Animation has never been so popular. The best animated films have combined the latest technology with creativity and a flair for storytelling and are adored by both children and adults. With films such as Monsters, Inc., Shrek and Toy Story capturing the imagination of moviegoers and critics, animated film is enjoying a resurgence unseen since its golden age in the 30s and 40s. From the earliest full-length feature animation, Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, through stop-motion animation and Japanese anime to the advent of CGI, this book takes a critical look at animation through the ages and explores its infinite cinematic possibilities.

The superheroes are back! Since the 1970s, the film world has found inspiration in comic books and graphic novels. These days no summer is complete without a major blockbuster movie based on a comic: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Men in Black, Daredevil, and The Hulk. Modern special effects have made large-scale superhero epics possible, but the diversity of the comics being published has made for a wide variety of subjects, as evidenced by Ghost World, From Hell, Akira and Road to Perdition. This book looks in detail at twenty key titles, covering every step of the development from comic book panel to feature film frame. Includes interviews with key creative artists about the evolution of the films from the original comics, and speculates about future films.

War films have existed since the birth of cinema, typically gung-ho tales of macho derring-do. But war films are not always about bravado and bravery, they also detail the horrors of war, the sadness, the brotherhood of soldiers and comedy that can be found in the bleakest of situations, as well as the excitement of the battlefield. War Films explores defining movies of the genre in sections covering different wars as well as wars with other worlds. The book also offers links between the different films, historical and cinematic worth and profiles of key actors and directors. Among the films included are Saving Private Ryan, Dr Strangelove,Welcome to Sarajevo, The Dam Busters, Gallipoli, The Deer Hunter and Ran.

A major icon of cinema and pop-culture more widely, Pixar Animation Studios has played a vital part in reminding audiences of animation's capacity as a major artform. Hugely popular, and recognised as a real force in the imaginative lives of its audience, Pixar's movies have attained critical mass. The Films of Pixar Animation Studio offers the reader and animation enthusiast a one-stop handbook to the studio's work, discussing each film in great detail. Each Pixar feature film is explored in terms of creative choices made by the films' producers, writers, directors and animators from the first bright idea through to final realisation. The book also makes connections between the studio's aesthetic and the wider realm of animation history, the blockbuster movie and the enduring examples of folk tales.

Including animation in your classroom can: • improve literacy and numeracy • develop critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills • enhance teamwork and negotiation • encourage creativity This toolkit, together with an extensive companion website, will give you the confidence to use animation in your classroom. From teaching basic flip-book animation right through to producing an animated film, there are drawing templates for the less confident artists and tried-and-tested schemes of work, plus advice on how to use animation equipment and what technology and software is available. This practical, cross-curricular resource is particularly suitable for use with students aged 11-16, although many of the activities can be adapted for older or younger students. It can be used in Art, Media Studies, ICT and many other subjects to engage learners of all styles and abilities.

Most Tim Burton films are huge box-office successes, and several are already classics. The director's mysterious and eccentric public persona attracts a lot of attention, while the films themselves have been somewhat overlooked. Here, Alison McMahan redresses this imbalance through a close analysis of Burton's key films () and their industrial context. She argues that Burton has been a crucial figure behind many of the transformations taking place in horror, fantasy, and sci-fi films over the last two decades, and demonstrates how his own work draws on a huge range of artistic influences: the films of George Melies, surrealism, installation art, computer games, and many more. The Films of Tim Burton is the most in-depth analysis so far of the work of this unusual filmmaker - a director who has shown repeatedly that it is possible to reject mainstream Hollywood contentions while maintaining critical popularrity and commercial success.

Animation has been a staple of the filmmaking process since the early days of cinema. Animated shorts had been produced for decades, but not until 1937 did a major studio venture into animated features when Walt Disney produced Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Of the hundreds of animated feature films made since, many have proven their importance over the years while also entertaining generations of audiences. There are also many recent animated movies that promise to become classics in the field. In 100 Greatest American British Animated Films, Thomas S, Hischak looks at the most innovative, influential, and entertaining features that have been produced since the late 1930s—from traditional hand-drawn works and stop-motion films to computer-generated wonders. These movies have been selected not simply because of their popularity or critical acceptance but for their importance. Entries in this volume contain plot information production history critical reaction commentary on the film’s cinematic quality a discussion of the film’s influence voice casts production credits songs sequels, spin-offs, Broadway versions, and television adaptations awards and nominations Each movie is also discussed in the context of its original release as well as the ways in which the film has lived on in the years since. Familiar favorites and lesser-known gems are included, making the book a fascinating journey for both the avid animation fan and the everyday moviegoer. With a sweeping look at more than eight decades of movies, 100 Greatest American and British Animated Films highlights some of the most treasured features of all time.

Movie Movements: Films That Changed the World of Cinema is a one-stop guide to the major movements that have shaped our sense of what cinema is and can be. It introduces the reader to definitions of the founding concepts in Film Studies such as authorship and genre, technological impacts and the rise of digital cinema, social influences and notions of the avant-garde, and cinema's emergence as a major art form that reflects and shapes the world. It explores, in concise and clear sections, how major works from the classic French realist La Regle de Jeu to the dazzling animation of Norman McLaren and the memorial documentary of Shoah, were conceived, developed and produced, and eventually received by the public, critics and film history. Offering a concise overview of a vast and compelling subject, it's a book for both the film enthusiast and the Film Studies student. Films discussed by James Clarke include: Kes Rome, Open City Metropolis The Passion of Joan of Arc The Tales of Hoffmann The Seventh Seal The Seventh Seal La Belle et la Bête Un Chien Andalou Koyaanisqatsi Night Mail Rome, Open City The Passion of Joan of Arc The Tales of Hoffmann The Seventh Seal Un Chien Andalou Koyaanisqatsi Night Mail Nanook of the North Into Great Silence We Are the Lambeth Boys Battleship Potemkin Jules et Jim Picnic at Hanging Rock Wings of Desire The Hired Hand Seven Samurai Pan's Labyrintk ' Movie Movements is part of the Kamera book series, which are helpful guides to random cinema-related phenomena' - Film Ireland

Born in Los Angeles, California, Jolie is the daughter of actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand. She is the sister of actor James Haven, niece of singer-songwriter Chip Taylor, and goddaughter of actors Jacqueline Bisset and Maximilian Schell. On her father's side, Jolie is of German and Slovak descent, and on her mother's side, she is of primarily French Canadian, Dutch, and German ancestry, as well as of distant Huron heritage.

Today's animation is much more than kids' stuff. Increasingly complex subject matter has produced a corresponding increase in artistic interest, and forms once specific to certain cultures have crossed borders to enjoy international popularity. Japanese animation has been particularly successful in the United States, and among the most celebrated Japanese animation artists is director Mamoru Oshii. This book is an analytical survey of Oshii's cinematic works from the early years of his career through his 21st-century productions, including Beautiful Dreamer and the acclaimed Ghost in the Shell. The author examines these and other Oshii productions in relation to the Carnivalesque movement, technopolitics and the director's post-robotic vision. Oshii's films are particularly significant in their defiance of the premises of Western animation and their presentation of a highly personal commentary on both individual and collective identities in the 20th and 21st centuries. Special emphasis is placed on Oshii's revolutionary film techniques, including the stylistically and thematically diverse features of productions ranging from animation to live action to Original Video Animation (OVA), a format Oshii invented. A complete filmography is included.