By Max Baker

For my choice of the literal hand in animation, I chose “How to make Jewelry.” The short animation, How to make Jewelry, shows the artists, Guldies (Alex’s), hand. The video is just a minute long and shows the hand making a bracelet. I think the hand was included to help show the story, as the other objects (pickaxe, rocks, beads) were all animated using stop motion. Guldies animations are very cool and I would recommend watching more of them. 

For my choice of animation for the indexical hand was “A KISS IN THE DARKNESS.” A Kiss In the Darkness is a short stop motion animation done by Winsky, an “emerging music project” under the direction of WIllem Kingma. The art style is very gooey and organic, which I thought fit the Indexical Hand. A lot of personality was put into the characters, and while the clay figures might lack refinement or accuracy I think it adds to the character of the piece. I especially appreciate the audio used, the near constant drone of the background noise adds a lot of atmosphere to the film. 

For my choice of animation for the illusion of life hand was “Twins in Paradise” by Vewn.  Vewn is an animator named Victoria. She made this short animation with some others, like Nick Stratton (cool guitarist) who is a part of the band R.I.P. I chose it for Illusion because the story can be deceptive and create illusions which compels the viewer to piece together the story. It’s a very cool short film. I think the use of drugs to simulate distortion of reality shows the audience the artist’s “hand”. It’s used to show the story from the characters perspective, immersing the viewers into their world.

Citing my Sources:

A KISS IN THE DARKNESS – Stop Motion Short Film, uploaded by Winsky, 30 October 2017, https://youtu.be/F640OD_SNU4?si=9iEZn0OQaRlPqgmw

How to make Jewelry. A Stop motion Animation by Guldies, uploaded by Guldies, 11 February 2020, https://youtu.be/2k1Q732q9xY?si=QJyVP0guz5ouYBB0

Twins in Paradise, uploaded by vewn, 17 June 2020, https://youtu.be/IDYxLj3bYds?si=_k3pMEbHsPWCP83D

“Q. How Do I Cite a YouTube or Online Video?” How Do I Cite a YouTube or Online Video? – LibAnswers, chat.library.berkeleycollege.edu/faq/166951#:~:text=The%20general%20format%20for%20citing%20online%20videos%20in%20MLA%20style,Author%20last%20name%2C%20First%20Name. Accessed 14 Sept. 2024.

By Meghan Warner

Actual Hand- Distortion

I chose distortion for the use of an actual hand because the artist uses their own hands to directly interacts with the claymation at the end of the film. The artist of this animation is Guildies and it is a showcase of their talents in claymation, containing many motion effects and not really having a central “plot”. I believe the artist uses their hands in this piece to show the scale of the objects they’re working with as well as showcase their dedication to claymation.

Indexical- Isle of Dogs

I chose this clip from Isle of Dogs for indexical because despite the animation being clearly stylized, many elements of the dogs feel very organic or unique. There’s a lot of clear passion put into the animation and actions of the dogs. From the expressions to the fur moving as though it’s being blown in the wind, the film clearly shows indexical quality. The film was created by Wes Anderson with artists from 3 Mills Studios. This specific clip of the animation depicts a dog fight over food scraps on the trash island. I believe the film was created to be indexical to draw in the audience and fit in with the style of other Wes Anderson films.

Illusion of life- Aristocats

I chose Aristocats for the illusion of life due to the incredibly smooth and detailed animation that makes the animated cats appear incredibly lifelike. Even if they don’t always move like real life cats, the animated drawings feel very alive and fluid. The full film was created by Disney, this specific clip is a pencil test of the cats speaking to each other. The illusion of life is common in old Disney films, most likely as a way to enchant and impress the audience.

Sources:

ARISTOCATS Pencil Test- pencil test of a 2D animated film, uploaded by Andrea Deja, August 18, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbXrTebZQq8

Isle of Dogs official clip “Ok, it’s Worth it”- Clip of a stop motion film, uploaded by Searchlight Pictures UK, Feb 7, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Lxqzem01IU

Distortion, A stop motion film by Guldies- Stop motion short film, uploaded by Guldies, Jan 22, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZqIQmdSa1E

Alice’s Wonderland was produced in 1923 by Laugh-O-Gram Studio under Disney and is the first in a live-action/animated short in The Alice Comedies series. It demonstrates the use of Actual Hand by incorporating several animators working on the short and establishing that they will “draw some funnies”. The main character Alice visits the Laugh-O-Gram Studio and meets several animators including Walt Disney, who show her animated scenes at their drawing stations. It’s a cute, fantastical little setup that communicates that these animators are real people making these cartoons. 

After seeing several fun animations (including what seems to be an obligatory cat-boxing scene) Alice goes home and goes to bed, where she has a delightful and whimsical dream. In the dream, Alice is welcomed to “Cartoonland” by a variety of cheery animated animals which the live actress Virginia Davis interacts with. 

The Animators working on this short were Hugh Harman, Rudolf Ising, Ub Iwerks, Carman Maxwell, and Friz Freleng. Double dipping on layouts and backgrounds was Ub Iwerks and Carman Maxwell respectively.

✅ Curta – Alice`s Wonderland – 1923 🎥

Alice’s Wonderland – Wikipedia

James Baxter is a great example of a distinct figure who often goes unnoticed as a significant part of many famously beloved animated movies and series. Known for a wrenchingly beautiful sense of fluidity and 3-dimensionality in his traditional 2D animated work, upon seeing examples of it his work stands out from the crowd and is arguably Indexical in its natural state. A direct example of this, however, would be in the nineteenth episode of Adventure Time season five airing in 2013, titled “James Baxter the Horse”. In the episode, the titular character (who is a horse named James Baxter) frolics around the land of Ooo, cheering various characters up and making them happy with his ball-balancing act. James Baxter the Horse is both guest-animated and guest-voiced by the real-life James Baxter. 

This episode has very indexical elements to it because of this delightful incorporation of a stand-out artist. Baxter’s work is recognizable enough for the trained eye, and incorporating his voice acting and a sweet little title card depicting the horse at an animation desk adds another layer of whimsy and involvement. 

James Baxter the Horse – Wikipedia

James Baxter | Adventure Time | Cartoon Network

James Baxter Animation Reel

James Baxter the Horse | Adventure Time Wiki

Aside from the clip we’ll be observing as a stand-out example, Jason and the Argonauts 1963 is chock-full of amazing stop-motion effects. It’s well known for these effects and iconic creature design owed to stop-motion animation visual effects artist Ray Harryhausen. It attempts and debatably (for the time) succeeds in creating an illusion of life. In the famous skeleton fight scene, the skeletons feel very real in their movements, the stop-motion element adding to a sense of three-dimensionality, rivaling many effects of today’s industry in quality, relatability, organic motion, and appeal. 

Fighting Off The Children Of The Hydra’s Teeth | Jason and the Argonauts | Creature Features

Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film) – Wikipedia

https://www.rayharryhausen.com

Ray Harryhausen

For both indexical and “the illusion of life”, I chose the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This movie fits in indexical and illusions of life by incorporating live action and animation into one, and having fluid motions with the animated characters. I think that the goal for making animation look realistic in the real world played out really well.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a movie about Roger Rabbit trying to get information on a scandal that involved his wife, Jessica Rabbit. But when Jessica’s affair partner is found dead, people pointed to Roger being the main suspect.

The animation was done by Richard Williams, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

For the hand of the artist i chose Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson. I think that this movie fits in this category because of how all the puppets are made of fur and cloth, and you can easily see that they sometimes move through out the entire movie, no frames are the same.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a movie about a fox who steals from the farmers around the area, but that causes everyone he knows, and himself, to be hunted down by said farmers.

The animation was done by 3 Mills Studios, with puppets made by Mackinnon & Saunders

Works cited

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Framed_Roger_Rabbit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantastic_Mr.Fox(film)