Uses and Target Audiences

 Uses 

Since its inception, animation has been used in many different forms of media, including 

- Television programmes 

- Children's animation 

- Film, across many different genres 

- Advertisements 

- Anime and manga 

- Online and viral 

Animated films and TV:

Traditionally, animated content is associated with younger audiences. Television programmes such as Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny, and disney films from snow white to frozen, have been largely pitched at children. These films are also enjoyed by adults 

Disneyfication 

The transformation into carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar quantities. 

The french philosopher Jean Baudrillard has called disney land the most real place in the us, because it is not pretending to be anything more than it actually is, a theme park. 

Disney Pixar is a good example of a disney subsidiary that appeals to a wide demographic, with films like Up and Wall-e appealing to age groups  

British Television- puppetry and stop motion 

Animation was popular for children in the Uk during the 1960s and 1970s 

A number of children's shows featured puppetry and stop motion 

Shows included Bagpuss, clangers, Button Moon, the magic roundabout and postman pat. Bagpuss seemed to delight and terrify views in equal measures

The Simpsons and Family guy   

It could be argued that the Simpsons paved the way for shows like family guy, Due to the adult jokes embedded through the series 

When it was first devised, Bart was the main focal point for the series, with his recognisable catchphrase. the creators even released a single 

Matt Groening and the other writers of the show soon realised, through, that homer should become the focal point, and that the target audience for the show was not the children, even though that they might have been the original aesthetics

In sense   - alongside manga- the Simpsons did much to change the landscape of animation, inspiring a new wave of adult animation 

the rise of Manga and Anime in the west:

Ukiyo-e Japan has a history of erotic and violent art 

Graphic novels and comics: 

It is common to see people reading graphic novels in Japan, rather than novels. These are often very violent, erotic or containing sexualised violence. This has given rise to the term 'hentai', referring to overtly sexualised characters and sexually explicit themes and images 

It is common to see people (mainly men) reading graphic novels in Japan 

Manga Vs Anime 

Manga is a Japanese word that that roughly translates as 'comic' - the term generally refers to books and comics. Films and moving images are commonly referred to as anime, though many people erroneously use these interchangeably 

Manga and anime:

The rise in popularity in the west has meant that perceptions of animation as a medium have shifted. Once the exclusive domain of children's content, animation now has a much broader appeal, depending on the technique and genre 

Increasingly, animation features adult content 

One of the first big anime hits was Akira (1988) set in post apocalyptic Tokyo. 

Gender - Male 

Race - Japanese 

Age - 15-25

Class - working - middle 

Ethnicity- south east asian 

Akira and beyond 

Follows hot on Akira's heels was Urotsukidoji: Legends of the overfiend (1989), a Japanese import that took animated depravity to new highlights. 

Influence on television 

At the same time,  Japanese and American animators started working together in the 1980s to produce some hugely popular television shows for children.

Titles included transformers, He-man, Thundercats and Ulysses 31. These are fondly remembered by children of the 80s. The influence of japanese artists is clear evidently. 

Studio Ghibli 

Japanese anime isn't all hentai sex and violence, though. 

Perhaps the best known animation studio outside of disney is studio Ghibli, a Japanese company known for beautifully - drawn feature films with underlying messages, such as critiques of environmental pollution and the Japanese sex industry (both of these are found in spirited away) 

Other uses: advertising 

Animation is often used in advertising 

Nick park's creature comforts, for example, were used to advertise heating, while cereal products often use animated characters, such as Tony the Tiger. 

Online and Viral 

VoD services such as youtube and dailymotion have become hubs upon which  online and viral animation shorts and webisode comics can be found. 

These are produced by amateurs who use such distribution channels to showcase their talents. 

Short animated gifs can also be found on sites such as facebook and twitter 

What makes the cyanide and happiness animation unique 

What do you think has contributed to the popularity and success 

What future possibilities are there for the brand as an animated product