The Animated Bestiary

Animals, Cartoons, and Culture

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by Paul Wells

Type

Studies

Subject

Genre > Animation

Keywords

cartoons, animals

Publishing date

2008

Publisher

Rutgers University Press

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 236 pages
6 x 9 inches (15.5 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-8135-4415-1

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Book Presentation:
Cartoonists and animators have given animals human characteristics for so long that audiences are now accustomed to seeing Bugs Bunny singing opera and Mickey Mouse walking his dog Pluto. The Animated Bestiary critically evaluates the depiction of animals in cartoons and animation more generally. Paul Wells argues that artists use animals to engage with issues that would be more difficult to address directly because of political, religious, or social taboos. Consequently, and principally through anthropomorphism, animation uses animals to play out a performance of gender, sex and sexuality, racial and national traits, and shifting identity, often challenging how we think about ourselves.

Wells draws on a wide range of examples, from the original King Kongto Nick Park's Chicken Run to Disney cartoonsùsuch as Tarzan, The Jungle Book, and Brother Bearùto reflect on people by looking at the ways in which they respond to animals in cartoons and films.

About the Author:
Paul Wells is the director of animation in the Animation Academy at Loughborough University. He is the author of several books, including Animation and America(Rutgers University Press), Understanding Animation, and Fundamentals of Animation.

Press Reviews:
Wells has proven himself to be a leading scholar of animation and has here produced a solid piece of scholarship that shows an incredible breadth of knowledge.
— Eric Smoodin

Wells has proven himself to be a leading scholar of animation and has here produced a solid piece of scholarship that shows an incredible breadth of knowledge.
— Eric Smoodin

See the publisher website: Rutgers University Press