By Esther L.

What is an Animated Film?

• Animation is the rapid display of 2-D or 3-D images, giving an illusion of movement.

• Many techniques of animation:– Traditional (hand drawn /

photographed)– Stop motion (using real

world objects)– Computer animation– And many more!

A scene from Steamboat Willie (1928), one of the first cartoon animated films.

Animated Movies in the 2000’s

• In the 2000’s, 3-D computer animation was introduced in many movies.

• By this decade, few movies were still being animated in the traditional way

• Largest and most active animation studios were Disney / Pixar, Dreamworks, and (more recently) Studio Ghibli

Shrek (2001)

• Summary: A grumpy ogre is befriended by a talkative donkey, rescues a princess, and saves the fairytale population from destruction by the evil Lord Farquaad.

• Award-winning computer-animated film

• especially acclaimed for its comedy, which appeals to both adult and younger audiences

Spirited Away (2001)

• Summary: On the way to their new home, a family gets lost. As the sun goes down, the girl is separated from her family and is forced to work in a bathhouse in the Spirit World. In order to escape, she must find her parents.

• This successful film introduced Japanese animation to the Western public.

Finding Nemo (2003)

• Story: A clownfish searches for his lost son with help from a blue tang, and learns to be less protective of his son.

• Award-winning computer-animated film by Pixar

• won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature

• amazing underwater CGI effects helped to make this one of Pixar's best films

The Incredibles (2004)• Story: After the 1960's,

superheros were banned from saving people after many lawsuits were filed by people who didn't want to be saved. Fifteen years later, an ex-superhero couple and their children must save the world again from a new villain who is a danger to the people of Metroville.

• computer-animated film by Pixar

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

• Summary: A girl is cursed with a terrible spell by a witch and cannot tell anyone about it. She meets an eccentric wizard and his fire demon and has to find a way to break the curses on each of them.

• By the same studio that produced Spirited Away

Ratatouille (2007)

• Story: A displaced country rat dreams of becoming a chef in Paris, but has to overcome human prejudice and his family's disapproval. Teaming up with a young man with no cooking talent whatsoever, he sets out to make his dream come true.

• computer-animated film by Pixar