Time for action — searching on Goonland + 1938
Make a search on the Web for the terms Goonland + 1938. YouTube, archive.org, or some other site should have the video. According to reviews on imdb.com, this has some of the best artwork of all the Popeyes. Look at it with an eye to what progress has been made since 1930.
Watch it now and enjoy it.
Pop quiz— analyzing what animators had learned in 16 years
Animation was mature by 1938. Studios were busy animating classics such as Snow White and Gulliver's Travels. Let's examine how they were using their talents:
Secondary motion can enhance or detract from the main motion. Think of the sails of Popeye's boat and the clouds behind them. The background has become a character. They move in rhythm to Popeye's body and the boat's motion, and when he leaves the wheel, the rhythm changes. And it's subtle enough that you're not likely to notice it at first. Name other places where secondary motion helps the scene.
Arcs make design and motion more interesting than straight lines. The motion is arced even when Pappy powers up into the air to save Popeye. What places in the animation do they arc the motion to make it more interesting?
Anticipation and follow through help carry the motion. On his boat, to speed up, Popeye takes a BIG breath in anticipation, he blows the boat onto shore and in follow through the boat goes aft-high when it lands. Are there other places where this principle is used?
Exaggeration. Popeye blowing the boat along is clearly exaggeration, but we accept it. Are there other places where exaggeration helps the story?
Notice how few metaphors are used. There are no eye-lines, no text balloons. The fight scene with the goons where it becomes a cloud of arms and fists, seems to be one of the last metaphors. Do metaphors like this still have a place in animation, why or why not?
Have a go hero — studying the masters
You have already made up a library of your favorite animators. It's also good to study the masters; that's one great thing about the Internet, not only can you watch the animations, but you can pause them and scrub back and forth over the best parts, look at how they did it frame by frame, make sketches, and take notes. You see a lot of stuff that way that you would miss if you were just watching it play.
The following are a few recommendations:
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Trolley Troubles
Felix the Cat, Woos Whoopee
Popeye the Sailor, The Paneless Window Washer
Betty Boop, Minnie the Moocher
Lotte Reiniger, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, made in Germany
Jiri Trnka, Ruka (The Hand), considered the Walt Disney of Eastern Europe
Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Blek end Uait, made in Russia, which may be disturbing to some
Quirino Cristiani, El Mono Relojero, made in Argentina
Please remember that the times and values were different and watch their animation and not their attitudes.
