Animation in Asia and the Pacific

Description

Animation has had a global renaissance during the 1990s and nowhere is this more evident than in Asia. With the exception of China and Japan most other Asian nations are relatively new to this art form. Over the last decade however the situation has changed dramatically with countries like Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as China, acting as offshore production plants for North American and European studios. Two other spurs for this mushrooming of activity has been the global growth of terrestrial, cable, satellite and video systems all demanding large menus of programming including animation. A second spur has been the exceptional popularity Japanese anime has enjoyed across Asia, Europe and the United States.

Animation in Asia and the Pacific provides the first continent-wide analysis of animation, delving into issues of production, distribution, exhibition, aesthetics and regulation, in this burgeoning field. Animation in Asia and the Pacific also offers vignettes of the fascinating experiences of a group of animation pioneers. The historical and contemporary perspectives derive from interviews, textual analysis, archival research and participation/observation data. Beautifully illustrated with 77 colour and a large number of black and white images.
However, despite these developments there has not been a corresponding growth of a serious literature – covering industrial and aesthetic issues – about Asian animation and the small amount of work that has been produced has not been published in the English language. In order to provide both historical and contemporary perspectives, Animation in Asia and the Pacific draws upon interviews, textual analysis, archival research and participation/observation data.

Reviews

“An enormous amount of research has gone into this book and John Lent has wisely consulted experts in each region that it covers ... this book is indispensable if you are interested in the history of animation and its potential growth.”
Animatoon Magazine

“Overall ... Animation in Asia and the Pacific is a significant, hopefully pioneering piece of animation scholarship, a healthy reminder that, contra Walt Disney, it’ a very large world after all.”
Animation World Magazine

“While most of this handsome book is devoted to animation history and production information in Asia and the Pacific Rim (information that, to my knowledge, is available nowhere else), I found the nine vignettes of Asian animators to be of particular interest ...”
Alan Seeger, Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 2002

Contents

Introduction by John A. Lent

Part 1 National Perspectives

Chapter 1 Animation in China, by David Ehrlich with Tianyi Jin
Vignette: Te Wei’s Life and Work
Vignette: A Da, China’s Animated Open Door to the West
Vignette: Zhan Tong, A Stickler to the Chinese Style

Chapter 2 New Myths for the Millennium: Japanese Animation, by Antonia Levi
Vignette: Memory of an Animated Couple: Renzo and Sayoko Kinoshita

Chapter 3 Anime in the United States, by Fred Patten

Chapter 4 The Development of the Japanese Animation Audience in the United Kingdom and
France, by Helen McCarthy
Vignette: Anime and Manga in Parts of Asia and Latin America, by John A. Lent<D>

Chapter 5 Korean Animation: A Short But Robust Life, by John A. Lent and Kie-Un Yu
Vignette: Shin Dong Hun and Korea’s ‘Miserable’ Animation Beginnings

Chapter 6 The ‘Art’ Movement Between Frames in Hong Kong Animation, by Gigi T.Y. Hu
Vignette: The First US-Mongolian Co-Production: Genghis Khand

Chapter 7 James Wang and His Crazy Climb to Taiwan’s Cuckoo’s Nest, by John A. Lent

Chapter 8 The History of Malaysian Animated Cartoons, by Muliyadi Mahamood
Vignette: Notes of a Cartoonist Temporarily Turned Animator

Chapter 9 Animation in Singapore, by Lilian Soon

Chapter 10 Animating the Nation: Animation and Development in the Philippines, by Rolando B. Tolentino
Vignette: Dwi Koendoro and His Quest for Viable Indonesian Animation

Chapter 11 Thai Animation, Almost a One-Man Show, by John A. Lent

Chapter 12 Vietnamese Animation: A Preliminary Look, by Harvey Deneroff

Chapter 13 Animation in the Subcontinent, by John A. Lent

Chapter 14 Australian and New Zealand Animation, by Keith Bradbury

Part 2 Topical Issues

Chapter 15 Animation for Development in South Asia, by Heather Kenyon

Chapter 16 Overseas Animation Production in Asia, by John A. Lent

Countries covered include: Japan, China, India, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Vignettes provided include: Shin Dong Hun (South Korea); Zhan Tong (China); James Wang (Taiwan); Payut Ngaokrachang (Thailand); Dwi Koendoro (Indonesia); Ram Mohan (India); Lat (Mohd.Nor Khalid) (Malaysia).

Biography

John A. Lent is Professor of Communication at Temple University, USA. Author or editor of 50 books and monographs and hundreds of articles on mass communication and popular culture, predominantly about Asia and the Caribbean, John Lent has lived and worked in both Asia and the Caribbean and serves as editor and chair of a range of journals, societies and academic working groups.