Blog Post 10: It Came From Planet X

and

Blog Post 13: Japanese Animation

I feel that these two posts represent some of my best work during the second part of the semester. They both were also the posts I enjoyed the most doing historical research for. The post on Marvin touches on the historical background of a classic character that isn’t always thought of. The post on Japanese Animation represents one of my main interests in life and is a major part of modern animation culture.

Anime in Japan can be seen as the rough equivalent animated films in the United States.  Ten years ago, I am sure that most people either never heard of anime; or if they did, they basically thought of something developed in Japan by Japanese creators for Japanese consumers. However, times are changing. Anime is becoming more internationalized, as a more western (primarily American) influence works its way into the Japanese creative community, and the Japanese, in turn influence the up-and-coming American anime artists.

Before I discovered anime, I was a child of Fox, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Disney – with a strong classical influence from Warner Bros and Hanna-Barbera.  My formative years were spent with Bart, SpongeBob, and a trio of friends called Ed, Edd and Eddy.  My understanding of basic physics came from Professor Wyle E. Coyote, and my future parenting skills from a man called Homer.  Disney gave me the unforgettable mix of Hollywood spectacle, choreography and music; and also taught me about the value of marketing, and how to enjoy a theme park or two.  But anime brought to me a whole new set of style, script, color palette, sound effects and cultural perspective.

My introduction to anime was over 10 years ago with the Pokémon series.  From there I expanded to Yu-Gi-Oh, with its United States multi-media blitz of television, video games, films, collector card game, and manga (graphic novels).  Yu-Gi-Oh allowed me to springboard into true Japanese anime.

Japanese anime, and its Western/American counterpart, has a number of discriminators from other animation mediums.  These include:  A strong style and color choices; more focus on acting as opposed to dialogue; timeless story themes and social commentary.

As far as strong style and color choices, anime style is beautiful to watch.  It has a sense of poetry, it has a rhythm – as much art as entertainment.  Even with the volume down, or the story in Japanese (of which I have no understanding), you can still appreciate the story, the motion and graphic splendor.  Whether the anime story is one of whimsy or a science fiction battle or an anime vampire movie, I love to see how the art and the use of bold colors embrace, enhance and complements the story.

The concept of “less is more” can be applied to anime. Standard western films rely significantly on the use of a lot of dialogue in scripts; whereas in traditional anime will “show the story” rather than “tell the story”.  The visual effects concentrate equally on the characters and their surroundings.  Anime uses eyes, hair and clothing, as well as the weather or environment to express emotion in a scene – as can be seen in the below example.

The timeless nature of the anime story theme is not merely the standard good versus evil conflict, but rather the deeper conflicts that arise in differing beliefs or points of view.  Anime scripts have a tendency to reveal visually more information on a character’s background which then gives the audience a more meaningful understanding of that character’s personal struggles. In many instances the audience will feel a reflection of that conflict within themselves.

Social commentary plays a significant role in anime.  Traditionally, these stories show writing has had a slant regarding the negative outcomes of technology outpacing cultural or social development.  The fact that anime has such a growing following in America and other parts of the world at large suggests an importance of this commentary.  In one such film – Princess Mononoke,, the conflict between the old traditions of agriculture and the holistic beliefs pitted against the progress of Iron Age technology has meaning to many in today world.  Anime stories traditionally expose and question the concepts of progress, commerce, loyalty, and honor.

With regard to the present and future of anime, the past decade has witnessed the increased acceptance of anime globally.  Miyazaki’s Spirited Away shared the first prize at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003.  Oshii’s Innocence: Ghost in the Shell was featured at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.  I believe that as long as there is an appreciation for anime, the form will continue grow and develop.  There is a sense of craft, tradition and pride in this visual story telling technique which is the backbone of this genre.  With the continuing development of flash animation software and other animation capabilities, the creative edge is always progressing, making it accessible for the new generation of filmmakers. My only concern is the potential for oversaturation of the market with lesser quality anime products that may turn the audience away.  The silver lining to this is that the best films seem to have a way to find their audience and become classics for many decades to come.

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The release of Pixar’s Toy Story in 1995 was huge in that it was the first fully computer animated feature film.  Well, time has passed, and most people don’t even remember that. What people do remember is that it was a great flick with memorable characters; and yeah, it looked great too.  It was Pixar’s first full length film, and Pixar’s first critical and box office hit. Note when looking at these movie posters, Toy Story is the only one that does not credit the film to Pixar.  A Bug’s Life was Pixar’s least significant film in my opinion; fun to watch at the time, but not overly memorable.  It seemed to ride on the coattails of Toy Story.  Also, in a proverbial “Bug vs. Bug” competition, Antz, an animated film by DreamWorks Animation, was released at the same time, and was more enjoyable, with more memorable characters to me.

Very rare is it to find a sequel that can equal the quality of the original.  Toy Story 2 is one of the very few sequels to a great film that manages to actually be as good as the original – some critics even say it is better than the original.  Monsters Inc. managed to be more financially successful than both Toy Story and Toy Story 2. This, along with its overall quality, was an affirmation of the strength of Pixar as a movie producing company and as a brand.

Finding Nemo is the most commercially successful Pixar film to date.  I would argue that it is also the most artistically successful. It’s rendering of the deep sea is stunning, and a leap forward from what Pixar had done before.  The film was the first of a number of Pixar films to win the Best Animated Feature Academy Award.  I think that with The Incredibles, Pixar moved more into the adult realm of animated film.  Even the above poster is more action oriented than the earlier Pixar film posters.  Yet, younger and older kids still came and loved it; and teens, of which I was one, also came and loved it; and of course adults like my father came and loved it too, proving that the Pixar magic was still there.  Both of these films also won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

To be honest, I thought that Cars was too much of a “kid flick” and it is the only Pixar film that I have not seen.   The premise just didn’t seem interesting to an older kid audience.  But the Pixar magic was still there, as Cars easily became the top animated film of the year, but failed to win the Oscar.  The premise for Ratatouille puts a rat in a restaurant’s kitchen and asks us to root for him to stay there.  Again, this film did not appeal to me, so I passed on seeing it at the theater.  But during my flight to London in 2008, Ratatouille was one of the film’s being shown on the airplane.  Even on the small back-of-the-seat eight-inch screen, the magic of Pixar and of this film shown through with strong characters and excellent animation.

WALL-E was my first animated feature film as an adult.  Besides being hugely enjoyable, with truly out of this world animation (pun intended), WALL-E was the most nominated Pixar film at the Academy Awards with six nominations.  It once again followed the Pixar mantra of winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.  Although a difficult choice, I can honestly say that Up has become my favorite Pixar animated feature film.  It is the first Pixar film done in 3D, and as ridiculous as the premise for the film seemed, I found myself rooting for the main characters, while being amazed at the detail of the 3D CGI animation.  Obviously I was not the only one impressed by this movie, as it was the first Pixar film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Toy Story 3 is the next feature film in line to be released by Pixar, and I will see it for old-time sake.  It looks like the Pixar juggernaut still has a lot of life left in it.  To date Pixar films have earned numerous awards, including twenty-two Academy Awards (with over 50 nominations), four Golden Globes, and three Grammys.  On the business side of the equation, Pixar films have grossed of $5 billion at the box office, and billions more in video/DVD and merchandise sales.

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A quick history lesson reveals that in 1994, as the mighty powers of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared to be waning, Marvel Comics created an alien rodent trio to fill the void called the Biker Mice From Mars. These motorcycle-riding mice from the planet Mars came armed not only with advanced weaponry, but also with a comic book crossover, video games, and an huge Marvel Comics publicity blitz.

The show itself featured a trio of Biker Mice pictured above.  They were Throttle (the tan one in sunglasses), Modo (the gray one with the eyepatch), and Vinnie (the white one with the half-metallic head).  Natives of Mars, these humanlike rodents were the last of their race that has rebelled against the evil Plutarkians, who had conquered and subsequently ravaged their planet. As the evil invaders chased the mice across the solar system, the trio rode their space bikes onto the planet Earth, setting up their headquarters in Chicago.

Like the Ninja Turtles, the Biker Mice decided to stay secluded from the human race, with the exception of a single human liaison, a female mechanic named Charley.  Setting up shop at Charley’s Last Chance Garage, the mice soon found that the Plutarkians had their eyes on Earth as well.  The Biker Mice’s main nemesis was wealthy developer Lawrence Limburger, whom the mice recognized as a Plutarkian in disguise.  Limburger surrounded himself with a cast evil-doers including Dr. Karbunkle, Grease Pit, Hard Rock, and the XTerminator. As an interesting side-note, the voice of Greasepit was provided by Emmy Award winning actor Brad Garrett – and this was before the days of famous stars lending their voices to animated features like Shrek or Toy Story.

The Biker Mice From Mars was the perfect combination of cool vehicles and weapons, animated violence, and a hard-rocking soundtrack.  With their trademark phrase – “Let’s rock and ride!” – the good guys, or mice in this case, saved the day at the end of each episode.  The Biker Mice From Mars had their original run last for 65 episodes over a three year period, ending in 1996.  I am happy to report that the Biker Mice ride again.  A new Biker Mice From Mars cartoon series launched in autumn of 2008 in Europe and the United Kingdom, and is scheduled to premiere in the United States this year.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of experiencing this animated series, take a look at the following:

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In trend-setting fashion, Titan A.E. became the first major motion picture to take part in end-to-end digital cinema. On June 6, 2000 at the SuperComm 2000 tradeshow, ten days before its official release, the movie was projected simultaneously at the tradeshow in Atlanta, as well as on screen at the Fox Theatre in Los Angeles.  It was sent to both screens from the 20th Century Fox production facilities in Los Angeles via a VPN link.

The animation technique used with Titan A.E. combined traditional hand-drawn animation, the use of physical models, along with the interplay of computer generated imagery (CGI).  Throughout the film, it was necessary to be able to integrate traditional elements with CGI in a way that was believable.  There are many scenes where the main characters wear space suits; these suits were designed with a lot of detail and could not be animated traditionally, so 3-dimensional models of these suits were built, animated via CGI, and printed on paper frame by frame.  This allowed traditional animators to draw the characters’ faces inside each space suit mask.  As a result, there is a lot of dimension in many scenes revealing a seamless integration between the characters and their environment.  The key elements of this film are the scenes that showed the title subject – the Titan.  The Titan of the film is an incredibly large space ship, over a mile in length, that has the power and technology to create a new planet.  Showing the scale of this ship was a challenge, especially since the models used in the filming ranged in size from one foot to just over three feet.  The animators used textures and lighting to make the ship look really big.  By painting very fine lines on its surface and using a multitude of light sources on each scene, the animators were able to make the Titan look like the behemoth it was supposed to be.

In 2001, Titan A.E. was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – ultimately losing out to Toy Story 2. Even though the film was unsuccessful at the box office, it was well-received by its critics, and has since become a cult film.  The unique and expensive combination of animation styles and special effects resulted in Titan A.E. being a financial failure, costing over 75 million dollars to film and only making 37 million dollars worldwide.  But it has since become a favorite for lovers of animation and of science fiction, such as myself.  Take a look at the film trailer below and you will get an idea of the animation style and “largeness” of this animated action film.

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Marvin made a total of five appearances during the classic era of Looney Tunes animation between 1948 and 1963.  Chuck Jones is credited as the creator of Marvin, and directed all five of the original cartoons with Marvin the Martian.  Marvin’s other co-creators were Michael Maltese, who wrote the scripts, and Mel Blanc, who provided a geeky voice for the last two appearances of Marvin the Martian in Hare-way to the Stars (1958) and Mad as a Mars Hare (1963), as he played against his original nemesis – Bugs Bunny.  Take a look below at Mad as a Mars Hare, and see Marvin the Martian and Bugs Bunny at their best, as a reluctant Bugs attempts to conquer Mars for the planet Earth, but Marvin has other ideas.  Please note the use of the Dis-Integrator weapon, and Marvin the Martian’s now famous saying – “Being disintegrated makes me very angry, very angry indeed!”  One of Looney Tunes famous ACME weapons also makes an appearance in this cartoon, when Marvin attempts to use the ACME Time-Space Gun on Bugs with the normal unintended consequence.  Take a look at the background of this cartoon and note the highly stylized space city, apparently made of glass – an interesting offset to the standard cartoon planet setting.

Perhaps Marvin the Martian’s best-known role was in Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953), where he battled Daffy Duck, assisted by Porky Pig, vied for control of Planet X in a very funny take-off of sci-fi shoot-’em-up.  I would consider Marvin the Martian to be one of a two initially obscure Looney Tunes cartoon characters to make it big after the Looney Tunes heydays of the 1950s – the other would be the Tasmanian Devil.  Each of these characters appeared in exactly five theatrically-released cartoons, but I think Taz is less obscure because at least he had a name from the outset.  Marvin’s name made its debut decades later, in the 1979 The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie, a Chuck Jones’s directed compilation of classic Looney Tunes shorts.  Marvin the Martian’s name appeared under a picture of him in a portrait gallery in the movie.

Marvin the Martian was known for years only because of his image on those five original cartoons quite well over the years, as they ran repeatedly on TV, and the yet-unnamed alien gradually began to catch-on.  When Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck started popping up in occasional new productions in the 1980s and 1990s, some of their supporting characters started popping up with them — including Marvin.  This included the 1980 TV airing of Bugs Bunny’s Bustin’ Out All Over, which contained the animated short Spaced Out Bunny, Marvin’s first new appearance in 17 years. The reappearance of Daffy Duck in the 1981 Duck Dodgers in the Return of the 24½th Century seemed to establish Marvin as a star.

I have also seen Marvin in numerous reruns of the Looney Tunes classics, on Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Space Jam, and even a cameo appearance on the most famous animated series – The Simpsons as pictured below in an FBI line-up.

In my opinion, Marvin’s cameo in The Simpsons only furthers his status as a Looney Tunes legend.

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If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the images generated from World War II propaganda would speak endless volumes.  Words are powerful, but some of the images in wartime posters drew attention more vividly because they attracted an audience on a wider scale.  The United States used Uncle Sam in propaganda posters like the one here to inspire Americans to enlist in the military.  Japan had a similar propaganda poster showing a soldier, like the Uncle Sam poster, encouraged people to join the Japan’s Young Men’s Military Brigade.

Catchy slogans and catch phrases quickly became part of popular culture.  The United States had “Loose Lips Sink Ships” and Japan had “Fire and Never Quit,” both of which were used on a variety of propaganda posters.  The Japanese poster below shows a charging Japanese soldier trampling over the British and American flags with a bayonet.  The poster, issued by Japan’s Army Ministry, reads “Fire and Never Quit!”

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the images generated from World War II would speak endless volumes.  Words are powerful, but some of the images in wartime posters drew attention more vividly because they attracted an audience on a wider scale. Japan has traditionally been noted for its artistic advancements especially in prints and paintings, as the war commenced, Japanese art shifted its motif and focused its efforts on the war.  Similar to America’s were Japan’s own call to arms.  The two posters below exhibit the Japanese military might at sea and in the air.  The poster depicting Japanese Navy ships claims “We Rule the Seas,” and the poster with the Japanese aircraft proclaims “Our Enemies Can Not Hide.”

Of course Japanese propaganda art did not neglect to target the enemy.  In a manner similar to what American did by depicting the Japanese as subhuman apes, the Japanese countered with their own depiction of Americans (and the British as well) as hairy, demonic mongrels.  The following posters demonstrate such imagery.  In the first poster, a demonic figure with skulls around its neck wears a mask of President Roosevelt.  In the second poster below, President Roosevelt is shown with the hands and feet of a monster with a horn protruding from his head.  He sits atop the “Grieving Statue of Liberty,” the title of the picture.  She grieves because in the President’s one hand, he waives the banner of democracy while in the other he tenaciously grips the stick of dictatorship.  Hanging from the crown of the statue is a striking worker, and a lackadaisical sailor having a good time with the ladies.  The sullen face of the statue reflects the despicable state that the United States is in.  It shows that America is not as strong as she presents herself to be and that its own folly will result in its ultimate demise.

Japan, on the other hand, wished to represent that they were anything but weak.  They would bring light to the world, ridding it of the evil Allied forces, represented by the United States, Britain, China, and the Netherlands in the below poster.  As pictured, Japan’s rising sun blows them away.  The single wooden shoe represents the Netherlands; the Chinese character has an animal’s tail, which was a common insulting depiction of the Chinese; Britain is depicted as a portly figure with a Scottish tam on his head; and the United States is pictured as a prisoner in a striped shirt.  Notice the crown falling off the head of the American – an indication of our wealth and opulence that will soon be lost in defeat.

The goal of war is to be victorious.  Propaganda of the day during World War II was used to instill confidence in gaining this victory.  The final two posters I would like to exhibit show the famous “V” for victory that was displayed in many forms.  In the case of these two posters, the “V” is used for the same purpose but from different origins.  The first is a United States poster inferring the message of victory through production – showing thousands of bombers coming out of the “V” and proclaiming numbers of war planes built in 1942 (60,000) and 1943 (125,000).  The other poster exhibits Japan’s Rising Sun flag and the German Swastika at the top of each side of the “V” with the world in between the “V,” exclaiming a global victory.

Ultimately, propaganda was used in World War II to boost the morale of the troops, sell ideas and concepts, and give hope and confidence to its intended audience.  It did not fight the battles directly, but was a key part of the formula for victory.  But the affects of propaganda, especially negative propaganda, lasted well after treaties were signed and the dust of war settled.  Japan, though defeated, still held the same hatred for the United States it had before the war, if not more so.  The same can be said for the United States’ feeling towards Japan.

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Blog Post 4: Max’s Animated Heroes

Blog Post 5: Silhouette Animation

Before I get to some of the more interesting storylines from Halo Legends, I would like to provide some observations about the origin, and unique animated make up of this feature.  The Halo “franchise” is anchored by its hugely successful series of video and computer games, and also includes a number of novels and comics, and a wide variety of other merchandise (most of which I own).  This franchise is an all-American affair managed by Bungie Productions of Kirkland, Washington, in partnership with another Washington-based quaint little company called Microsoft.  Halo Legends was developed by 343 Productions – an offshoot of the Microsoft Corporation – created specifically to develop Halo-related full-length film projects like Halo Legends.  That being stated, a large portion of Halo Legends is envisioned with Japanese art styling, and interspersed with Japanese culture (such as the clothing and Haka’s Armor in the episode “The Duel”).

Halo Legends uses, to great benefit, a variety of animation styles and techniques, including CGI, 3-D and Japanese anime.  It follows in the footsteps of other animated features of this ilk from the past decade, including The Animatrix from 2003 and Batman Gotham Knight released in 2008.  But its multiple episodic format, disparate animation styles and wide-ranging storylines make Halo Legends unique.

For those unfamiliar with Halo and this feature, here’s a quick description (from the DVD cover) of what Halo Legends is all about: “This sweeping science-fiction saga delves into the rich Halo universe with seven exciting stories (told in eight parts) focused on Master Chief’s mysterious origins, the Spartans’ advanced combat capabilities and the tense rivalry between Spartans and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs).  Created in collaboration with some of the world’s leading animators from Japan, Halo Legends draws you into the center of humankind’s ongoing battles with the Covenant, dynamically depicted in cutting-edge animation styles that deliver breathtaking visuals and gripping adventure.  Go beyond the game – and join the roll call of Halo Legends.”  Pretty cool, huh?  Well here are my own views on Halo Legends.

If you’re familiar with the Halo Universe and some of its history, whether from the games or the novels, you can skip the two “Origins” episodes, although “Origins I” is interesting because it covers who made the Halo weapon, why it was made, and what the consequences of its use were.   “Origins II” covers humankind’s thirst for war and the development of the Spartan super-soldier program.  I would recommend watching these two episodes if you need to brush up on your Halo history, or are unfamiliar with the universe.  The animation style for the two “Origins” stories may not be the best out of the episodes, but the storyline is all encompassing, and is great for those not very familiar with Halo and its history.

The remaining six episodes each take unique and interesting views of the Halo Universe.  The first of these – “The Duel” – focuses on the Covenant (the antagonists) background. It is very stylized and is heavy on Eastern/Japanese motifs which normally are not present in the Halo series. It is also animated in this interesting grainy style.  It takes a little bit of effort to get used to this animation style and to into the story. The next story, “Prototype”, shares the story of a Marine known as ‘Ghost’ as he comes to terms with his humanity. Having the focus on a standard rank and file soldier, rather than on a one man army super soldier Spartan, is an interesting change definitely worth viewing . Almost all the remaining stories – “Homecoming”, “Odd One Out”, “The Babysitter”, and “The Package” – follow the Spartans, the human super-soldier heroes of the Halo Universe. Each one has its own storyline and follows different Spartans.

“Odd One Out” is definitely one that’s worth watching, especially if you want a break from the other “heavy” or more serious stories included in this anthology.  This episode is light-hearted, satirical, and even throws a nod to some anime-style martial arts action.  As its title suggests, this episode is the most off the wall, and for those of you who follow Halo, it definitely falls into a similar realm of the Red Vs. Blue satirical Halo Webseries.

Of all the episodes, the best by far is “The Package”.  This episode uses amazing 3-D CGI animation, and has intense action sequences.  It follows the Master Chief, the Numero Uno Spartan hero with his fellow Spartans. One of the most interesting elements of this episode is how it occasionally switches to first-person views from the Spartans’ helmets as they combat the Covenant together.

Master Chief on a Booster Frame from “The Package”

Being a die-hard Halo fan, I see Halo Legends as a very enjoyable snack that keeps my appetite whetted until between now and the next major Halo release – be it game of feature film.  Obviously, the hardest of the hardcore Halo lovers will like it most, but animation junkies should also check it out, as well as fans of anime.  For those of you who are on the fence, check out the two minute trailer for Halo Legends below.

]]> http://astewar9.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/blog-post-7-to-halo-back-spring-break-post/feed/ 0 Andrew 7-1: Halo Legends Cover 7-2: Master Chief and the Booster Frame http://astewar9.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/blog-post-6-are-you-plane-crazy/ http://astewar9.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/blog-post-6-are-you-plane-crazy/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:45:26 +0000 Andrew http://astewar9.wordpress.com/?p=58 ]]> In reading the introductory chapter on Walt Disney in Of Mice and Magic – A History of American Animated Cartoon, I read about the famous “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse animated short; but I also noted the mention of the lesser know “Plane Crazy” as another animated Mickey Mouse short.  So I decided to look into a little of the history surrounding Mickey Mouse’s “Plane Crazy”.

I did not realize that, while not as recognizable as “Steamboat Willie”, “Plane Crazy” was actually the first Mickey Mouse short made by Walt Disney.  Interestingly enough, “Plane Crazy” was shown as a silent animated short in May 1928 as a test screening.  The test screening was held in a failed attempt to get buyers for the short.  This was the first appearance of Mickey Mouse as well as his female counterpart – Minnie Mouse.  It was shown five month before the premiere of “Steamboat Willie”.  “Steamboat Willie” was a huge success, with the major difference being sound.  Steamboat Willie was the first Mickey Mouse animated short made with sound – and this made all the difference.  As a result of the success of “Steamboat Willie”, Walt Disney remade “Plane Crazy” with sound in 1929 with much more success.

About halfway through the short, the character of Minnie Mouse is introduced for the first time.  She enters to what would become her trademark theme in the early days of the Mickey Mouse animated shorts.  In a little bit of trivia (at least to me), Minnie utters a single line of dialogue here – here voice being done by Walt Disney himself, in a falsetto voice that he would eventually use for Mickey. There’s no doubt that Minnie is meant to be Mickey’s love interest from this very first short.

The sound for these animates shorts, including “Plane Crazy” consisted of basic sound effects, simulated farm animals noises, and music from various recognizable sources – all weaved together.  “Plane Crazy” takes place in a barn yard.  Near the beginning of the short, Mickey is flipping through a “How To Fly” book while the tune “Yankee Doodle Dandy” plays.  As Mickey turns to a page with Charles Lindbergh’s image “Hail to the Chief” starts to play.

Watching and analyzing this short revealed to me a lot of the great cartoon devices that are still in use today were used here, such as gravity-defying antics, musical footsteps, and rubbery characters, to name a few.  This is not only a testament to the longevity of these devices, but of the ingenuity of Walt Disney and his staff.  One such cartoon device was the tree Mickey crashes into.  It may be simplistic by today’s standards, but it is still very effective.  The crash itself shows that “Plane Crazy” was originally a silent cartoon, as the action was illustrated with words as much as sound effects.

I decided to judge for myself the difference between the silent version of “Plane Crazy” and the one with sound.  I believe the difference between the two is huge.  While the silent version was entertaining enough, the addition of sound gave a whole new dimension to the animated short.  I would like to know what you think about this – so click on the below link and view “Plane Crazy”.  First, view this six minute short with the sound muted; then replay it with the sound on and see if you notice a significant difference in the entertainment value.

I think that “Plane Crazy” should be considered as much a classic and milestone of animation as “Steamboat Willie”.  I can also see why this funny little mouse became a Walt Disney institution.  You may not fully associate the mouse in “Plane Crazy” with today’s Mickey Mouse.  This Mickey Mouse is not as fully defined as the 21st century Mickey Mouse, but I don’t think that Mickey’s first produced cartoon should be as refined.  Although it should be entertaining, and I believe it definitely is.