French Animation History

Now in paper, French Animation History is the first book to chronicle the 100–year history of animation in France. Charting this vital and singular chapter in the history of cinema, the volume examines France’s artistic and technical traditions; how French animators have forged their unique visual styles, narrative modes, and technological innovations to construct a distinct national style; how France has catapulted itself to the third–largest producer of animation in the world. Including more than 80 color and black and white images from some of the most influential animated films of all time, French Animation History illuminates the exceptional place France holds within the history of world cinema.

Figures ix Plates xiii Acknowledgments xvii 1 Introduction: The Rise of Animation in France 1 The Beginnings of Animation 4 Stop–Motion Animation Attractions 19 2 Silent Animation: Emile Cohl and his Artisanal Legacy 22 Emile Cohl, Caricature, and the Rise of Studio Animation 22 Emile Cohl at Pathe, Eclipse, and Eclair Studios 36 Graphic Art and the Cartoon: Lortac and O′Galop 45 But is it "Animation?" French Avant–Garde and Moving Pictures 54 3 French Animation and the Coming of Sound 60 Ladislas Starewich′s Fabled Puppets 61 Berthold Bartosch′s L′Idee: A Working–Class Allegory 73 Jean Painleve′s La Barbe bleue 78 Alexandre Alexeieff, Claire Parker, and the Pinscreen 82 Niche Cartoons: Lyrical Joie de vivre and the Surreal La Fortune enchantee 90 4 Toward an Alternative Studio Structure 99 Paul Grimault and the Artist–Owned Animation Studio 100 Transitional Animation: From High Art to Made–for–TV 107 Toward a New Era of Micro–Studios: Laguionie and Laloux 114 5 French Animation′s Renaissance 124 Le Cartoon Plan 124 Michel Ocelot′s Alternative Mode of Production 127 Comic Book Aesthetics and Niche Studios 139 Contemporary French Animation: 2006 and Beyond 149 6 Conclusion: French Animation Today 162 References 171 Further Reading 178 Index 181

Richard Neupert is the Wheatley Professor of the Arts and a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in Film Studies at the University of Georgia.

"Neupert expertly integrates the lives and exploits of the animators with the plots of films they produced and with the trends and issues in the profession…Summing Up: Highly recommended." – C hoice “ French Animation History is a richly informed and highly readable scholarly book that will appeal both to specialists in the field and to the curious interested in this popular, and often neglected, dimension of French filmmaking.”  – H–France Review