History of French Animation Research

When my team formed, we had different ideas on what topics we wanted to focus on for our research poster. The most obvious idea to pursue for this group work was studying its history. I gathered some sources from online to make a small timeline in case my group decided to pick this option on my notes app. French animation has a deep history that goes as far as the 20th century. Though there are key moments that are highlighted in the history/evolution of French animation.

• In the early days of French animation (1900s), Emile Cohl was considered the father of French animation. He created short stop motion films using cutout animation techniques.
• During the 1950s-1960s, there was a boom in French Animation. The first French animated film, ‘The king and the Mockingbird” was created in 1952 by the animation studio, Les Films Paul Grimault. This was a time/era that pioneers of French animation emerged such as Paul Grimault, Jaques Demy and Jean Image.
• in the 70s and 80s there were new upcoming studios being introduced, eg, Folimage and Les Armatures.  Which a few critically acclaimed and loved moves came from.
• 1990s-present, this is the time of thriving French cartoons that be came such iconic pieces of media for young people. Popular Tv shows such as “Totally Spice”, and “Oggy and the cockroaches.”

Overall, France has contributed to the development of animation world wide with its varied and rich history. With its ambitious and complex French animations over the years.

References:

• – “French Animation History” by Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/french-animation-history
• – “A Brief History of French Animation” by Cartoon Brew: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/a-brief-history-of-french-animation-114934.html
• – “The History of French Animation” by The Culture Trip: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/the-history-of-french-animation/

Xilam Studios Research:

Xilam is a French animation studio that was founded in 1999 by Marc du Pontavice. The studio is located in Paris, France, and has produced a number of popular animated TV shows and movies. Some of their most well-known works include the TV series “Oggy and the Cockroaches,” “Zig and Sharko,” and “Moka,” as well as the feature films “Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie” and “I Lost My Body.” Xilam is known for its distinctive 2D animation style, which often features bright colors, exaggerated character designs, and slapstick humor. The studio has received numerous awards and nominations for its work, including several Emmys and Annies.

In addition, there have been collaborations between French and Japanese animators. For example, the French animation studio Xilam produced the TV series “Shuriken School” in collaboration with the Japanese studio Ghibli. The series was a blend of French and Japanese animation styles and featured a mix of French and Japanese voice actors.

References:

• – Xilam’s official website: https://www.xilam.com/
• – Xilam’s page on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/company/co0123138/
• – Xilam’s page on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xilam
• – “French and Japanese Animators Collaborate on ‘Shuriken School'” by Tadashi Sudo, published on Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/news/french-and-japanese-animators-collaborate-shuriken-school

Analysis on “Oggy and the Cockroaches”:

“Oggy and the Cockroaches” is a French Animated TV series that aired in 1998. In the show, it follows the adventured of a blue cat named Oggy and his three cockroaches enemies named Dee Dee, Marky and Joey. The show is known for its slapstick humour and exaggerated animation style.

The show’s humour attracts both children and adults, which is one of “Oggy and the Cockroaches” strengths. The jokes work for a wide range of audiences. The quirks and uniqueness of the show comes from a diverse cast of characters with all kinds of personality merging at once.”Oggy and the Cockroaches have a distinctive animation style that most people can remember from their childhood. For myself, I remember the show airing on Cartoon Network and then later on the years, experiencing a similar show called “Zig and Sharko”.  The characters are exaggerated and fast-paced. The characters’ movements make it more engaging for the audience and helps the slapstick humour come to life. The show is vibrant and bold clean lines which plays part in catching the audiences attention.

However some have criticized the show for its repetitive nature and lack of depth/character development. The show focus on the slapstick humour and is intended to be watched over and over without getting bored. Which leave little room for character growth. Furthermore, some critics have issue in the fact that  that villainous cockroaches could be perpetuating a bad stereotype of insects.

Overall, “Oggy and the Cockroaches” is a fun and silly show that aims to entertain a everyone. While it may not be complex or though provoking.

References:

• -“Oggy and the Cockroaches” on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235918/
• – “10 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches'” by Screen Rant: https://screenrant.com/oggy-and-the-cockroaches-facts-trivia/
• – “The Rise and Fall of Oggy and the Cockroaches” by The Artifice: https://the-artifice.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-oggy-and-the-cockroaches/

 

Influence of Japan in French Animation Research:

Today my group and I decided to make out Research poster about Japanese influences in French Animation. Stemming from the fact that France has one of the biggest animation industries/ longest running history in the world apart from Japan. France is the largest producer of animated TV series in Europe, with over 300 hours of animation produced a year. The French animation industry employs 10,000 people and generates over 600 million euros in revenue each year.

• France, a European leader in animated TV series” (France Diplomatie): https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/french-foreign-policy/cultural-action/arts-and-culture-promotion-in-france/visual-arts-and-architecture/animated-films/article/france-a-european-leader-in-animated-tv-series
• “French animation: a new golden age?” (The Conversation): https://theconversation.com/french-animation-a-new-golden-age-141902

On that note, we broke this topic up into 3 different sections to research:

• Dessin Anime/ Japanese – French Collabs
• Stylistic similarities
• manga to anime vs comic to cartoon

French animation and Japanese animation has had a long and complex of collaboration and cross-pollination. One of the earliest examples was the Japanese animated series,  “Astro Boy” (1967) by Osmau Tazuko and it became popular in France. Most recently, French and Japanese animators have been collaborating on joint projects such as “Red Turtles”, 2014.  Which was a co-production between Wild bunch Studio and Studio Ghibli.

 

 

One connection that French animation has to Japanese animation is that many French animators have been inspired Japanese anime and those elements can be seen in their own work. The French animated TV series called “Code by Lykok” was heavily inspired/ influenced by Japanese anime. Prevalent in the character designs and action sequences. Another example of Japanese influence came to the French animated film “Renaissance”(2006) , films appeared darker and moodier lighting in high contrast to visuals.

 

References:

• The Influence of Japanese Animation on French Animation” by Kanae Hasegawa, published in the Journal of Popular Culture: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpcu.12391

“The French Connection: How Anime Inspired French Animators” by Kristy Puchko, published on CBR: https://www.cbr.com/the-french-connection-how-anime-inspired-french-animators/