightful Merchandising, J.B. Kaufman has a happy accident that proves a and witty, Buzz’s article will be sure treated us to a very well- point — Disney has been the to prompt quite a few conversa- researched and interesting case absolute leader in feature anima- tions in coffee shops and confer- study in “The Tanglefoot Chroni- tion and licensing and merchan- ence rooms. cles: A Case Study.” He sheds light dising, pushing us toward the hey- on a relatively minor Disney side day we are currently experiencing. Until Next Time... character, Tanglefoot, whose pop- In fact, one could make a case that Heather ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE November 1998 4 [email protected] The Thief and the Cobbler the studio.
Recommended publications
  • Glitz and Glam

    Glitz and Glam

    FINAL-1 Sat, Feb 24, 2018 5:31:17 PM Glitz and glam The biggest celebration in filmmaking tvspotlight returns with the 90th Annual Academy Your Weekly Guide to TV Entertainment Awards, airing Sunday, March 4, on ABC. Every year, the most glamorous people • For the week of March 3 - 9, 2018 • in Hollywood stroll down the red carpet, hoping to take home that shiny Oscar for best film, director, lead actor or ac- tress and supporting actor or actress. Jimmy Kimmel returns to host again this year, in spite of last year’s Best Picture snafu. OMNI Security Team Jimmy Kimmel hosts the 90th Annual Academy Awards Omni Security SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 30 YEARS Put Your Trust in Our2 Familyx 3.5” to Protect Your Family Big enough to Residential & serve you Fire & Access Commercial Small enough to Systems and Video Security know you Surveillance Remote access 24/7 Alarm & Security Monitoring puts you in control Remote Access & Wireless Technology Fire, Smoke & Carbon Detection of your security Personal Emergency Response Systems system at all times. Medical Alert Systems 978-465-5000 | 1-800-698-1800 | www.securityteam.com MA Lic. 444C Old traditional Italian recipes made with natural ingredients, since 1995. Giuseppe's 2 x 3” fresh pasta • fine food ♦ 257 Low Street | Newburyport, MA 01950 978-465-2225 Mon. - Thur. 10am - 8pm | Fri. - Sat. 10am - 9pm Full Bar Open for Lunch & Dinner FINAL-1 Sat, Feb 24, 2018 5:31:19 PM 2 • Newburyport Daily News • March 3 - 9, 2018 the strict teachers at her Cath- olic school, her relationship with her mother (Metcalf) is Videoreleases strained, and her relationship Cream of the crop with her boyfriend, whom she Thor: Ragnarok met in her school’s theater Oscars roll out the red carpet for star quality After his father, Odin (Hop- program, ends when she walks kins), dies, Thor’s (Hems- in on him kissing another guy.
  • Aardman in Archive Exploring Digital Archival Research Through a History of Aardman Animations

    Aardman in Archive Exploring Digital Archival Research Through a History of Aardman Animations

    Aardman in Archive Exploring Digital Archival Research through a History of Aardman Animations Rebecca Adrian Aardman in Archive | Exploring Digital Archival Research through a History of Aardman Animations Rebecca Adrian Aardman in Archive: Exploring Digital Archival Research through a History of Aardman Animations Copyright © 2018 by Rebecca Adrian All rights reserved. Cover image: BTS19_rgb - TM &2005 DreamWorks Animation SKG and TM Aardman Animations Ltd. A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Media and Performance Studies at Utrecht University. Author Rebecca A. E. E. Adrian Student number 4117379 Thesis supervisor Judith Keilbach Second reader Frank Kessler Date 17 August 2018 Contents Acknowledgements vi Abstract vii Introduction 1 1 // Stop-Motion Animation and Aardman 4 1.1 | Lack of Histories of Stop-Motion Animation and Aardman 4 1.2 | Marketing, Glocalisation and the Success of Aardman 7 1.3 | The Influence of the British Television Landscape 10 2 // Digital Archival Research 12 2.1 | Digital Surrogates in Archival Research 12 2.2 | Authenticity versus Accessibility 13 2.3 | Expanded Excavation and Search Limitations 14 2.4 | Prestige of Substance or Form 14 2.5 | Critical Engagement 15 3 // A History of Aardman in the British Television Landscape 18 3.1 | Aardman’s Origins and Children’s TV in the 1970s 18 3.1.1 | A Changing Attitude towards Television 19 3.2 | Animated Shorts and Channel 4 in the 1980s 20 3.2.1 | Broadcasting Act 1980 20 3.2.2 | Aardman and Channel
  • Spatial Design Principles in Digital Animation

    Spatial Design Principles in Digital Animation

    Copyright by Laura Beth Albright 2009 ABSTRACT The visual design phase in computer-animated film production includes all decisions that affect the visual look and emotional tone of the film. Within this domain is a set of choices that must be made by the designer which influence the viewer's perception of the film’s space, defined in this paper as “spatial design.” The concept of spatial design is particularly relevant in digital animation (also known as 3D or CG animation), as its production process relies on a virtual 3D environment during the generative phase but renders 2D images as a final product. Reference for spatial design decisions is found in principles of various visual arts disciplines, and this thesis seeks to organize and apply these principles specifically to digital animation production. This paper establishes a context for this study by first analyzing several short animated films that draw attention to spatial design principles by presenting the film space non-traditionally. A literature search of graphic design and cinematography principles yields a proposed toolbox of spatial design principles. Two short animated films are produced in which the story and style objectives of each film are examined, and a custom subset of tools is selected and applied based on those objectives. Finally, the use of these principles is evaluated within the context of the films produced. The two films produced have opposite stylistic objectives, and thus show two different viewpoints of applying the toolbox. Taken ii together, the two films demonstrate application and analysis of the toolbox principles, approached from opposing sides of the same system.
  • A Totally Awesome Study of Animated Disney Films and the Development of American Values

    A Totally Awesome Study of Animated Disney Films and the Development of American Values

    California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 2012 Almost there : a totally awesome study of animated Disney films and the development of American values Allyson Scott California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes Recommended Citation Scott, Allyson, "Almost there : a totally awesome study of animated Disney films and the development of American values" (2012). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 391. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes/391 This Capstone Project is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. Unless otherwise indicated, this project was conducted as practicum not subject to IRB review but conducted in keeping with applicable regulatory guidance for training purposes. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Social and Behavioral Sciences Department Senior Capstone California State University, Monterey Bay Almost There: A Totally Awesome Study of Animated Disney Films and the Development of American Values Dr. Rebecca Bales, Capstone Advisor Dr. Gerald Shenk, Capstone Instructor Allyson Scott Spring 2012 Acknowledgments This senior capstone has been a year of research, writing, and rewriting. I would first like to thank Dr. Gerald Shenk for agreeing that my topic could be more than an excuse to watch movies for homework. Dr. Rebecca Bales has been a source of guidance and reassurance since I declared myself an SBS major. Both have been instrumental to the completion of this project, and I truly appreciate their humor, support, and advice.
  • The Uses of Animation 1

    The Uses of Animation 1

    The Uses of Animation 1 1 The Uses of Animation ANIMATION Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and change by means of the rapid display of a sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion—as in motion pictures in general—is thought to rely on the phi phenomenon. Animators are artists who specialize in the creation of animation. Animation can be recorded with either analogue media, a flip book, motion picture film, video tape,digital media, including formats with animated GIF, Flash animation and digital video. To display animation, a digital camera, computer, or projector are used along with new technologies that are produced. Animation creation methods include the traditional animation creation method and those involving stop motion animation of two and three-dimensional objects, paper cutouts, puppets and clay figures. Images are displayed in a rapid succession, usually 24, 25, 30, or 60 frames per second. THE MOST COMMON USES OF ANIMATION Cartoons The most common use of animation, and perhaps the origin of it, is cartoons. Cartoons appear all the time on television and the cinema and can be used for entertainment, advertising, 2 Aspects of Animation: Steps to Learn Animated Cartoons presentations and many more applications that are only limited by the imagination of the designer. The most important factor about making cartoons on a computer is reusability and flexibility. The system that will actually do the animation needs to be such that all the actions that are going to be performed can be repeated easily, without much fuss from the side of the animator.
  • Wmc Investigation: 10-Year Analysis of Gender & Oscar

    Wmc Investigation: 10-Year Analysis of Gender & Oscar

    WMC INVESTIGATION: 10-YEAR ANALYSIS OF GENDER & OSCAR NOMINATIONS womensmediacenter.com @womensmediacntr WOMEN’S MEDIA CENTER ABOUT THE WOMEN’S MEDIA CENTER In 2005, Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem founded the Women’s Media Center (WMC), a progressive, nonpartisan, nonproft organization endeav- oring to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media and thereby ensuring that their stories get told and their voices are heard. To reach those necessary goals, we strategically use an array of interconnected channels and platforms to transform not only the media landscape but also a cul- ture in which women’s and girls’ voices, stories, experiences, and images are nei- ther suffciently amplifed nor placed on par with the voices, stories, experiences, and images of men and boys. Our strategic tools include monitoring the media; commissioning and conducting research; and undertaking other special initiatives to spotlight gender and racial bias in news coverage, entertainment flm and television, social media, and other key sectors. Our publications include the book “Unspinning the Spin: The Women’s Media Center Guide to Fair and Accurate Language”; “The Women’s Media Center’s Media Guide to Gender Neutral Coverage of Women Candidates + Politicians”; “The Women’s Media Center Media Guide to Covering Reproductive Issues”; “WMC Media Watch: The Gender Gap in Coverage of Reproductive Issues”; “Writing Rape: How U.S. Media Cover Campus Rape and Sexual Assault”; “WMC Investigation: 10-Year Review of Gender & Emmy Nominations”; and the Women’s Media Center’s annual WMC Status of Women in the U.S.
  • Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft

    Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft

    Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft Jacqueline Wallace A Thesis in the Department of Communication Studies Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Communication) Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada June, 2014 © Jacqueline Wallace 2014 CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Jacqueline Wallace Entitled: Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (Communication) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: _________________________________________________Chair Dr. Brian Gabrial _________________________________________________External Examiner Dr. R. Gajjala _________________________________________________External to Program Dr. N. Rantisi _________________________________________________Examiner Dr. J. Pidduck _________________________________________________Examiner Dr. K. Sawchuk _________________________________________________Thesis Supervisor Dr. M. Soar Approved by __________________________________________ Dr. Jeremy Stolow, Graduate Program Director June 11, 2014 __________________________________________ Professor J. Locke, Interim Dean Faculty of Arts and Science ii ABSTRACT Handmade 2.0: Women, DIY Networks and the Cultural Economy of Craft Jacqueline Wallace, PhD Concordia University, 2014 This dissertation is a feminist ethnography of the contemporary craft scene in North America. It examines do-it-yourself (DIY) networks of indie crafts as a significant cultural economy and site of women’s creative labour, moving beyond existing research, which has historically focused on craft as primarily associated with women’s domestic activity, or as a salon refusé subordinated to the fine arts, or affiliations with turn of the 20th century industrialization.
  • To Infinity and Back Again: Hand-Drawn Aesthetic and Affection for the Past in Pixar's Pioneering Animation

    To Infinity and Back Again: Hand-Drawn Aesthetic and Affection for the Past in Pixar's Pioneering Animation

    To Infinity and Back Again: Hand-drawn Aesthetic and Affection for the Past in Pixar's Pioneering Animation Haswell, H. (2015). To Infinity and Back Again: Hand-drawn Aesthetic and Affection for the Past in Pixar's Pioneering Animation. Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media, 8, [2]. http://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue8/HTML/ArticleHaswell.html Published in: Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Queen's University Belfast - Research Portal: Link to publication record in Queen's University Belfast Research Portal Publisher rights © 2015 The Authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited. General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Queen's University Belfast Research Portal is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The Research Portal is Queen's institutional repository that provides access to Queen's research output. Every effort has been made to ensure that content in the Research Portal does not infringe any person's rights, or applicable UK laws. If you discover content in the Research Portal that you believe breaches copyright or violates any law, please contact [email protected]. Download date:28. Sep. 2021 1 To Infinity and Back Again: Hand-drawn Aesthetic and Affection for the Past in Pixar’s Pioneering Animation Helen Haswell, Queen’s University Belfast Abstract: In 2011, Pixar Animation Studios released a short film that challenged the contemporary characteristics of digital animation.
  • Hourglass 10-05-05 .Indd

    Hourglass 10-05-05 .Indd

    GGotot tthehe bblues?lues? — PPageage 6 ((ArianaAriana JJohnson,ohnson, 99,, hhelpselps JJabkiekabkiek JJibkeibke wweaveeave a matmat aatt tthehe ManitManit DayDay ccelebrationelebration SaturdaySaturday aatt GGeorgeeorge SSeitzeitz EElementarylementary SSchool.chool. FForor mmore,ore, sseeee PPageage 44.).) ((PhotoPhoto bbyy EElizabethlizabeth DDavie)avie) www.smdc.army.mil/KWAJ/Hourglass/hourglass.html Commentary Be careful what you wish for, it might come true Russian President Vladimir Putin Many believe the defeat in Afghani- recently said the breakup of the stan started the Soviet Union on the Soviet Union was the worst tragedy downward spiral to its breakup in 1991. in the history of mankind. Afterwards, Afghanistan, Ubekistan, His statement was met with ridi- Tajikistan and the other ‘stans’ that cule, disbelief and scorn around the had been under Soviet control became world. havens for Islamic fundamentalists and How could the end of the “evil extremists. empire” be a bad thing? So it seems all that support to the But maybe, he knew what he was talking about. mujahadeen has come back to bite us in the behind During the Cold War, as dark as those days were, ter- doesn’t it? You almost have to ask if it would have been rorism was sporadic at best. Most of it took place in Israel better for the world if we hadn’t helped the mujahadeen and since a lot of countries disliked Israel, it didn’t raise and the Soviets had won the war and controlled that wild, much of a stink. Of course, there was the Irish Repub- mountain country and its tribes and warlords? Maybe lican Army in Northern Ireland who sometimes planted even captured or killed Bin Laden? bombs in London, but for most of the world, terrorism If the Soviet Union still existed, would we actually be wasn’t much of a blip on the radar screen.
  • Gender Roles & Occupations

    Gender Roles & Occupations

    1 Gender Roles & Occupations: A Look at Character Attributes and Job-Related Aspirations in Film and Television Stacy L. Smith, PhD Marc Choueiti Ashley Prescott & Katherine Pieper, PhD Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism University of Southern California An Executive Report Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Our earlier research shows that gender roles are still stereotyped in entertainment popular with children.1 For example, female characters in feature films populate less than 30% of all speaking roles. A slightly better percentage emerges across our research on gender roles in children’s television programming. Not only are on screen females present less frequently than on screen males, they are often sexualized, domesticated, and sometimes lack gainful employment. To illustrate this last point, our recent analysis2 of every first run general audience film (n=21) theatrically released between September 2006 and September 2009 reveals that a higher percentage of males (57.8%) than females (31.6%) are depicted with an occupation. While females hold marginally more professional jobs than their male counterparts (24.6% vs. 20.9%), women are noticeably absent in some of the most prestigious occupational posts. Across more than 300 speaking characters, not one female is depicted in the medical sciences (e.g., doctor, veterinarian), executive business suites (e.g., CEO, CFO), legal world (e.g., attorney, judge), or political arena. More optimistically, 6 of the 65 working females (9%) are shown with a job in the hard sciences or as pilots/astronauts. These findings suggest that females have not shattered as many glass ceilings in the “reel” world as one might suspect.
  • Sunday Morning, Nov. 1

    Sunday Morning, Nov. 1

    SUNDAY MORNING, NOV. 1 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 VER COM Good Morning America (N) (cc) KATU News This Morning - Sun (cc) 57642 NASCAR Countdown (Live) 19081 NASCAR Racing Sprint Cup: Amp Energy 500. (Live) 156028 2/KATU 2 2 85536 Paid 44791 Paid 46062 CBS News Sunday Morning (N) (cc) (TVG) 77739 Face the Nation The NFL Today (Live) (cc) 60739 NFL Football Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens. (Live) (cc) 6/KOIN 6 6 (N) (TVG) 78062 766284 Newschannel 8 at Sunrise at 6:00 Newschannel 8 at 7:00 (N) (cc) 60130 Meet the Press (N) (cc) 55807 Paid 55710 Paid 83994 Running New York City Marathon. 8/KGW 8 8 AM (N) (cc) 35212 (Same-day Tape) (TVPG) 18505 Betsy’s Kinder- Make Way for Mister Rogers Dinosaur Train Thomas & Friends Bob the Builder Rick Steves’ Travels to the Nature Cloud: Challenge of the Silent Invasion: An Oregon Field 10/KOPB 10 10 garten 80517 Noddy 97710 20536 (TVY) 32371 29333 (TVY) 28604 Europe 42284 Edge 73642 Stallions. (TVPG) 38555 Guide Special (cc) (TVG) 18791 FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace Good Day Oregon Sunday (N) 11888 Fox NFL Sunday (Live) (cc) (TVPG) NFL Football Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys. (Live) (cc) 12/KPTV 12 12 (cc) (TVPG) 74468 84333 395710 Inspiration Ministry Campmeeting Turning Point Day of Discovery In Touch With Dr. Charles Stanley Paid 42826 Paid 57246 Paid 94888 Paid 31710 Inspiration Ministry Campmeeting 22/KPXG 5 5 63994 29062 (TVG) 48197 (cc) (TVG) 927284 282623 Jentezen Franklin Dr.
  • Are the “Boys” at Pixar Afraid of Little Girls?

    Are the “Boys” at Pixar Afraid of Little Girls?

    Are the “Boys” at Pixar Afraid of Little Girls? haseenah ebrahim “Pixar has a girl problem. —Joel Stein, Time magazine (38) Until I visited Pixar’s offices, I did not know that 12-year-old boys were allowed to run major corporations. —Joel Stein, Time magazine (37) christian metz’s observation that “a pleasure as it is to examine what elicits our film is difficult to explain because it is easy disapproval” (xvi). I also make no apology for to understand” (69) appears particularly evi- sharing those pleasures, however mitigated dent when one is teaching an undergraduate those may be by my own position as a film course on the animated feature films of Disney scholar (and as a parent). and Pixar. In a recent class taught in Chicago,1 Having taught a course on children’s and many students were taken aback when they family films since 2005 in South Africa, I found learned that the course involved historical, the aforementioned sentiment more pervasive sociological, and theoretical framing and among students in the US institution than analysis. The students, it turned out, expected among those in my home institution in Johan- little more than discussions of the animated nesburg, South Africa. The notion that this films’ plot events, some character and stylistic category of media texts is somehow excluded analysis, and the role of hand-drawn versus from ideological concerns—that the films are computer-generated (CG) animation in a film’s “ideologically empty,” so to speak—reflects popular appeal. In addition, a refrain began a widespread perception within both broader to emerge—namely, “I love Disney films, but I cultures that children’s films are just innocent, never thought of them as being ideological.” escapist fun.