New book from Gordon B. Arnold, PhD offers a fresh take on the colorful and sometimes contested saga of the U.S. animation industry.
Praeger Publishers has announced the release of Animation and the American Imagination: A Brief History. Offering a fresh take on the colorful and sometimes contested saga of the U.S. animation industry, author Gordon B. Arnold, PhD, takes readers on a journey with many twists and turns, beginning with obscure animated films in the early 1900s and eventually leading to the spectacular works of Pixar, DreamWorks, and others in the modern era.
Taking a bird’s eye view, Animation and the American Imagination considers many significant works. These range from cartoons developed at now-forgotten studios to those produced by Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna & Barbera, and other major players. To this, the author adds context and backstory to develop a rounded picture.
“In addition to their artistic and entertainment value, animated cartoons have always tracked the social attitudes and conditions of American society,” says Arnold, a professor of film & animation history and sociology at Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts. “In a way, U.S. animation is a very American story, reflecting American ideals and issues and bringing together the worlds of art, technology, and business.”
Animation and the American Imagination presents a concise picture that weaves together many strands of the multi-faceted U.S. animation scene over the past century. The book covers important persons and studios of the various eras, identifies important social and political factors -- such as the Great Depression, World War II, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the struggles for civil rights and women’s rights -- and addresses the critical influence changing technology and aesthetics in U.S. society.
As Animation and the American Imagination shows, animation’s ascension in U.S. popular culture is a fascinating tale in its own right.
Animation and the American Imagination: A Brief History is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and other booksellers worldwide.
Source: Praeger/ABC-Clio
