Francis M. Agnoli – Building the Transcultural Fantasy World of Avatar

An examination of the processes of making contemporary US television animation reveals the transcultural nature of both the production and the final product. This phenomenon can be observed in the background designs of Nickelodeon’s Avatar franchise. The television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-08) and its sequel The Legend of Korra (2012-14) are set in […]

Qing Sheng Ang – The Introspective Merlion: Transculturalism in Singaporean Animation

Introduction Singapore achieved independence in 1965. In 2015, the government of Singapore launched the SG50 initiative (2015, SG50 Celebration Ideas), calling upon Singaporeans from all walks of life to propose ideas for celebrating 50 years of independence. The top-down initiative focused on “things that make us uniquely Singaporean,” in hopes that residents would engage in […]

Paritosh Singh – Animating Indianness: A study of assimilating Indian images in a western narrative

1            Introduction Stories have always been an integral part of every society and culture. Storytelling is the most common means of sharing experiences. It majorly influences various aspects of our life and plays a vital role in defining our values, desires and dreams. Stories can be considered as universal since they bridge the gaps between […]

Jane Batkin – Rethinking the Rabbit

Revolution, Identity and Connection in Looney Tunes Voice actress June Foray once recalled how Chuck Jones was able to quote Mark Twain and, in the same breath, discuss Aeschylus (King, 2013). Yet culture and animation have often shared an uneasy relationship. As critic Steve Schneider claims, “in all the vivisections of popular culture, non-Disney animation […]