[AB 07] ‘Movements that are drawn’: A history of environmental animation from The Lorax to FernGully to Avatar

By Nicole Starosielski.

The article by Starosielski offers a detailed and thorough analysis of appropriate examples that demonstrate the different periods of the practice that are continuously transformed. Starosielski states that animation within the realm of environmental communication have yet to be addressed within the study of environmental media as there is a preference for news and documentary. Environmental animation is defined in the article as a genre of environmental media that uses animation form to intentionally construct knowledge of social and ecological processes that affect us or the characters.  Furthermore the article proposes that the animation’s ability to expose the viewer to imperceptible environments and produces three outcomes for representational practice: the visualization of environmental mutability, representation of environmental interaction and the environment as a construct.

To conclude, Starosielski has covered three waves of environmental animation and has discussed what would be the next steps for consideration and how animation industry can increase awareness for filmmakers to implement engagement between environment interactions. This is useful to explore ideas of interaction between environments and with characters.

Bibliography:

Starosielski, Nicole. (2011) ‘Movements That Are Drawn’: A History of Environmental Animation from The Lorax to FernGully to Avatar. The International Communication Gazette 73(1-2), pp. 145-63.

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