Reseacrh Project

[Littlefoot1616]

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”

[Littlefoot1616]

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)   

[Littlefoot1616]

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   

[Littlefoot1616]

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

[Littlefoot1616]

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?

[Cyberlizard]

Sure.

[Littlefoot1616]

One response is good enough for me!  

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.

[Petrie.]

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".    

[Littlefoot1616]

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!  

[Malte279]

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.

[Littlefoot1616]

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 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.

[Malte279]

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.

[Littlefoot1616]

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   I'll see if I can track it down Malte. I should have a copy of it somewhere.