ZooScope

Tag: Animation

  • The Secret of NIMH. Dir. Don Bluth. MGM/UA Entertainment Company. 1982.

    “We can no longer live as rats. We know too much.” The Secret of NIMH is remembered by many as a dark, creepy, and disturbing film, with retrospectives published in recent years referring to it as leaving basically every kid who sees it with a lingering dread. Don Bluth’s directorial debut after leaving the Walt…

  • Waltz with Bashir. Dir. Ari Folman, Sony Pictures Classics. 2008.

    Anonymous soldier: What to do? What to do? Why don’t you tell us what to do? Ari Folman: Shoot. Anonymous soldier: On who? Ari Folman: How should I know on who? Just shoot. Anonymous soldier: Isn’t it better to pray? Ari Folman: Pray and shoot. [1] In 2008 a new style of documentary filmmaking was…

  • Mrs. Doubtfire. Dir. Chris Columbus. 20th Century Fox. 1993.

    In this family comedy directed by Chris Columbus, Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) uses cartoon animals to reflect Daniel’s anarchic behaviour, letting the audience stipulate as to whether he is the antagonist or protagonist in this story of conflicting parenting styles. From the film’s opening scene, Daniel’s conscientious nature is divulged in an over the top performance…

  • Sorry to Bother You. Dir. Boots Riley. Annapurna Pictures. 2018.

    Boots Riley’s debut feature has been praised for its portrayal of the callous nature of capitalism in modern America. The overarching message throughout is that the efficiency of the labourer is paramount to economic success and is valued more than human life, with this ideology being brought to life with the Equisapians, a half-human/half-horse hybrid,…

  • Brother Bear. Dir. Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker. Walt Disney Pictures. 2003.

    Brother Bear works to trouble the relationship between humans and bears through destabilising the idea that bears are inherently threatening and monstrous. The children’s animation follows Kenai, a young human boy who is transformed into a bear by spirits after killing a bear to avenge his brother’s death. Within this scene, Blaise and Walker use…

  • Coraline. Dir. Henry Selick. Focus Features. 2009.

    Coraline is a stop-motion animated movie, based on Neil Geiman’s novel with the same title, featuring mice, rats, insects, dogs and a cat. Of all these animals, the nameless black cat (Keith David) is most intriguing. One could say that the cat plays such a role in the story that we could extrapolate it to…

  • Jungle Book. Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman. Walt Disney. 1967.

    The notorious Kaa was manipulated in the Jungle Book[1] (1967) to serve the role of an antagonist, an inversion on his portrayal from Kipling’s original books[2] (1894). Kaa is presented as the enchanting reptile that adheres to the stereotypes of an Indian Rock Python.Reitherman harnesses the trance-like song “Trust in Me”[3] to ironically expose his deceitful nature and…

  • Ernest and Celestine. Dir. Benjamin Renner. StudioCanal. 2012.

    The animated film Ernest and Celestine[1] (2012) uses animals to offer a socio-political examination of French society. A predator-prey construct is conveyed through the division of social classes in the species contrast between a mouse- Celestine, and a bear- Ernest. By depicting stereotypes of animality and inverting the norms to show an unorthodox friendship, Renner exposes human class limitations.…

  • The Road to El Dorado. Dir. Bibo Bergeron, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Don Paul. DreamWorks Pictures. 2000.

    The Road to El Dorado subverts humanity’s usual place at the apex of creation. In this scene the High Priest, Tzekel-Kan, explains to Tulio (whom he believes to be a God) the importance of human sacrifice in gaining the fear and worship of the people, thus placing humanity somewhere near the bottom of a divine…

  • Howl’s Moving Castle. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. Studio Ghibli. 2004.

    There is a surprising lack of non-human animal representation in Studio Ghibli’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle, despite an overarching theme which frequently pits an idyllic pastoral version of Japan against a threateningly industrial one. The major depiction of human-animal relations is that of secondary protagonist Howl as he gradually transforms into a bird-like creature…