Colour and Animation

Abstract

This paper seeks to highlight the central challenges in the scholarly analysis of film colour in animated film. It shows that the complexity of the subject demands an interdisciplinary approach that considers aspects of film studies as well as other visual arts, such as painting. In addition, the history of animated film, the importance of analogue and digital production techniques and the influence of individual artists must be taken into account. The colour design of animated films is therefore subject to a complex web of artistic handwriting, technical possibilities, and cultural conventions. Furthermore, the reception of film colour by audiences in an increasingly globalised media world needs to be examined, as colour effects and colour preferences are subject to both individual differences and cultural contexts. Using Bambi and other Disney films as a case study, this paper shows how all these factors combine to create a unique work of art. To examine the colour of the film, both the technical prerequisites of Technicolor, the technical process of hand painting–inspired by Chinese ink painting and European impressionism–, and the creative effect of background and characters design must be considered. This paper shows how all these elements allow animated film a radical freedom of creative possibilities, but simultaneously complicate the systematic comprehension and investigation of colour. The Tübingen Centre for Animation Research has taken up this challenge of interdisciplinary investigation of the subject.

Keywords: Animation Studies, Colour and Animation, Disney, Pixar, Technicolor