Women animators and their impact on animation industry

Abstract

Throughout the history of animated movies women were not taken into consideration, yet they have had, and continue to have a significant impact in creation of animated movies. Taking into consideration works from women animators such as: Lotte Reiniger, Mary Allen Bute, Evelyn Lambart, Caroline Leaf, Sally Cruishank, Faith Hubley, Retta Scott and last but not least Rebecca Sugar, I would like to portray their importance in the animation industry. Furthermore, I do not intend to go deeply into which types of animation is considered an art form, but rather focus on what kind of innovation, values and creativity those women brought into the animation industry. Without disregarding man’s achievements in the creation of animated films, I intend to focus mostly on the work of women. Showcasing only some of them through the variety of skill and techniques they use and create, as well as, showing their approach to animation as a medium. Animation being a form of art that allows a lot of creative minds to bring forth artistic expression, without needing to be a master painter or illustrator, allowing everyday people to experiment and create something new. Taking into account her deep devotion to the craft and a vast heritage left by her work, for others to admire, I would like to talk about Lotte Reiniger’s first multiplane camera and silhouette animations, showing her work on The Adventures of Prince Achmed and remembering her role as a first creator of an animated feature film. In the next section, I would like to introduce Mary Ellen Bute’s innovative thinking and her abstract animation, which was one of the first to use digital media in its production. As an example of her creativity, focusing mostly on her work with music, that was converted into a rhythmic and mathematic visualization of sound. In addition, following with Evelyn Lambart’s creativity that inspired and challenged Norman McLaren to experiment, and her collaboration with him. Her own solo work in the field of storytelling and simple movies, showcased her ability to make decisions as a film director. In contrast, I would like to show the radical and political animator that was Faith Hubley, who used her passion for animation as a means for commenting on social issues and using animated films for something that served for more than just entertainment. She collaborated with her husband John, keeping her marriage vow to create one animated short a year. On the other hand, Caroline Leaf is a good example of an animator, who instead of focusing on the craft itself, looked for a creative solution to show movement and story through working with different materials. Leaf searched for new solutions to create animations and invented the sand technique. Equally important to the topic, Sally Cruishank, being one of the most interesting additions, with her resurrection of 1930s American cartoons and having genuine fun with her lose character and lack of any constraints in her storytelling. Furthermore, Retta Scott was the first woman to break Disney’s streak of hiring only male creative artists, as she became the first credited woman in a Walt Disney’s production, breaking the wall of animation created solely by men in a big studio production. Additionally, following her skill development and her career in a world made by men for men. Finally, ending with Rebecca Sugar and her simple message of spreading kindness and tolerance through a cartoon that targets not only young audiences, but anyone who enjoys cartoons. She uses her platform to encourage her audience to explore their own artistic expression without fear of criticism. In summary, I would like to illustrate the impact of creativity and innovation all these women animators brought into the industry, as well as the techniques and values they introduced through the animated films they created.