The Hybrid Nature of Realism in the Aardman Studio’s Early Animated Shorts By: Fatemeh Hosseini-Shakib A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Brighton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy following a programme of study with the University for the Creative Arts (UCA at Farnham) February 2009 Abstract The Hybrid Nature of Realism in the Aardman Studio’s Early Animated Shorts This study investigates the complex operation of realism in the representational make-up of animated films of the Aardman studio. It focuses on ten early films made in a three-dimensional clay/puppet medium. All the films are based on ‘real’ soundtracks, gathered via secretly recorded conversations of ordinary people in everyday situations or by direct interview. The key argument is that these stop-motion films show a hybrid composition of realist strategies and approaches, in terms of their adaptation of realist aesthetics as well as their subject matter. It is argued that their aesthetic make-up is associated with, or copied, from certain modes of live-action documentary film such as observational style and interviews. The thesis contends that realism in these films is of a complex nature. It studies and illustrates different aspects of realism in the corpus, with particular emphasis on three films chosen for specific case study. The research investigates issues of representation and realism in the moving image in two main categories: formal/stylistic realism and content realism. The examination is developed using Bazin and Kracauer’s theories on cinematic realism as well as debates surrounding the specific features of a medium (medium-specificity theory) and theories of realism in non-fiction film. It addresses theories relating to animation and realism, with specific focus on traditional three-dimensional animation. The thesis explores areas of aesthetic realism common to live-action and 3D animation, with reference to the Bazinian theory of ‘spatial realism’ used in Frierson’s study of American clay animation and Wells’ notion of ‘hyperrealism’ in Disney animation. Finally, issues of social realism in these works are discussed in depth, with regard to their use of ‘documentary sound’ and social themes as well as their appearance as simulations of live-action documentary form. Questions of hybridity and intertextuality in terms of the hybrid make-up and copied aesthetics of the ten films are addressed using the theories of Jameson, Hutcheon and Lash. The thesis proposes a ‘simulational’ mode of realism in 3D animation, based on the specificities of the 3D medium and with reference to Darley’s notion of second-order realism and Bolter and Grusin’s thesis of remediation. It offers a close study of the films in terms of different categories of realism, resulting eventually in a ‘typology’ of realist modalities operating in the corpus. A relationship between realist themes, realistic aesthetics and the re- making of and borrowing from realist forms will be shown in three categories, identified as Collage, Factual and Fictional types. The thesis also illustrates a trajectory of transformation and the changing balance of overall realist modalities in the corpus, which moves gradually from poetic to parodic realism, from non-fiction to fiction and from copying live-action to copying 2D animated cartoon. 2 Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures – 4 Dedication – 6 Acknowledgement – 7 Declaration – 8 Introduction – 9 PART ONE CONTEXTUALISING AARDMAN: REALISM AND HYBRIDITY Chapter One: Animation, Realism and the Question of Style– 25 Chapter Two: Realism and Three-Dimensional Animation– 68 Chapter Three: Realism of Social Content in Animation– 111 Chapter Four: Realism, Hybridity and Intertextuality– 153 PART TWO READING AARDMAN Chapter Five: Methodology and Analysis– 188 Chapter Six: Typology of Aardman Hybrids– 226 PART THREE CASE STUDIES Chapter Seven: Collage Realism in Confessions of a Foyer Girl – 248 Chapter Eight: Factual Realism in Going Equipped – 271 Chapter Nine: Fictional Realism in War Story – 301 - Summary of Part Three– 3318 Conclusion – 333 Bibliography – 342 Filmography – 348 Appendix 1. The Aardman Corpus in Detail– 351 Appendix 2. Sound/Image break down: Confessions of a Foyer Girl – 361 Appendix 3. Sound/Image break down: Going Equipped – 368 Appendix 4. Sound/Image break down: War Story – 378 3 List of Tables and Figures Tables: Table 2.1 Puppet Categories – 104 Table 3.1 Social Realist Text Criteria – 116 Table 5.1 Image Realism – 222 Table 5.2 Narrative Realism – 223 Table 5.1.S (Image realism summary) –208 Table 5.3 Aural realism (Verbal/Image Relationship) – 224 Table 5.4 Content Realism– 225 Table 5.2.S (Narrative Realism Summary) – 212 Table 5.VRS (Visual Realism Summary) – 213 Table 5.3.S (Aural Realism Summary) – 217 Table 5.4.S (Content Realism Summary) – 219 Table 5.G (Aardman Realism initial grouping) – 221 Table 6.1 Realism/Fiction Table– 245 Table 6.2 Aardman Realism Typology– 246 Table 6.2.S Aardman Typological Spectrum of Realism– 242 Figures: Figure 1.1 Mighty River – 44 Figure 1.2 Mighty River – 44 Figure 1.3 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 56 Figure 1.4 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 56 Figure 1.5 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – 57 Figure 1.6 Dumbo – 57 Figure 1.7 Dumbo – 57 Figure 1.8 Bambi – 58 Figure 1.9 Alice in Wonderland – 58 Figure 1.10 Alice in Wonderland – 58 Figure 1.11 Beauty and the Beast – 61 Figure 1.12 Pocahontas – 61 Figure 1.13 Tarzan – 61 Figure 2.1 On Probation – 86 Figure 2.2 Creature Comforts – 86 Figure 2.3 Palmy Days – 86 4 Figure 2.4 Confessions of a Foyer Girl – 86 Figure 2.5 War Story – 87 Figure 2.6 A Grand Day Out – 87 Figure 2.7 Examples of Trnka’s puppets– 89 Figure 2.8 Main puppets in Nightmare Before Christmas – 90 Figure 2.9 puppets in Next – 90 Figure 2.10 The Dog – 91 Figure 2.11 The Miracle Maker – 92 Figure 2.12 Street of Crocodiles –92 Figure 2.13 Screenplay – 93 Figure 2.14 Screenplay –93 Figure 2.15 Screenplay –93 Figure 2.16 Martin The Cobbler – 95 Figure 2.17 The Little Prince – 95 Figure 2.18 Rip van Winkle – 95 Figure 2.19 Aardman corpus puppets from earliest to the latest– 98 Figure 2.20 Hermina Tyrlova’s puppets– 105 Figure 2.21 Character/Narrative pair in a Cartesian coordinate model – 108 Figure 2.22 The Hybridity Cube– 109 Figure 3.1 The Social Realist Text and its sub-divisions – 111 Figure 5.1 Basic divisions and methodology – 193 Figure 6.1 Aardman set of realist/fictional binary poles– 226 Figure 9.1 Trajectory of Aardman films from discursive to figurative– 323 5 Dedicated to ... اون ي ور ي آ ااي ه و داي ي ي… روز رگ و و اد 6 Acknowledgement Undertaking my doctoral research and writing my thesis would not have been possible without the help and support of many individuals and Institutions. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my first supervisor, Dr Andrew Darley, who has been a constant source of support, guidance and a fine example of scholarly rigour. He was generous with his time, thorough in his feedback and challenging in his academic standards, and I am fortunate to have benefited from his ‘presence’ through all these years. I would also like to thank my second supervisor, Dr Paul Ward, who brought new insights to the later stages of this research. I am grateful to the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology for making the undertaking of this research possible. I would also like to thank the staff of Iranian Scientific Representative in the UK for facilitating the scholarship process and providing support and advice throughout the various stages. Alison Howard, with her obsession for good English, provided her professional assistance in editing and proofreading of this thesis. She turned the writing of the final draft for me, as a non-native speaker, into a learning process and certainly a far more enjoyable activity. Her services were made available by Jonathan Thompson in UCA Student Services and later by the UCA Research Office. I am extremely grateful to the staff in the Research Office, especially Mary O’Hagan and Linda Bernhardt, who were great sources of support on different occasions and at various stages of this research. I would also like to thank International Students Officer Niamh Dodd, for her kindness, caring attitude and extremely effective assistance with all my complicated needs over the years. Next, I must thank the extremely helpful staff of the Library and Learning Centre at UCA Farnham. I have benefited from their patient and professional help both as a student and as a member of staff. They have been a great source of support and guidance, and have helped to make the research process as pain-free and smooth as possible. I would also like to thank all staff and departments of UCA Farnham, particularly the College Office and Registry Services. Special thanks also to Bill Foulk for his considerate support in providing me with a study space and many other essential needs during my research at UCA. Finally, my sincere gratitude goes to all those friends and colleagues whose camaraderie, stimulating conversation and intellectual feedback has given me so much. Among these, Sylvie Bringas, Manuel Alvarado, Dr John Marr, Sarah Bowen, Liz Wilkinson, Lesley Adams, Kathleen Rogers, Roger Noake and John Henshaw deserve particular mention. 7 Declaration I declare that the research contained in this thesis, unless otherwise formally indicated within the text, is the original work of the author. The thesis has not been previously submitted to this or any other university for a degree, and does not incorporate any material already submitted for a degree.