Sylvain Chomet's Distinctive Animation - (Animation: Key Films/Filmmakers) by Maria Katsaridou (Paperback)

About the Book

"Examines key works of the distinguished French animator Sylvain Chomet and their importance for the study of contemporary animation"--

Book Synopsis

This open access book provides the first in-depth analysis of his animation films and his contribution to contemporary animation.

Sylvain Chomet is a multifaceted French artist best known for his feature animation films The Triplets of Bellevilleand The Illusionist. Although the films have a highly recognized artistic value, the relevant literature is limited to a modest number of articles.

Sylvain Chomet's Distinctive Animation examines important elements of the artist's life, his studies and previous works, along with his influences and important collaborations. Special attention is also paid to the production processes, as well as the historical and socioeconomic context in which they have been created, in order to provide the reader not only with a comprehensive study of the films, but also to highlight their contribution to the advancement of contemporary animation.

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on www.bloomsburycollections.com.

Review Quotes

A deep exploration of the landmark animated films of Sylvain Chomet and his indelible impact on the medium, Katsaridou illuminates Chomet's distinctive style using the techniques of semiotic analysis across image, sound and story with a clarity and level of detail that will appeal to both scholars and anyone with an appreciation for the art of animation.
Silvia Ruzanka, Assistant Professor of Arts and Media, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

Some filmmakers change the film industry: Sylvain Chomet is one of them. This well researched, engaging book is a fitting documentation of The Triiplets of Belleville and his other works. An important book for every film library.
Maureen Furniss, Faculty, CalArts, USA

The importance of Maria Katsaridou's Sylvain Chomet's Distinctive Animation: From the Triplets of Belleville to The Illusionist cannot be understated. The insight into Chomet's work in animation and comics is enlightening for makers, academics and fans alike. Through beautiful graphics and well-explained theories, Katsaridou exposes the reader to the creative and technical processes of an artist that has moved fluidly between independent and studio work.

Katsaridou focuses on how Chomet bridged comics and animation and his innovations and experiments in process and style, all while reminding us that his work has been commercially and critically successful. Through this book's analysis of Chomet's animations, we gain a deeper understanding of Chomet, his unique choices as a filmmaker, the animation process and animation itself.

There is also another level to this book that should not be missed: Katsaridou gives us a more rigorous methodology in which we might study all animators and comic artists. As we continue to try and understand cartoons and animation, the very form that we work in, it is vitally important that we expand the lens of our inquiry beyond the big studio productions and classically historic figures. Katsaridou leads the way for us by analysing the career of such an important figure in modern animation.
Marc Russo, Associate Professor of Animation, North Carolina State University College of Design, USA

About the Author

Maria Katsaridou is Assistant Professor of Semiotics of Animation and Interactive Narrative and Video Games at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She has published on animation films, videogames, adaptation, narrative and semiotics. Since 2017 she serves as a Judge in the Music, Film and Theatre category at UA The Undergraduate Awards.