The Persistence of Animation

“Legitimate Peripheral Participation”: Mitigating Digital Change in Traditional 2D Animation Production

Abstract: The period between 1994 and 2004 was a time of transition for the TV animation community. The introduction of digital tools caused irreversible changes to long-established 2D animation production pipelines. These new digital pipelines altered the time-honoured traditional roles of “old timers” (senior artists) and “new comers” (junior artists). This paper uses Lave and Wegner’s concept of “legitimate peripheral participation” and Basil Bernstein’s ideas on “trainability” and “recontextualization” to discuss the challenges experienced by a community of practice in flux. It analyses and evaluates the crisis during this period of time and describes the animation artists passage from resenting change to directing change within their industry.

Biographical Statement: Tony Tarantini is a 20-year veteran of the animation industry. As an artist, he has contributed to a number of animated TV series and features including Babar the Elephant, Pippi Longtockings, Rupert the Bear, Franklin the Turtle, American Tail, George Shrinks and Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus. In addition, Tony has worked extensively in curriculum design and development and in an instructional capacity at Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. At present, he teaches an animation production course in the Bachelor of Applied Arts in Animation. This paper contributes to his ongoing research into the future of animation production.