Animation and America - Wells

The ""cartoon""in the output of the all conquering Disney studio, the
anarchic antics of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in Looney Tunes, and the
satiric vision of the Simpsons on television is synonymous with the
United States, but the genre rarely is taken seriously. Nevertheless,
cartoons are important artistic and cultural achievements, and are an
essential ingredient in how America is viewed, both by itself and by
others.

In Animation and America, Paul Wells looks afresh at this
unique art, discussing the distinctiveness of the cartoon form, as well
as myriad other types of animation production. Insisting upon the
""modernity"" of the genre, Wells examines its importance as a barometer
of the social conditions in which it is made and which it reflects. This
book is not a standard history of animation in America, but rather uses
animation as a way of discussing social and political change. Wells
concentrates on the ways in which the form continues to grow,
experiment, and remain subversiveand, increasingly, gaining acclaim and
recognition. Now in the vanguard of visual culture, animation occupies
an important position in representing both the outcomes and impacts of
new technologies, and it also has laid the foundations for a new
understanding of social and artistic practice.