BSA 106 Animation History 1970-1975

Animation history 1970-1975

France

 Serge Danot made the pilot for The Magic Roundabout (1963-1970), which ended up with 500 episodes, cumulating in a feature length film, Dougal and the Blue Cat (1970)

Norway

Ivo Caprino experimented with an early version of animatronics, allowing him to manipulate characters in real time. He moved from animatronics to stop-motion when he created The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix in 1975, which took 3 years to make and was so successful that it was shown in some theaters daily for 28 years.

Hungary

 William Feigenbaum and Jozsef Gemes made the children's film Hugo the Hippo in 1975 with it's catchy theme song, which became a cult hit among adults. It's popularity resulted in it being the first feature length animated film being released from Hungary

UK

 Bob Godfrey made Karma Sutra Strikes Again during the early 1970's craze for adult animation. As is typical for 'adult' animations, it focused mostly on sex and it's many possibilities. Godfrey believed animation should be more surreal rather than mimicking reality. The film was given an X rating and screened alongside A Clockwork Orange in the UK. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Short.

France/ Poland

 Piotr Kamler made The Step 1974, an experimental stop-motion film which was centred around sheets of paper moving around a box

Japan

 Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, who later founded Studio Ghibli, created the TV series Heidi in 1974. Heidi was based on an adaptation of a childrens book.

Renzo and Sayoko Kinoshita made the film Made In Japan (1972), which was an animation about Japanese culture focusing on putting the economy before anything else. They also made Pica-don in 1978, a disturbing short that detailed the bombing of Hiroshima from the eyes of its civilians. The short featured the realistic impacts of the bomb and radiation sickness on people.

USA

 Lillian Shwartz created early computer art, being among the first to use the computer as an artistic medium. Her work features many flashing images that may cause epileptic seizures in some, as it was made before people discovered the link between flashing images and seizures.

Fritz the Cat (1971)

 Ralph Bakshi made Felix the Cat, another 'adult' animation that focuses on sex, drugs and rock and roll. This was Americas first X rated cartoon.

France/Czech Republic

 Rene Laloux made The Fantastic Planet in 1973, which was about a society where humans were taken to another planet to be pets. The film alludes to social concerns of Fascist repression and war as well as alternative culture and Eastern mysticism ('adult' themes without resorting to sex, drugs and rock and roll). 

USA

A Christmas Carol (1971) was made by Richard Williams, the author of The Animators Survival Kit, which was a made for TV film that was later released in movie theatres. When the film won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, the controversy it caused resulted in the rules for Academy Awards refined to exclude TV films from being nominated for the Oscars.

A Christmas Carol (1971) Review

A Christmas Carol details the personal journey of Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted businessman, as he is visited by three spirits the three nights before Christmas. Over the course of the three nights, Scrooge (and the viewer) learn the cause of Scrooge's callousness, it's effects on those around him and the possible end result if he continues to live this way.
I found the film to be beautifully animated, which is no surprise given the director worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Thief and the Cobbler. The hands on some of the characters were a bit big even when not using perspective, but otherwise the animation was very smooth and detailed. The only real weakness of the film was that the audio quality, coupled with the verbose nature of the dialogue, made following what the characters were saying difficult.
This story and animation has definitely made a cultural impact, with many adaptations to the story including The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Bah Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas (2006), as well as countless Christmas episodes for cartoons.