LAUAN501: Preparatory task

- Culture is a massive force in the creation o an animation ,which is why for my theme for this year's COP , I've gone with seeing how cultural context  impact the contents and function of an animation.

The Simpsons (1989- present) - United State :

- A massive pop-cultural force in modern U.S , the long running series is comedy parody of the "average working-class family" in the States, and doesn't shy away from touching controversial and relevant social issues that had happened along is 618 episode airing.

- The number of cultural and global event that has happened during its airing are numerous, but I think the most influential one would still be the rise of the Internet and the digital era.

 









Ghost in the shell (1995)-Japan

Director Mamoru Oshii's vision of the future shares a message that was seen as happening at the time with the rise of the digital age and technology , especially in Japan , and how that rise has changed how we think and who we are as a member of society, eventually became culture itself. Interestingly enough, 1995 was also the year the the US first introduced the iconic "Predator" drone, closing the gap on what is fiction and what is real further more.

 







Valuable Kopeck , (1941) - Soviet union

- Culture dictates function , which is why in 1949 Soviet union , animation became more a less a mean of propaganda. This piece in particular , aimed to criticized the financial institution and purpose of the West and the whole of capitalism itself. This was among the shift in attitudes towards the West from allies against the Nazis during WWII to bitter rivals, which would culminate into the Cold War, also evidence in 1949 being the year that the Soviet first test their nuclear bomb.

Totally Spies! (2001)-French-Canadian

- A extremely popular and far-reaching series, its was created during the rise of girl -bands and pop stars of the early 2000s ( with icons such as Britney Spears at the time) . This coupled with the release of Charlie's angel open up a whole new market for "girl properties" as little to none has existed up until that point.

 




Princess Iron Fan (1941)-China

Created by the Wan brothers in the midst of WWII and the Japanese occupation of China, this was the first animated feature created by the country telling a piece the tale of the popular Chinese literature work : Journey to the West.  It was fuelled by the ambition of making a product that would match the standard of Snow White in the US , which coincide with the feeling of nationalistic pride among many Chinese during the occupation at the time.