OUAN504 - Character & Narrative - Acting Up: Understanding Character & Narrative (Comparison of Character Personalities)

OUAN504 - Understanding Character & Narrative:

To help me understand how character and narrative has changed over the space of roughly a century, I decided to do some research on how popular animated characters in today's entertainment industry they are portrayed now in comparison to how they were when they debuted.

For instance, Mickey Mouse is probably an obvious choice of a popular well loved character. He's the face of Walt Disney Studios and has been going strong since 1928. But how has society allowed for changes in his personality, appearance, and overall behaviour?

With just over 80 years of existence, Mickey has seen it all. He's been involved in propaganda cartoons, experienced wars, changes in politics, and seen the growth of the company he is so well known for - Disney. In 1928, Mickey first appeared in a silent short called "Plane Crazy". It didn't really rev people's engines (terrible pun intended) which probably explains why this short isn't common knowledge to be the debut of Mickey. Mickey began his life as a very basic-looking, simple black blob with humongous eyes. He also lacked the little white gloves we know and love today!

From then on, the release of Steamboat Willie came about and due its wave of popularity, it was re-released with sound. Mickey had undergone some minor changes such as smaller eyes and more elongated body. Very soon after this, Mickey finally received his gloves! He also gained another popular trademark: that cheerful, beaming smile! This small piece from Babble.com states that:

""Ub" Iwerks is the co-creator of Mickey Mouse and he didn't have just a close working relationship with Walt Disney, but the two were close friends. Iwerks was responsible for animating the early Mickey Mouse cartoons and helped to fine-tune Mickey.

In this incarnation, Mickey finally has color such as his iconic red shorts, and he also had a slice taken out of his eyes, giving him a more expressive look." However, the "slice" in the eyes to replicate a specular - a bead of light reflection - didn't last too long and was soon brushed under the carpet,

By the 1940's, Mickey Mouse was very much developed! He has finally reached a point of near completion and everybody seemed rather happy with the way he looked, His personality has always been very much the same - chirpy, expressive, and caring of others - but with so many minor plastic-surgeries, The Sorcerer's Apprentice showed a fully-coloured and well-designed Mickey.

Although a relatively final design had been compromised, Mickey began to put on a few ounces of weight over the years and achieved a chubbier, cuter appearance. As technology came along with the years, so did his style as his creators played around, giving him a slight 3D look. Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse is an example of the switch to full 3D animation. His eyes have become thinner and longer and he is sporting a very modern look. (See below)

In 2013, a series of short animations starring Mickey and the gang were aired on television. Although the animation itself has a very crisp and clean look, the characters seem to go back to the older variants of designs showing the eye specular slices and thinner bodies with less complex details such as shadows and too much colour. Even the opening sequences relate directly to the past and have that "MGM Tom & Jerry" and "Warner Brothers" feel to them. With the change in society and what is deemed gruesome, appealing, exciting and so forth, I notice that the use of facial expression as changed in Mickey as many years ago, these sorts of expressions would be seen as too aggressive for children to watch. (Example below)

I think with all things in society (art, fashion, music, attitudes, and animation included), there is a constant theme of progression. However there will always be a point when homage to past is paid and past ideas are then incorporated with modern societal changes to simple add to the progress.