Animating culture - Eric Smoodin

Long considered "children's entertainment" by audiences and the popular media, Hollywood animation has received little serious analysis. Cartoons usually ran for about 7 or 8 minutes and were shown at cinemas sandwiched between the feature film and the B movie, Pathe News or newsreels. Eric Smoodin's "Animating Culture" thoroughly analyzes the animated short film and the system that mass-produced them. It examines: Hollywood animation and social control; studio strategies - sexuality, law and competition; cartoon comment on race, gender and class; audience profile and the shaping of public opinion through cartoon characters; Disney diplomacy; and the links between culture, commerce and US government policy.;The book argues that cartoons were, and still are, of appeal to a wider audience than first considered, and did indeed contribute to public debate about political issues. Smoodin's analysis of the multiple discourses embedded in the variety of cartoons reveals the complex and often contradictory ways in which animation dealt with class relations, imperialism, censorship and much more. His discussion of both Disney and Disney Studio's close ties with the US government should encourage a rethink about the place of the cartoon in its political and cultural life.