The Persistence of Animation

Punctured Performances

Abstract: In Hollywood theatrical cartoons of the “Punctured Performance” sub-genre, the comedy arises directly from the performance of a piece of music and the attempts to interrupt or co-opt it by a character not originally involved in the performance. The playing of music itself turns into a competition, a conflict both of styles of music and of classes of characters. This paper will employ a structural analysis modified from the work of Vladimir Propp, delineate this sub-genre’s iconography, examine its appeal both to the animators creating it and to its spectators, and discuss its similarities to/distinction from a related sub-genre.

Biographical Statement: Richard J. Leskosky is the Interim Director of the Unit for Cinema Studies of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a past president of the Society for Animation Studies. For about 15 years he has been researching and writing on various sub-genres and their structures in Hollywood theatrical cartoons, several of which he has discussed at previous SAS conferences.

Nostalgic parody or parodic nostalgia? Sub-genre on adultswim

Abstract: Since the inception of Cartoon Network’s [adult swim] in 2001, many of the shows have shared thematic content which references TV animation from the 1970s and 1980s. Using parody and satire shows such as, Harvey Birdman, Moral Orel and Robot Chicken, create a nostalgia, which is shared with the audience. The nostalgia codes must be understood and accepted by the audience for the comedy to succeed. This paper examines the characteristics of these shows and argues that by using specific familiar animation techniques and nostalgic references, a new sub-genre within comedy is being created.

Biographical Statement: Dr Nichola Dobson is an independent scholar based in Edinburgh. She previously lectured at Queen Margaret University and Glasgow Caledonian University. She recently completed her first single authored book, Historical Dictionary of Animation and Cartoons,for Scarecrow Press and is now continuing research in animation and television studies, particularly in the area of genre. She is the editor of the Society for Animation Studies peer reviewed online journal Animation Studies. She has published articles on animation and television and recently contributed to an edited collection, The CSI Effect: Television, Crime and Critical Theory (forthcoming, Lexington Books).