The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => LBT Projects => Topic started by: Littlefoot1616 on March 09, 2006, 07:55:50 AM
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Hey guys!
This isn't exactly an LBT project but I thought you guys and gals would be the perfect group of people to ask.
I'm in my final year of uni now and I've got to do a dissertation. A dreaded being of an assignment (10,000 words :( ) I have to fulfil to obtain my honours degree but anyway...that's going off the point :DD
I'm doing a research project into the effectiveness of animation and cartoon characters. Basically, I'm looking at why certain cartoon characters/series are successful while others come and go and are remembered by relatively few. At the moment, things are only in the planning phases but eventually I'm going to be coming up with a questionnaire probing peoples thoughts and views on their favourite (and not so favourite) cartoons and animated pieces. In case you've been reading this with your eyes closed to this point...this is where YOU come in. I'm gonna need people's inputs on a series of questions that will get to grips with and probe what you think makes an animation successful (actual probing with large rod not a factor of investigation :lol ).
It's all confidential, no details of your personal responses will be published in any way. I don't want names, exact ages, your cat's birthday, your mother's shoe size in Taiwanese or anything of the sort. I just need a reliable spread of candidates from different backgrounds, experiences, age-ranges etc. to ensure my results come out (relatively) accurate according to my audience. It's just a little mixture of qualitative and quantitative data for me to put in my report.
Nothing's set in stone yet, but once I around to doing this research case study...would people be interested?! They're not taxing questions and I've got clearance to perform my research. Heck, if you want a confidential data confirmation form I can give you one of those to fill out if you're that concerned :DD Just, for now, need a show of hands ( :wave ) or a head nod ( :yes ) if you wouldn't mind taking part. If I get enough response, more details will follow (once my supervisor gets back to me that is!)
Much obliged!
Littlefoot-1616 B)
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I'll be happy to volunteer. :DD
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Perhaps I can be of assistance.
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Count me in too.
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Great! 3 responses already! :D Thanks people...really appreciate the help!
3x :yes Wickid...any more for anymore?
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Ask away. :) I'm in.
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Sorry this is taking so long guys! Just as an update, I have shipped off the final draft to my project supervisor and hopefully he'l give me the go ahead by Monday. So in light of that, I'll be shipping you guys all copies of the questionnaire. It's in a standard MS Word .doc format. I'll be shipping them out to email addies once I get the all clear from my supervisor. If it's ok...I'll just nick the ones from the CONTACTS page.
The position for more volunteers is still open. Basically, the more responses I get the better. Any other takers will be humbly respected! ;)
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Count me in.. I'll gladly help you... :D
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I'll give it a try. Is there a due date?
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No due date (besides my project deadline which seems to be fast approaching :o ). But like I said, the final draft is still being looked over by my supervisor. Once I get the thumbs up, you guys will all get a copy via your email addies.
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Um, I might have a problem. I don't have MS word on my computer. I have Word Perfect 10. Will I still be able to view the email?
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Um, I might have a problem. I don't have MS word on my computer. I have Word Perfect 10. Will I still be able to view the email?
With any luck, F-14, you should have no problems. I had Wordperfect 9, and later 10, for a LONG time before I got MS word. I had no problems opening Word documents.
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You can always get Open Office which would open just about anything. :P: (Don't have it...still have MS Office 2000...so its tempting to upgrade)
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Hey guys!
I've finally got the go ahead from my supervisor and the questionnaires have all bin shipped out to your individual email addies! Hopefully it should all work fine but if you have any problems, don't hesitate to get in contact with me about it.
Please make sure you read my guidelines on the email BEFORE to start the questionnaire coz there are a few bits and bobs you online doers have to know before you start. Make sure you read it carefully first. Pretty please! :D There's no real rush to get it done but if you could try and get them back to be preferably before the end of April (you've got a month people...don't disappoint me! :mad :^.^: ).
There's still more questionnaires to go out on your thoughts and views on animation! Those who have glanced at this and thoughts, "umm...I dunno" and "err...maybe...maybe not". There's still time! I can ship you out a questionnaire no probs ;) Go waannnn! It's easy stuff! Nothing taxing I promise you! You can trust this face! :D The option's there if you want it!
Thanks again guys....happy typing!
Littlefoot-1616 B)
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Done, and Done, LF-1616 B). I sent my part to the same e-mail you sent it to me from.
I hope my answers are valuable to you and your research. Best of luck!
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I'm done with mine, I hope these answers work for you.
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I don't seem to have gotten one in my email yet.
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Big thanx to Roger, Action and Cyberlizard! All your answers came thru perfectly ;) Cheers fellas! Some real interesting answers...which is great! The more diverse they get, the more I have to write about. I hope the length of it wasn't too daunting :( I mean, questionnaires can be a real pain in the proverbial. Hope it didn't take up too much of your time :D
F-14: I did send you one yesterday (GMT +/- 0), can't see any reason why you wouldn't have got it. I sent it along with the rest of those who volunteered. Maybe the email just got delayed or something...if you don't receive anything in the next few days, I'll send out another one. OK ;)
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I hope the length of it wasn't too daunting :( I mean, questionnaires can be a real pain in the proverbial. Hope it didn't take up too much of your time :D
Don't worry, I've taken Mid quarter examns that were far worse. ;) That questionare was easy. :DD Btw, chapter 21 of my story is up, I'm sorry for the two and a half week delay.
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F-14's email was in the sent list so I don't know why he wouldn't have it.
Either way good to hear you're getting diverse answers. Once we all have sent them in can you post our responses here? I'd like to see that diversity (though you don't have to say who said what). :D
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I still didn't get one yet. :unsure:
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If your email is stricksa@aol.com then check your spam folder. It probably ended up there....
Oh, and for future assistance, I'll add your AIM name to mine (ArvensNY) this way if you need further assistance you might be able to get it in real time.
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I haven't gotten a pm from you yet Littlefoot. I'll check my email though.
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Yeah, he sent it all to our email addresses.
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I still haven't got it :(
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Hey guys!
Apologies for not being a round. Stuff to do, places to see and all that malarky! PMSL :lol So far, I've got replies back from Roger, Malte, Cyberlizard, Kenji and Action9000. I can't say I'm too sure what's happened with yours Nick and F-14? Did you get an email from me at all? :unsure: If you got the email but not the attachement, then perhaps something naffed up in transit. I'll send you two another one. If the attachment failed to show up, perhaps neither of you have a program that can read a MS Word .doc file. If that's the case, I'll save it again in a more generic format (.rtf or something). Or, even moreso, maybe my mail got sent directly to your junk/spam box. If that's the case, when I send it again, check there too! Keep an eye out for them in your mail boxes (inbox or otherwise).
Cheers!
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I got the questionair finally. I filled it out and emailed it to you. Let me know if you got it. :yes
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Thanx F-14!
Glad to hear that it finally got through to you. Apologies for not actually attaching the questionnaire to the first mail. My bad on that one! :rolleyes: I havent heard anything just yet but I'll give it a little time. Just make sure you save a copy for yourself just in case it all goes peet-tong!
Look forward to seeing your responses! :D
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I got it, and I'm working on it...
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Hey guys!
Major apologies for my recent absence. I've been working on my dissertation solidly for the past couple of weeks and I've not really had much time to myself. Which ultimately meant that I couldn't post up for a while. But that's all changed now! IT'S FINALY ALL IN!!! Handed it in last Friday (12th), final word count 11,829! I'm finally free of the blasted thing! LOL :DD Feel so light and free now I've finally done it all! LOL. It didnt go without it's fair share of troubles though. I had to construct an artefact demonstrating an aspect of my research. Ended up making an interactive CD-ROM on animation techniques used to establish "Effective Animation". I was up for 29 consecutive hours re-doing it after I lost all my work with a file corruption within a few days of the submission date! I was not best pleased! :mad
I just wanna thank you all for taking time out to complete my questionnaire those of you who did. I complied all the results and drew up my conclusions that I put into a specific section of my report. As stated in the questionnaire greeting, no names were mentioned and all data will be deleted prior to the hand in of my project (unfortunately, I have to under the Data Protection Act as I'm not planning to file it and it is all NON-EMPERICAL research data).
If people want, I'll can put up people's responses on here for people to read so you can compare who wrote what. But that's down to each of you individually to get in touch with me as I'm not allowed to publicise information without concent. I have all your Qs saved electronically so if you want them just say so...but they will have to be deleted from MY hard drive before the end of uni, (in about 2-3weeks time).
What say ye? ;)
And thanks again! :^.^:
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Littlefoot1616 what have been saying since day one? :lol: Show 'em (without giving names out) so it'll be like an independent survey of sorts....part of the fun is not knowing who said what (though you can sometimes guess).
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Sure Roger it's all cool on your end I know...but I need the concent of the others in writing. I'm afraid you can't speak generically for everyone coz I didn't give them to you to distribute. If that was the case then that's all fine but since I gave it out to everyone individually, I have to have written concent from them personally. I'm gonna send out PMs to everyone just in case they havent see (or just cant be bothered to post a reply). Either way, by the end of the month...all data streams (both paper and electronic) will be destroyed unless the university wants to keep them and I doubt they will given my findings.
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As for me, you surely put everything up I sent you. Nothing that I wrote for your project needs to be kept secret from the GOF. :)
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LOL! :lol: I'm a little confused. :huh:
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Cyber, do you want the answers you put in Littlefoot's survey to be posted here? Your name wouldn't be next to your responses.
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For some reason I still don't get it. :huh:
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You got my OK sign, Littlefoot1616!
I'm glad your work is done.
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Now I get it. :lol: You are OK to use my answers.
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Well...looks like that's an all thumbs up then.
I'll get on it ASAP...can't do it now. Got a deadline to hand in today so later people!
Thanks again for all your help you guys. I'll share my findings with you that I put in my write up along with your responses. Look out for them!
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Hey guys!
Since those who filled out my questionnaire so whole-heartedly agreed to have their responses posted up on the forum. As promised here they are, no names are being mentioned but if you wish to announce your responses then by all means...that's your decision:
Section B – You and Animation
4. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when asked about “Animation”?
CGI, cartoons
5a). Do you watch any kinds of animation (on TV, films, internet etc.)?
Yes X No
If answered No, please proceed to Section C
If answered Yes, please continue to Q5b)
5b). How often?
Very Rarely Rarely
Occasionally Often
Everyday X
5c). Who are you most likely to view them with?
No one/Alone X Parent/Guardian
With Partner Your Children
Siblings Other
Friends
6a) Do you consider animation to be purely for children or for a younger audience?
Yes No X
6b). Please explain briefly:
Because there are a lot of animated adult and teen stuff on TV and the Internet, ex/ South Park, Aeon Flux, Tripping the Rift, The Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, etc.
7a). Please name 3 animated CHARACTERS you like or are familiar with:
1: - Six (Tripping the Rift)
2: - Bender (Futurama)
3: - Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
7b). Specify one key feature that you like about them?
1: - Sexy
2: - hilarious
3: - hilariously stupid
8a). Please name 3 ANIMATIONS you like (these can be feature length films, cartoons, short pieces, internet cartoons, shows, series etc.)
1: - The Land Before Time
2: - Dinosaucers
3: - Red vs. Blue
8b). What do you find most appealing about each of the examples given above?
1: - I love dinosaurs!
2: - Because it involves dinosaurs in a science fiction setting
3: - Extremely hilarious and set in my most favourite video game saga
8c). If possible, name the most memorable scene/quote from one of the animations named, specifying the number (if unable to recollect, please write NONE, do not leave blank):
None
9a). Please name up to 3 animations that you DO NOT like (if none apply, please write N/A and proceed to Q10, do not leave blank):
1: - Fairly Odd Parents
2: - Rugrats
3: - Kim Possible
9b). What do you NOT like about them?
1: - It’s terribly animated and involves the stuff I hate, fairy god parents
2: - Talking babies???
3: - N/A
10. What do you think makes a good animated piece (Please mark three in order of importance 1 – Most Important, 2 – Fairly Important, 3 – Least Important)?
Animation Style/Quality Sound Effects
Voice Overs/Actors 3 Gags/Jokes/Antics
Music Memorable Scenes
Story/Plot 2 Catchphrases Characters Realism 1
Renown Figurehead Surrealism
(e.g. famous director) Other (please specify)
Section C – The History and Future of Animation
11a). How do you think animation has changed over the past few years? (Right from, the early black and white cartoons to more recent animations)
A change in visual quality and voice acting, but the quality in kid animation has decreased since the late nineties. Most other animations I think have changed in voice acting and animation, things are starting to be a little more CG.
11b). Do you think it has changed for the better? Yes X No
11c). Please explain briefly:
As technology progresses, so does entertainment.
12. What do you think animation will be like in the future?
Mostly or completely CG, in the next decade 2D animation will be out dated.
13. If you have children, would you let them watch animations that you did as a child?
Yes X No
14. If possible, please name any animations you know that have been in the press for negative reasons: The Land Before Time: A positive and charming atmosphere, Looney Toons: Grew up watching them, perfect for young kids. Other animations are not applicable.
Section D – Just for fun!
This section is just a little insight into your knowledge on animation, the studios and their effectiveness of character portrayal. This section is not compulsory but it would be beneficial to the research if you participated. Please don’t feel pressurised to think of an answer for every single prompt. If you cannot think of an answer, simply write DNK (do not know) in the field.
15. For each of the following animation studios, name one piece of animation (cartoon or film) that they have released (please name the title):
Disney DNK
DreamWorks DNK
Nickelodeon DNK
MGM DNK
20th Century Fox Titan A.E.
UPA DNK
Warner Bros. The Animatrix
Paramount DNK
Hanna Barbera The Jetsons
Pixar Incredibles
Universal The Land Before Time
Marvel Spider Man
Manga DNK
Sullivan Bluth Studios DNK
Max Fleischer DNK
16. For each of the following “buzzwords”, name an animated piece or a character that you think best fits it:
Cat Sylvester
Robot Gus
Dog Butch
Prehistoric Littlefoot
Mouse Jerry
Sword DNK
Duck Daffy
Magical DNK
Fish DNK
Clay Gromit
Alien Chode
Fast The FLash
Car DNK
Fire DNK
Forest DNK
Water DNK
Baby DNK
Superhero Spider Man
Science Fiction Darph Bobo
Japan Aeon Flux
Evil The Green Goblin
Woman Six
Adult DNK
America DNK
Rude Bart
Family Marge
Journey Littlefoot
Flying Petrie
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Questionnaire #2
Section B – You and Animation
4. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when asked about “Animation”?
An art form used by film studios, both small and large, as an alternative to live-action movies. It allows for unique, creative expression of both the characters and their environments.
5a). Do you watch any kinds of animation (on TV, films, internet etc.)?
Yes [X] No
If answered No, please proceed to Section C
If answered Yes, please continue to Q5b)
5b). How often?
Very Rarely Rarely
Occasionally Often [X]
Everyday
5c). Who are you most likely to view them with?
No one/Alone [X] Parent/Guardian
With Partner Your Children
Siblings Other
Friends
6a) Do you consider animation to be purely for children or for a younger audience?
Yes No [X]
6b). Please explain briefly:
Animation, like any other form of art, can be targeted towards any or even every audience. The audience depends purely on who can appreciate and enjoy the animation, whether it be a young child, an adult in their 20s or 30s, or a senior.
7a). Please name 3 animated CHARACTERS you like or are familiar with:
1: - Cera (The Land Before Time)
2: - Simba (The Lion King)
3: - Aladdin (Aladdin)
7b). Specify one key feature that you like about them?
1: - Adds a unique character to the film.
2: - Develops very well over the course of the film.
3: - Very entertaining/
8a). Please name 3 ANIMATIONS you like (these can be feature length films, cartoons, short pieces, internet cartoons, shows, series etc.)
1: - The Land Before Time
2: - The Lion King
3: - Aladdin
8b). What do you find most appealing about each of the examples given above?
1: - an epic, emotional story
2: - Strong character development
3: - The plot progression and the way the story was executed.
8c). If possible, name the most memorable scene/quote from one of the animations named, specifying the number (if unable to recollect, please write NONE, do not leave blank):
(1) “I’ll be in your heart, Littlefoot.” Some of Littlefoot’s mother’s dying words.
9a). Please name up to 3 animations that you DO NOT like (if none apply, please write N/A and proceed to Q10, do not leave blank):
1: - Most anime TV shows/movies
2: - N/A
3: - N/A
9b). What do you NOT like about them?
1: - I don’t like the atmosphere of the shows.
2: -
3: -
10. What do you think makes a good animated piece (Please mark three in order of importance 1 – Most Important, 2 – Fairly Important, 3 – Least Important)?
Animation Style/Quality Sound Effects
Voice Overs/Actors Gags/Jokes/Antics
[2] Music Memorable Scenes
[1] Story/Plot Catchphrases [3]Characters Realism
Renown Figurehead Surrealism
(e.g. famous director) Other (please specify)
Section C – The History and Future of Animation
11a). How do you think animation has changed over the past few years? (Right from, the early black and white cartoons to more recent animations)
Having not seen many complete early animations, it is difficult for me to talk about them in great detail. I have noticed however, the plots in recent animated films and TV shows (from say 2001 and later) have gotten more elementary, less interesting, and overall less appealing. The peak of quality animated films appears to have been between 1985 and 2000. I have been disappointed with many recent animated releases. Even animated television shows are becoming less appealing than they used to be.
11b). Do you think it has changed for the better? Yes No [X]
11c). Please explain briefly:
Many of the more recent animated films seem to be trying to appeal to the pop culture crowd as opposed to society in general. Take “Shark Tale” for example. Did it look prettier than “Bambi”? Probably. Was it easier for most people to accept? I don’t think so.
12. What do you think animation will be like in the future?
I can’t even begin to think where animation is headed in the future.
13. If you have children, would you let them watch animations that you did as a child?
Yes [X] No
14. If possible, please name any animations you know that have been in the press for negative reasons:
N/A. I can’t recall any.
Section D – Just for fun!
This section is just a little insight into your knowledge on animation, the studios and their effectiveness of character portrayal. This section is not compulsory but it would be beneficial to the research if you participated. Please don’t feel pressurised to think of an answer for every single prompt. If you cannot think of an answer, simply write DNK (do not know) in the field.
15. For each of the following animation studios, name one piece of animation (cartoon or film) that they have released (please name the title):
Disney: “The Lion King”
DreamWorks: “James and the Giant Peach”
Nickelodeon: “Rugrats”
MGM: “The Wizard of Oz”
20th Century Fox: “The Simpsons”
UPA: DNK
Warner Bros.: “The Bugs Bunny and Tweey Show”
Paramount: DNK
Hanna Barbera: “The Flintstones”
Pixar: “A Bug’s Life”
Universal: “The Land Before Time”
Marvel: “Spiderman”
Manga DNK
Sullivan Bluth Studios: DNK
Max Fleischer: DNK
16. For each of the following “buzzwords”, name an animated piece or a character that you think best fits it:
Cat “Garfield” Robot “The Jetsons”
Dog “Lady” Prehistoric “The Land Before Time”
Mouse “Mickey Mouse” Sword “The Sword in the Stone”
Duck “Donald Duck” Magical “Fern Gully”
Fish “Nemo” Clay “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Alien “Marvin Martian” Fast “Superman”
Car “Bennie” Fire: Jafar (from Aladdin)”
Forest “Fern Gully” Water: “Ariel”
Baby “Littlefoot” Superhero “Spiderman”
Science Fiction “Titan A.E.” Japan “Anime”
Evil “Shredder” (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Woman “Josie and the Pussycats”
Adult “South Park”
America “An American Tail”
Rude “South Park”
Family “Disney”
Journey “The Land Before Time” Flying “Gargoyles”
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Questionnaire #3
Section B – You and Animation
4. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when asked about “Animation”?
I usually will think of the Walt Disney animated films since it’s almost been a tradition of theirs to release a new film every year.
5a). Do you watch any kinds of animation (on TV, films, internet etc.)?
Yes X No
If answered No, please proceed to Section C
If answered Yes, please continue to Q5b)
5b). How often?
Very Rarely Rarely
Occasionally Often X
Everyday
5c). Who are you most likely to view them with?
No one/Alone X Parent/Guardian
With Partner Your Children
Siblings Other
Friends
6a) Do you consider animation to be purely for children or for a younger audience?
Yes No X
6b). Please explain briefly:
Within the past ten years we’ve seen shows such as the Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park, while all utilizing animation techniques, are anything but child friendly. Most of the topics go over their head, and if they were to repeat some of the phrases used on those shows, I would think that other people would get a negative view of the child’s parents and how they raise their children.
7a). Please name 3 animated CHARACTERS you like or are familiar with:
1: - Roger Rabbit
2: - Brian Griffin
3: - Ash Ketchum
7b). Specify one key feature that you like about them?
1: - Roger is simply a clumsy and funny character
2: - Brian is smart (compared to the others around him)
3: - Ash is willing to take risks, even when he isn’t aware of possible outcomes
8a). Please name 3 ANIMATIONS you like (these can be feature length films, cartoons, short pieces, internet cartoons, shows, series etc.)
1: - Bambi (Walt Disney, 1942)
2: - The Plague Dogs (Nepenthe, 1982)
3: - The Land Before Time (Don Bluth, 1988)
8b). What do you find most appealing about each of the examples given above?
1: - the music moves the film; there isn’t much dialogue to go by
2: - Martin Rosen didn’t sugar coat itóthis is as gruesome as what can be read in the book; I admire the fact it stayed as true as possible to the story it was based on
3: - family-based morals of the film (don’t be judgmental, try to work out problems)
8c). If possible, name the most memorable scene/quote from one of the animations named, specifying the number (if unable to recollect, please write NONE, do not leave blank):
1.) The hunter’s themeóyou could always tell when man was near, without ever seeing a human on the screen in Bambi. You wanted to tell Bambi’s mother to run faster, but that never happened. Many psychologically believe that they saw Bambi’s mother get shot, but it never was shown visually.
9a). Please name up to 3 animations that you DO NOT like (if none apply, please write N/A and proceed to Q10, do not leave blank):
1: - The Rugrats Movie (Nickelodeon, 1999).
2: - Chicken Little (Walt Disney – Circle 7, 2005)
3: -
9b). What do you NOT like about them?
1: - I have never liked the way the characters have been drawnóthey look very, very flat on screen, plus Angelica was always a brat, and hardly learned anything from episode to episode.
2: - I saw it as a very bad spoof of War of the Worlds, and having seen that film too, the ending was just ruined because I knew it couldn’t end in the same manner, or that the robotic machines could permanently fry anything.
3: -
10. What do you think makes a good animated piece (Please mark three in order of importance 1 – Most Important, 2 – Fairly Important, 3 – Least Important)?
Animation Style/Quality 2 Sound Effects
Voice Overs/Actors Gags/Jokes/Antics
Music 3 Memorable Scenes
Story/Plot 1 Catchphrases Characters Realism
Renown Figurehead Surrealism
(e.g. famous director) Other (please specify)
Section C – The History and Future of Animation
11a). How do you think animation has changed over the past few years? (Right from, the early black and white cartoons to more recent animations)
As I see it, it started from early, simple, drawings that did not have to display any sort of realism, and were invincible in their actions (any of the Bugs Bunny or Road Runner cartoons). As it became a more profitable medium, then animators turned to style the drawings and antics to be more fluid (Disney’s Sleeping Beauty). Right now there seems to be a mix of the realistic animation and the return to the early simple, surreal drawings of Chuck Jones. With the recent boom in computer animation, realism can achieve new depth (Pixar’s Finding Nemo) but also they can return to the unrealistic styles of the early 20s to 40s (Dreamwork’s Madagascar).
11b). Do you think it has changed for the better? Yes No X
11c). Please explain briefly:
At least in my opinion, back in the day, people seemed more open to animation because they saw it as art. Now we see cliques and bunches of people who say that 2-D is better than 3-D and shun the latter, or totally won’t even acknowledge the existence of anime. I just think that people no longer look at all types and seem to favour one over the other.
12. What do you think animation will be like in the future?
I’m not really sure. There’s been much talk on bringing back the glory days of 2-D when the Lion King was the biggest grossing animated feature before Shrek 2 made sure that record was surpassed. I wouldn’t mind seeing 2-D and 3-D sitting side by side in unison. Right now, everyone is throwing their energy behind 3-D…none of the big films for 2006 is 2-D. Computers have changed the way people draw and define art, and perhaps there will be another animation evolution of sorts.
13. If you have children, would you let them watch animations that you did as a child?
Yes X No
14. If possible, please name any animations you know that have been in the press for negative reasons:
I don’t recall if it was ever in the press for negative reasons (I wasn’t alive and no research of mine has ever proved it) but I know the Plague Dogs (Martin Rosen, Nepenthe, 1982) was shunned for being too realistic. I know there was one particular episode of a children’s show over here in the United States just in the past years (about Buster the rabbit; don’t remember the name of the show) but the particular episode had Buster meet girls who have two mothers. The episode was banned and was never shown on the public broadcasting system because some were afraid it would endanger the children who watched it. That’s baloney in my opinion.
Section D – Just for fun!
This section is just a little insight into your knowledge on animation, the studios and their effectiveness of character portrayal. This section is not compulsory but it would be beneficial to the research if you participated. Please don’t feel pressurised to think of an answer for every single prompt. If you cannot think of an answer, simply write DNK (do not know) in the field.
15. For each of the following animation studios, name one piece of animation (cartoon or film) that they have released (please name the title):
Disney Dumbo
DreamWorks Prince of Egypt
Nickelodeon Rugrats
MGM DNK
20th Century Fox Ice Age
UPA Secret of NIMH
Warner Bros. Looney Tunes Back in Action
Paramount DNK
Hanna Barbera Scooby Doo
Pixar Finding Nemo
Universal Land Before Time II-XI
Marvel The Hulk
Manga DNK
Sullivan Bluth Studios Land Before Time (original)
Max Fleischer: Popeye
16. For each of the following “buzzwords”, name an animated piece or a character that you think best fits it:
Cat: Meowth
Robot: Robots (film)
Dog: Dodger
Prehistoric: We’re Back (film)
Mouse: Mickey
Sword: Sword in the Stone (film)
Duck: Donald
Magical: Secret of NIMH (film)
Fish: Marlin
Clay: Gumby
Alien: Space Jam (film)
Fast: Bubbles
Car: Cars (film)
Fire: Charizard
Forest: Bambi (film)
Water: Finding Nemo (film)
Baby: Tarzan (film)
Superhero: Superman
Science Fiction: Chicken Little (film)
Japan: Pokemon
Evil: Maleficent
Woman: Pocahontas
Adult: Family Guy
America: An American Tail (film)
Rude: Stitch
Family: Land Before Time (film)
Journey: Brave Little Toaster (film)
Flying: Valiant (film)
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Questionnaire #4
Section B – You and Animation
4. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when asked about “Animation”?
Creating moving pictures with the use of artwork.
5a). Do you watch any kinds of animation (on TV, films, internet etc.)?
Yes (X) No
If answered No, please proceed to Section C
If answered Yes, please continue to Q5b)
5b). How often?
Very Rarely Rarely
Occasionally Often (X)
Everyday
5c). Who are you most likely to view them with?
No one/Alone (X) Parent/Guardian
With Partner Your Children
Siblings Other
Friends
6a) Do you consider animation to be purely for children or for a younger audience?
Yes No (X)
6b). Please explain briefly:
Some animation has been made for audiences of older ages.
7a). Please name 3 animated CHARACTERS you like or are familiar with:
1: -Jake Long (American Dragon: Jake Long)
2: -Hunter (Road Rovers)
3: -Balto (Balto)
7b). Specify one key feature that you like about them?
1: -Jake Long’s training and experiences showed similarities with what I went through with my own martial arts training.
2: -Who doesn’t like someone who’s super-playful, super-loyal, super-trusting, and super-SUPER-friendly?
3: -Balto reminds me of me when I felt I like I don’t know where I belong either, but as he made it through in the end, so have I in some ways.
8a). Please name 3 ANIMATIONS you like (these can be feature length films, cartoons, short pieces, internet cartoons, shows, series etc.)
1: -American Dragon: Jake Long
2: -Road Rovers
3: -The Land Before Time
8b). What do you find most appealing about each of the examples given above?
1: -The comedy and some of the morals they teach.
2: -Basically the comedy and action.
3: -It’s the first movie I remembered watching, and I love it more when I watch it again.
8c). If possible, name the most memorable scene/quote from one of the animations named, specifying the number (if unable to recollect, please write NONE, do not leave blank):
3. The death of Littlefoot’s mother has always moved me every time I watched it.
9a). Please name up to 3 animations that you DO NOT like (if none apply, please write N/A and proceed to Q10, do not leave blank):
1: -Family Guy
2: -Futurama
3: -The Boondocks
9b). What do you NOT like about them?
1: -Provocative.
2: -Pointless. No good plot.
3: -Also provocative.
10. What do you think makes a good animated piece (Please mark three in order of importance 1 – Most Important, 2 – Fairly Important, 3 – Least Important)?
Animation Style/Quality Sound Effects
Voice Overs/Actors Gags/Jokes/Antics
Music Memorable Scenes
1Story/Plot Catchphrases 2Characters 3Realism
Renown Figurehead Surrealism
(e.g. famous director) Other (please specify)
Section C – The History and Future of Animation
11a). How do you think animation has changed over the past few years? (Right from, the early black and white cartoons to more recent animations)
Over the decades, the art in animation has been fine tuned and evolved to provide a more detailed picture to match entertaining technology.
11b). Do you think it has changed for the better? Yes (X) No
11c). Please explain briefly:
Animation has continued to evolve to meet the demands of entertainment.
12. What do you think animation will be like in the future?
I think computer animation would become a greater factor in the future.
13. If you have children, would you let them watch animations that you did as a child?
Yes (X) No
14. If possible, please name any animations you know that have been in the press for negative reasons:
There are none that I can think of.
Section D – Just for fun!
This section is just a little insight into your knowledge on animation, the studios and their effectiveness of character portrayal. This section is not compulsory but it would be beneficial to the research if you participated. Please don’t feel pressurised to think of an answer for every single prompt. If you cannot think of an answer, simply write DNK (do not know) in the field.
15. For each of the following animation studios, name one piece of animation (cartoon or film) that they have released (please name the title):
Disney Mulan
DreamWorks Shrek
Nickelodeon Danny Phantom
MGM Tom and Jerry
20th Century Fox
The Simpsons UPA
Warner Bros. Loony Tunes
Paramount DNK
Hanna Barbera Scooby Doo
Pixar Toy Story
Universal All Dogs Go to Heaven
Marvel Spiderman
Manga Digimon
Sullivan Bluth Studios DNK
Max Fleischer DNK
16. For each of the following “buzzwords”, name an animated piece or a character that you think best fits it:
Cat Garfield
Robot Transformers
Dog Balto
Prehistoric Littlefoot
Mouse Mickey Mouse
Sword King Arthur
Duck Daffy Duck
Magical Merlin
Fish Flounder
Clay Clayface
Alien Titan AE
Fast The Flash
Car Hot Rod
Fire Firestorm
Forest Ferngully
Water Ariel
Baby Baby Huey
Superhero Superman
Science Fiction Treasure Planet
Japan Rurouni Kenshin
Evil Shan Yu
Woman Snow White
Adult DNK
America DNK
Rude The Beast
Family DNK
Journey Flying
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Questionnaire #5
Section B – You and Animation
4. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when asked about “Animation”? Cartoons
5a). Do you watch any kinds of animation (on TV, films, internet etc.)?
Yes X No
If answered No, please proceed to Section C
If answered Yes, please continue to Q5b)
5b). How often?
Very Rarely Rarely
Occasionally Often X
Everyday
5c). Who are you most likely to view them with?
No one/Alone X Parent/Guardian
With Partner Your Children
Siblings Other
Friends
6a) Do you consider animation to be purely for children or for a younger audience?
Yes No X
6b). Please explain briefly:
I consider animation to be for everyone. I like animated movies like The Land Before Time and Bambi. These are movies I grew up with and have never really outgrown them.
7a). Please name 3 animated CHARACTERS you like or are familiar with:
1: - Littlefoot
2: - Simba
3: - Bambi
7b). Specify one key feature that you like about them?
1: - Brave
2: - funny
3: - adventurous
8a). Please name 3 ANIMATIONS you like (these can be feature length films, cartoons, short pieces, internet cartoons, shows, series etc.)
1: - The Land Before Time
2: - Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
3: - The Lion King
8b). What do you find most appealing about each of the examples given above?
1: - I loved the story of Land Before Time
2: - I liked the animation and story of Spirit.
3: - I also like the storyline from the Lion King.
8c). If possible, name the most memorable scene/quote from one of the animations named, specifying the number (if unable to recollect, please write NONE, do not leave blank):
At the end of The Land Before Time, when Littlefoot and his friends finally find the Great Valley. That is the part of the movie that I remember the most.
9a). Please name up to 3 animations that you DO NOT like (if none apply, please write N/A and proceed to Q10, do not leave blank):
1: - Home on the Range
2: - Doogal
3: - The Care Bears Movie
9b). What do you NOT like about them?
1: - Bad acting, bad plot.
2: - bad animation, bad acting, no emotion, horrible plot
3: - Same as above
10. What do you think makes a good animated piece (Please mark three in order of importance 1 – Most Important, 2 – Fairly Important, 3 – Least Important)?
2 Animation Style/Quality Sound Effects
Voice Overs/Actors Gags/Jokes/Antics
Music 3 Memorable Scenes
1 Story/Plot Catchphrases
Characters Realism
Renown Figurehead Surrealism
(e.g. famous director) Other (please specify)
Section C – The History and Future of Animation
11a). How do you think animation has changed over the past few years? (Right from, the early black and white cartoons to more recent animations)
Before, cartoons and animated characters were hand drawn and had to be drawn many times to simulate movement. Now, computers do a lot of that.
11b). Do you think it has changed for the better? Yes X No
11c). Please explain briefly:
Well, animation is a lot better now than it was years ago. Pictures are smoother and in some cases, effects can be very realistic like in The Incredibles. Explosions, fire and water effects were great in that movie.
12. What do you think animation will be like in the future?
Not too different from what it is now.
13. If you have children, would you let them watch animations that you did as a child?
Yes X No
14. If possible, please name any animations you know that have been in the press for negative reasons:
none
Section D – Just for fun!
This section is just a little insight into your knowledge on animation, the studios and their effectiveness of character portrayal. This section is not compulsory but it would be beneficial to the research if you participated. Please don’t feel pressurised to think of an answer for every single prompt. If you cannot think of an answer, simply write DNK (do not know) in the field.
15. For each of the following animation studios, name one piece of animation (cartoon or film) that they have released (please name the title):
Disney Bambi
DreamWorks Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Nickelodeon The Wild THornberry Movie
MGM DNK
20th Century Fox Ice Age
UPA DNK
Warner Bros. The Iron Giant
Paramount DNK
Hanna Barbera DNK
Pixar Toy Story
Universal Land Before Time
Marvel DNK
Manga DNK
Sullivan Bluth Studios DNK
Max Fleischer DNK
16. For each of the following “buzzwords”, name an animated piece or a character that you think best fits it:
Cat DNK
Robot The Iron Giant
Dog Goofy
Prehistoric Littlefoot
Mouse Mickey Mouse
Sword DNK
Duck Daffy Duck
Magical DNK
Fish DNK
Clay DNK
Alien DNK
Fast DNK
Car DNK
Fire DNK
Forest Bambi
Water DNK
Baby DNK
Superhero Mr. Incredible
Science Fiction DNK
Japan DNK
Evil DNK
Woman DNK
Adult DNK
America DNK
Rude DNK
Family DNK
Journey DNK
Flying DNK
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Well there we go people. Those are the response I have. From all the responses I got, research proved inconclusive. There was not enough results to draw anything worth proving. I stated that in my final report...If people want, I can post up my written report on my primary research. Anyone wanna see it?
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Sure.
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One response is good enough for me! :D
Here's what I wrote for my analysis, conslusion and critque of my research
Chapter 4: Asking the Audience
As a supplement to this report on character success, I decided to conduct my own form of research on the general public’s opinions on what they thought about when asked about “Animation” as a subject. The aim of the investigation was to see what people thought about animation. I want to highlighting and gain knowledge on a number of different subject areas,
1. The general view of animation as an art form
2. Animated characters and pieces admired and those disliked
3. The effectiveness of animation (what the audience consider to be an adequate quality for animation to look appealing) and its development over the years
4. Word/Name Association (linking aspects of animation to word prompts to see which were more commonly named)
The hypothesis of the investigation was to see if there was any correlation between aspects of gender, age and background and what references they could draw from animation to apply to a series of questions. Therefore, I constructed a five-page questionnaire which I distributed to a number of people to answer without my supervision. I initially intended to sample a roughly even number of male and female candidates all ranging from different age groups (approximately twenty people in total). The questionnaire included a mixture of tick box questions along with some requests for qualitative answers to enable me to obtain an insight into the thought processes of the interviewee and how they perceive animation. Please note that the research conducted is non-empirical and the results generated are statistically invalid. A copy of the questionnaire is located in the Appendices at the back of this report as is one of the complete forms for reference is required.
At the end of the research period, I managed to obtain a total of fourteen completed questionnaires out of the desired twenty and the resulting answers were, as expected, widely varied. The sample ranged from children from the “10-15” category up to the “Over 40”s with the majority of the responses coming from males aged between 16 and 20. Here are my findings in relation to each of the subject areas of interest:
1. The general view of animation as an art form
From the entire sample, all responses acknowledged the fact that they all watched animation although in varied frequencies alongside different audiences. Some watched animation more often than other whilst some preferred to watch cartoons on their own. The most interesting question which this section was the concept of whether or not the sample thought that animation was a medium purely intended for a young audience (Q6). All responses were negative. Not one interviewee consider animation as a medium solely targeting children and their reasonings all signified some reference that there is separate animated material aimed only at adults and even that there are hints of adult humour in some children’s cartoon.
2. Admired and Disliked Characters/Shows
The responses for this series of questions (Q7-9b) were diverse as expected. Obviously, each individual candidate was liable to have their own specific likes and dislikes and no one named character/show outweighed other responses by a noticeable amount. The reasons behind liking specific characters was mainly due to the comedy they portrayed and the admiration of specific animated pieces was down to one key feature (again the replies were varied). It appears that most of the appealing factors of animation happens to be the comedy and silly antics that occurs and this also reflected in Q8c. When asked to note a memorable scene or character quote, for those who answered, interviewees explained scenes where the comical actions of the characters was the most memorable subject. Others named characters’ catchphrases. As for which pieces and characters they did not like, the list of characters (if any) were wide-spread but the main reason for the unappealing element was due to the animation style. It was the way the cartoon was animated that put them off wanting to continue watching.
3. The Effectiveness, Past and Potential Future of Animation
From Q10 through to the end of Section C, I asked candidates what they thought made animation effective by labelling a series of answers as,
ï 1 – Most Important Feature
ï 2 – Fairly Important Feature
ï 3 – Least Important Feature
The answers, yet again, were fairly well-spread but there were some noticeable correspondences. The majority of responses highlighted that the story was the most important feature of an animated piece, with animation style/quality coming a close second. Characters was also labelled as the most important feature by a few candidates. As for the least important, the answers were too generalised to be conclusive. Next, when asked about the past history of animation, the greater part of the answers were limited to the basic idea that they were only hand drawn and the quality did not appear to be as finite as more modern cartoons (as said by interviewees).
For the future of animation, nearly all responses were linked to the idea that all animation will be completely computerised and digital rather than the traditional methods of animation with cels. One even suggested the idea of animated characters becoming interactive by use of virtual reality. However, despite this view, not all candidates were overly convinced that animation has changed for the better (Q11b). Some thought that the idea that digital re-mastering of old cartoon classics and the use of modern technology as the new frontier for animation was more than acceptable. Whilst those who opposed the idea, described the use of computer graphics as an exploitation of animation as an art form and that digitally creating cartoons was
“clichÈ” and just another way of mindlessly following the growing trend of relying on computers to accomplish tasks for us. The argument is, however, outweighed with more candidates thinking that the change has, in fact, been for the better.
4. The Word Association Game
This part of questionnaire was designed to obtain a deeper understanding of the candidates’ knowledge of cartoons and their characters. Q15 produced a series of results, not all of them correct, that showed how well the interviewees could relate animated shows to their respective animation companies. For companies such as Disney, Warner Bros and Pixar, everyone gave an example with the majority of them correct. For some of the named studios, there appeared to be confusion over cross references. For example, the cat and mouse duo, Tom and Jerry are cartoons produced by MGM studios but, most of these shows are aired on the Turner Broadcast centre’s children’s cartoon channel Cartoon Network, which also aired Hanna Barbera cartoons. Thus, some responses were placed in the MGM field and some were in the Hanna Barbera field. The Land Before Time was another cross referenced response. The original movie was produced under Don Bluth’s animation branch, Sullivan Bluth Studios, but was released through Universal, as were its many sequels. Therefore, the most candidates labelled The Land Before Time under Universal and later could not find a field for Sullivan Bluth Studios. The only studio to receive a single answer was UPA (Mr. Magoo), whereas all other candidates had left this field blank.
For the “buzzwords” section, I wished to see into how these words could trigger candidates into associating them with any aspect of animation. The process proved too much for some who barely answered any but for those who attempted them and produced replies, there was a clear link between the examples named and the candidates preference in animated pieces. Those who enjoyed Disney animated films were able to relate the majority of the buzzwords to Disney examples whereas only those who enjoyed Looney Tunes placed Warner Bros examples in the fields.
Analysis and Evaluation
From what I have obtained from carrying out my research, I cannot say that it is possible to drawn any convincing conclusions from the results. The subject of what and what’s not is liked about animation is far too subjective to be conclusive. Everyone has their own opinions and levels of acceptance of what should and should not be considered animation. However, there are some correlative results worth noting. It appears that the disliking of the style of animation is the main reason why candidates preferred not to watch them whilst the most appealing element was the ability of generating laughter (the comedy). Also, it is clear that the majority of the interviewees’ thought processes tend to lead them to apply answers about a similar group of animation; namely giving responses primarily about Disney cartoons. It did, however, highlight the sorts of animations that candidate was into and which they could easily recognised. This, therefore, links back to the discussion topic in chapters 2 and 3 of this report that there are certain characters that stick in the forefront of the audiences mind and do have the potential to become celebrities. Despite this crucial point, the concept of the given hypothesis proved inconclusive. There did not seem to be any direct link between specific age ranges or gender in comparison to the knowledge the candidates demonstrated by filling out the questionnaire. Younger audience groups named characters from cartoons closer to today where as older candidates were able to name cartoons from older eras. It did not support the hypothesis that specific ages or genders were more knowledge about animation.
In hindsight, this research has not proved much in terms of producing outstanding evidence of the proposed hypothesis. Since the topic is so vast and subjective, it would be impossible to say that any effective or reliable results could be drawn from this (despite being statistically invalid). Given the chance to repeat this research method, I would definitely have to use a much larger sample as a target sample of only twenty candidates (with even less completed forms returned) was far too little. Also, perhaps I could restructure my questions so that were more specific to the technical aspects of animation rather than just opinions of whom and what characters people preferred.
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You know, after reading all those surveys, with the exception of my own, I really couldn't determine who put answers to which survey. :) You'd think knowing some people here for a great amount of time I'd be able to see who's who, but I couldn't....amazing isn't it? I also saw a couple with some films/shows etc. that I've never even heard of, or have heard of, but never watched.
I'm sorry after all that you weren't able to make any strong conclusions. I guess if you can say anything, is that we're not sheep and automatically follow any one thing because its "in". ;) :lol:
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Yeah...unfortunately, the topic choice was just far too broad and the sample size was far too small to prove anything beneficial. For something of this nature, the sample size needed to be more nearer the 100ppl mark rather than just 20. :^.^: Never mind. It's funny, that out of the entire sample, only one person got a response for UPA right which was Mr. Magoo. Your response Roger was, sad to say, incorrect. Your response was acually released under MGM...not UPA. That single person who put Mr. Magoo happened to be one of my candidates in the 40+ age range. For sake of data protection, I can't say who but it didn't surprise me that they'd get it.
Well...all I can do now is sit and wait for my grade. I wont be getting that until July (ish). I wanna take this opportunity to thank all those who volunteered to take part in my questionnaire and contributed to my research method!
Much obliged! ;)
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You know, after reading all those surveys, with the exception of my own, I really couldn't determine who put answers to which survey. You'd think knowing some people here for a great amount of time I'd be able to see who's who, but I couldn't....amazing isn't it?
I'm positive you would recognize mine; alas it isn't there.
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Erm...yeah. Your questionnaire Malte appears to have gone walkies and didn't tell me :unsure: I think I might have opened your one up on the uni server and it's probably saved to my disc space on the server :slap I'll track it down and get it up...failing that, you're more than welcome to post your one up if you want to, if you have it that is.
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No need to go at lengthes to bring it up. I don't really care. If you want to bring it up, you are welcome to do so; if you don't, I'm not going to sue you.
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If you want to bring it up, you are welcome to do so; if you don't, I'm not going to sue you.
Phew, that's a relief! I had my attourney on standby and everything! LOL :D I'll see if I can track it down Malte. I should have a copy of it somewhere.