The Animation Studies Reader - by Nichola Dobson & Annabelle Honess Roe & Amy Ratelle & Caroline Ruddell (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The first collection of definitive texts that explores and examines key areas of animation studies through three points of focus: theoretical approaches; form and genre; issues of representation"--

Book Synopsis

The Animation Studies Reader brings together both key writings within animation studies and new material in emerging areas of the field. The collection provides readers with seminal texts that ground animation studies within the contexts of theory and aesthetics, form and genre, and issues of representation. The first section collates key readings on animation theory, on how we might conceptualise animation, and on some of the fundamental qualities of animation. New material is also introduced in this section specifically addressing questions raised by the nature, style and materiality of animation. The second section outlines some of the main forms that animation takes, which includes discussions of genre. Although this section cannot be exhaustive, the material chosen is particularly useful as it provides samples of analysis that can illuminate some of the issues the first section of the book raises. The third section focuses on issues of representation and how the medium of animation might have an impact on how bodies, gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity are represented. These representations can only be read through an understanding of the questions that the first two sections of the book raise; we can only decode these representations if we take into account form and genre, and theoretical conceptualisations such as visual pleasure, spectacle, the uncanny, realism etc.

Review Quotes

"[A] very good resource for a comprehensive understanding of the field ... The Animation Studies Reader's editors certainly succeeded in demonstrating the richness and diversity of animation and animation studies." - H-SHERA

"Featuring an impressive array of important topics by leading figures in the field of animation studies, this book provides an excellent resource for introductory or advance study. It is a much-needed resource for courses, reflecting the ubiquity of animated imagery in its wide ranging forms and contexts." --Maureen Furniss, Director, Experimental Animation, California Institute of the Arts, USA

"The essays in this volume expose to scrutiny a wide range of questions essential to our comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and process of animation, as well as its role not only in contemporary cinema but in the widest cultural and social contexts. Editors Nichola Dobson, Annabelle Honess Roe, Amy Ratelle and Caroline Ruddell, through twenty-two carefully selected texts, provide complex and exhaustive research of the field of animation. The carefully-structured Reader argues that animation is a far reaching and multi-layered phenomenon that both demands and deserves a carefully proposed and mapped out multiperspective approach. The theoretical platform and analytical optique are presented in a systematic, detailed and didactic way, making this collection of texts accessible for the widest reading audience." --Dr. Nevena Dakovic, Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts, Belgrade, Serbia

"The Animation Studies Reader is a formidable compilation of outstanding contributions to the body of scholarship in modern animation studies. Well organized into three main thematic sections, it presents a veritable "who is who" of the most eminent scholars in the field. It covers a wide range of topics that reflect the main areas of academic significance and contemporary relevance. As such, the tome is an indispensable treasure trove for animation theorists, students and academically inclined practitioners alike. Highly recommended." --Hannes Rall, Associate Professor of Animation, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

About the Author

Nichola Dobson is a teaching fellow in design and screen cultures at Edinburgh College of Art, UK. Founding editor of Animation Studies (2006 - 2011) and Animation Studies 2.0 (2012- present).

Annabelle Honess Roe is Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for Film Studies at the University of Surrey, UK. She is the author of Animated Documentary (2013), which was the recipient of the 2015 Society for Animation Studies McLaren-Lambart award for best book.

Amy Ratelle is the editor of Animation Studies, the online peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Animation Studies (SAS). She is currently an academic administrator at the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Caroline Ruddell is Senior Lecturer in Film and TV at Brunel University London, UK. She is Series Co-Editor (with Paul Ward) for the Palgrave Animation book series, and Associate Editor for animation: an interdisciplinary journal.