With my presentation coming up in a couple of weeks, it’s time to start writing down some ideas I have for topics I would like to explore! I have been thinking about a couple of things since we received the brief, which is to make a 10 minute presentation about either an animator from my country or an area of animation I am interested in (preferably relating back to your country). The idea of exploring an animator or topic from our home country is interesting to me as Wales is known for many things but animation is not one of them.
Welsh Children’s Animation and Stop Motion
The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Welsh animation for me is kids TV shows such as Fireman Sam and Bobinogs. I thought it would be quite interesting to look at Welsh culture in mainstream children’s animation but I can’t seem to find much substance on the topic.
Branching off this, I thought it might be fun to look at the use of puppet animation in children’s television programmes and the movement towards CGI production. Growing up with shows like Bagpuss, Noddy, Pingu and Postman Pat, I absolutely love the nostalgia of this animation style and would love to do some research on them, however the only show that originated in Wales was Fireman Sam. I could possibly use Fireman Sam as a starting point for a presentation about the use of puppets in early animation and then explore the recent movement toward CGI animation. However, I do think that this would end up with me looking into the financial side of animation, which isn’t really the aim of the brief. I have also done a lot of research on stop motion vs CGI already so I think it would be better to look at something new.
Postman Pat Bobinogs Fireman Sam
Welsh Mythology in Animation
There are not a lot of well-known animated feature-length films which were produced in Wales, however it goes under the radar that Disney’s 25th animated feature film, The Black Cauldron, is actually based on Welsh mythology. Based on a series of books called The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, the film is basically set in Wales and all of the characters have Welsh names. Despite this, the Welsh nature of the film is never addressed. Interestingly, this was the first Disney animated feature film to incorporate CGI in addition to being Disney’s first PG rated animation. This was Disney’s attempt to appeal to an older demographic, containing themes of a darker nature. Due to this shift in focus as well as weak characterisation in comparison to the other Disney classics, the film was a total box-office bomb and put the future of Disney animation in jeopardy (Article by Katie Bellis, 2019).
This film is definitely a good theme for my presentation. Along with exploring the links to Wales and how the original mythology is represented, it would be really interesting to see how Disney changed their approach in this animation and what made it unsuccessful. I have already found a lot of research that has been done in relation to Disney’s experimentation in the 80s, and as someone who is interested in themes of darkness in animation I would really enjoy learning some more about this era. I think this topic would surprise the audience, as it definitely surprised me.
Another notable Welsh feature-length animation is Y Mabinogi (or Otherworld) (2003). It is based on a series of Welsh tales written by bards in the Middle Ages. It is mostly animated with a couple of live action sequences. It follows three main characters who find themselves moving from their world in West Wales to the setting of the tales of Welsh mythology known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi.
I was interested to find out about this film and definitely want to watch it, however there isn’t anything notable to talk about in regards to the production or animation of the film and isn’t often referenced in articles or research.
Welsh Animators
I personally haven’t come across any Welsh animators that have captured my interest yet, so am having to conduct my own searches to find them specifically. There are a couple of artists who I have found so far.
The first animator I looked into is called Sean Vicary. I found out about his work through an arts organisation that I am a part of back home. Working alongside artists of many different disciplines, I thought it would be good to ask the group if they knew of any Welsh animators. Somebody suggested Sean’s work to me and sent over his website.
Sean is a Cardigan based artist whose work explores the relationship of humans to the natural world, place and landscape. He observes and collects objects and fragments of detritus and manipulates them to create unique and poetic stop motion animations. Although I think his work is really interesting and creative, there are no characters in these films and hence not much material for me to explore.
Miyazaki and Wales
Studio Ghibli is one of the most prominent animation studios in the world, known best for their highly detailed imagery and distinct visual style. Co-founder of the studio Hayao Miyazaki is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished filmmakers in the history of animation. It is a lesser known fact that Miyazaki’s inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s first film, Castle in the Sky, came from a trip he took to Wales in 1984 (Brooks, 2005).
Miyazaki was on a location-hunting trip in Wales during the mining strike of the 1980s. He admired the miner’s dedication to their work and community, taking inspiration from the way they battled to save their lives (Bowen, 2020). The influence that this visit to Wales had on Miyazaki is clear throughout not only the narrative and characters but also in the scenery of the film. Although we don’t see use of literal Welsh landmarks or places, Miyazaki was inspired by the way nature was reclaiming abandoned mines and towns during this period. He shows ruined Welsh homes of crumbling stone being overtaken by grasses, seeming to disappear into the landscape – a reminder of what was lost in the strikes, but remodelled as fantasy in Castle in the Sky (Denison, 2020).
In addition to this, Studio Ghibli’s 14th feature film, Howl’s Moving Castle, is based on a children’s book by Welsh author Diana Wynne Jones. I was surprised to learn about the connection between this studio and Wales and such a small place having a huge influence on one of the most loved studios of our time! I am very interested in watching more Studio Ghibli films and learning more about their techniques and influences, however I’m not sure if this specific theme is rich enough to expand upon.
Overall it has been really useful to consider all of these topics and brainstorm my ideas. Now that I have narrowed down some options I can do some further research and decide what theme to focus on before creating my presentation.
References
Bellis, K., 2019. The forgotten Welsh themed Disney film which almost killed the company. [online] Wales Online. Available at: www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/forgotten-welsh-themed-disney-film-15947589 Accessed 21/10/21
Brooks, X. 2005. A god among animators. [online] The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes Accessed 21/10/21
Denison, R., 2020. Hayao Miyazaki’s European Animation: From European Literary Influences to Nostalgic Re-imaginings. Wasafiri, [online] 35(2), pp.67-73. Available at: <https://doi.org/10.1080/02690055.2020.1721124> [Accessed 1 November 2021].