by Eszter Schmidt 26th of August 2026 André Bazin - The Ontology of the Photographic Image André Bazin argues that true cinematic realism is not an artistic illusion (plastic realism), but an unambiguous representation of reality (essential realism). Bazin believed that cameras have the ability to capture things the way they are. To him, cameras didn’t copy but they captured realistic flows and accidents, how things happen in real life. However, it seems he overlooked the cin

15th of July 2026 Induction This essay investigates the animated film The Wild Robot (2024) by DreamWorks Animation and analyses its stylised visual style and how different elements work together to create an emotional experience. Although the movie seems to reject photorealism, its stylized visuals, believable character animation, and sound create a strong emotional connection. Figure 1: Roz’s stylised character design, The Wild Robot (2024), source: Bareham (2024) Visual st

4th of May 2026 The concept of the “uncanny valley” dates back to the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori, who introduced the theory in 1970. The term describes the feeling of unease people may experience when observing a highly realistic but still imperfect or unnatural digital character. As CGI technology continues to develop, creature animation is becoming increasingly realistic, often making it difficult to distinguish digital creations from live action footage. This pursui

1st of May 2026 Sound design plays a crucial role in creature animation because it helps communicate the scale, weight, and physical presence, completing the visual side of animation. While visual animation defines how a creature moves, sound emphasises how the audience experiences that movement. In CGI-heavy films, animators and sound designers work closely to ensure that movement and audio feel consistent. Without sound, even highly detailed animation can feel flat or weigh

29th of April 2026 Motion capture is a revolutionary technology that captures the movements of people and transfers the recorded data into a computer program. This process makes it possible to recreate photorealistic movement within a virtual environment. Actors wear motion capture suits with sensors that track their body movements, which are then mapped onto a 3D model to reproduce the same actions digitally. The technique has become widely popular in films, video games, and

21st of April 2026 Animated creatures have existed for decades and have captivated audiences in films, animated movies, and video games. These supernatural characters introduce viewers to unknown fantastical worlds while also connecting with them on an emotional level through storytelling. Creature animation is a complex field and introduces animators to unique challenges. While character animation is linked to human characteristics and anatomy, creature animation involves an

16th of April 2026 Creature animation today is produced through both small indie studios and large mainstream productions. While independent animation existed for decades, its visibility increased significantly in the early 2000s with the rise of online platforms such as YouTube and Newgrounds, which allowed individual creators to share work and gain recognition more easily. Improvements in accessible 3D tools such as Blender and Unreal Engine further expanded independent pr

12th of April 2026 In recent years, animation faced a clear shift back to less realistic production, and stylized animation gained new popularity even within high budget productions. While the rapidly developing CGI often focused on achieving photorealistic animations, recent films show a growing interest in exaggerated design choices. Emotion and clarity are being prioritised over realism. A great example of this is The Mitchells vs the Machines (2020). The creators intentio

8th of April 2026 My memory of watching Wall-E (2008 Pixar) for the first time is very vivid. I remember my deep feelings and empathy for the little, lonely creature who was only a rolling, rusty trash-collector robot. I remember being amazed at how the producers could create such a personality and also connect it to the audience. 1. Scene from Pixar's Walle-E, 2008 Wall-E (2008) is a great example of stylized creature animation and how animators successfully create believabl

09.01.2026 Written by: Eszter Schmidt This case study examines gender depiction from the male perspective in children's animated films and focuses on mainstream media and popular culture, specifically Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation. Children's media significantly shape early views of gender, identity, and social expectations. This case study examines male gender representation in children's animated films, focusing on masculine stereotypes and biases. It analyses ma

21.11.2025 Written by: Eszter Schmidt Here we are it is nearly December and the festive season is finally kicking in. As most of us already are in the mood for hot chocolate, mulled wine, ginger breads and most importantly Christmas classics, I jumped into slightly festive investigation. In this study, we will analyze the animated movie Klaus (2019) distributed by Netflix focusing on characters’ depiction. The movie presents the traditional vibe of a Christmas story, but the

17.10.2025 Written by: Eszter Schmidt Over the past twenty years, animated movies have emerged as a key space for rethinking how disability is portrayed on screen (Rainer, 1970; Disability in Animated Films). The Geena Davis Institute (GDI) recently released a report that studies disability representation in new and popular programming. While disability is still under-represented overall, GDI’s report suggests disabled characters appear in only about 1.5% of animated childre