According to Lent (2000), what place does animation occupy in Asian societies? How different is this across Asia (ie comparing China and Japan)?
Lent (2000) highlights the importance of animation in Asian societies over time. These societies include China, India, Taiwan and Thailand, which from early times of production were predominantly based on outside influences; in this case American style ‘Disney’ characteristics. However, China and Japan incorporated “only those elements of foreign animation that fit their culture, never favouring full adoption” (Lent, 2000). This is important because in doing so, it managed to preserve authentic local flavours; the Wan brothers stressed the significance of American influence, but in the mid 1930’s added that China could no longer continue mimicking American animations. In addition to this, compared to the rest of Asia, India often “betrays the ethnic heritage of local animators and almost always borrows from Western productions” (Bendazzi, 1994). But in relation to the way of China, a small selection of Indian animators from a western training background managed to keep well grounded with their roots.
Lent, J. A. (2000). Animation in Asia: appropriation, reinterpretation, and adoption or adaptation. (11).
Hi Nik
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post and I'm agree with you, and I tend to say that in my point of view, animation was fitted to Asian societies and their mass media. Although the cartoon film shows the history and culture of the country to people from very early age. Meanwhile, animation and other media become a symbiotic relationship, they existed in the Asian countries, like manga, television drama, theme song and so on.