Phillip Thorne wrote:
>I'm crossposting to news:rec.arts.animation because this is a
>two-front discussion.
>
>On Mon, 14 Jul 2008, 8-Bit Star
gmail.com> wondered:>>As a kid, I saw not only some Japanese shows but also
>>many bizarre Belgish, Swiss, Canadian, Russian, and
>>French cartoons, [...]
>>For a long time I wondered, why was there a cult
>>industry around Japanese cartoons, but not [the others]?
>There was a snowball effect for anime which didn't apply to
>Eurotoons.
>* 1960s: Astroboy, Gigantor, Speed Racer -- flash in the pan.
Flash over here, but were their sales to the US market a big
influence on what Japanese studios did to try for a piece of that
success? Listened to an interview with Fred Ladd (adaptor of
Astroboy), who went to Japan to discuss what the studio was
looking for. There's an injection of American into the very
embryo of anime! (Actually, a booster shot, considering the
germinal influences of Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop.)
Mr. Ladd also talked about his start in the business, bringing
over European animation, and the example he gives, The Red
Balloon, reinforces impression Mark Jones puts: that animation
is ART (DAMMIT). Did European studios ever try a character
series, like America's Mickey, Bugs Bunny, or Popeye? When did
they first move to animation for television?
>* 1980s: Battle of the Planets, Harlock, TranZor Z, Robotech, Star
>Blazers, Voltron -- kids may not realize (or care) that they're
>Japanese, but do notice certain aesthetic and dramatic differences
>from the other cartoons. Meanwhile, Nickelodeon is showing Eurotoons
>(Danger Mouse, Mysterious Cities of Gold, Sun Beneath the Sea) but
>they don't catch on.
--
-Jack
