French Animation History is essential reading for anyone
interested in the history of animation, illuminating the
exceptional place France holds within that history.

* Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title for
2011

* The first book dedicated exclusively to this
history

* Explores how French animators have forged their own visual
styles, narrative modes, and technological innovations to construct
a distinct national style, while avoiding the clichés and
conventions of Hollywood's commercial cartoons

* Includes more than 80 color and black and white images from the
most influential films, from early silent animation to the recent
internationally renowned Persepolis

* Essential reading for anyone interested in the study of French
film

Richard Neupert is the Wheatley Professor of the Arts and a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in Film Studies at the University of Georgia.

Now in paper, French Animation History is the first book to chronicle the 100-year history of animation in France. Charting this vital and singular chapter in the history of cinema, the volume examines France's artistic and technical traditions; how French animators have forged their unique visual styles, narrative modes, and technological innovations to construct a distinct national style; how France has catapulted itself to the third-largest producer of animation in the world. Including more than 80 color and black and white images from some of the most influential animated films of all time, French Animation History illuminates the exceptional place France holds within the history of world cinema.

• Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2011
• The first book dedicated exclusively to this history
• Explores how French animators have forged their own visual styles, narrative modes, and technological innovations to construct a distinct national style, while avoiding the clichés and conventions of Hollywood's commercial cartoons
• Includes more than 80 color and black and white images from the most influential films, from early silent animation to the recent internationally renowned Persepolis
• Essential reading for anyone interested in the study of French film

Figures ix

Plates xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

1 Introduction: The Rise of Animation in France 1

The Beginnings of Animation 4

Stop-Motion Animation Attractions 19

2 Silent Animation: Emile Cohl and his Artisanal Legacy 22

Emile Cohl, Caricature, and the Rise of Studio Animation 22

Emile Cohl at Pathé, Eclipse, and Eclair Studios 36

Graphic Art and the Cartoon: Lortac and O'Galop 45

But is it Animation? French Avant-Garde and Moving Pictures 54

3 French Animation and the Coming of Sound 60

Ladislas Starewich's Fabled Puppets 61

Berthold Bartosch's L'Idée: A Working-Class Allegory 73

Jean Painlevé's La Barbe bleue 78

Alexandre Alexeieff, Claire Parker, and the Pinscreen 82

Niche Cartoons: Lyrical Joie de vivre and the Surreal La Fortune enchantée 90

4 Toward an Alternative Studio Structure 99

Paul Grimault and the Artist-Owned Animation Studio 100

Transitional Animation: From High Art to Made-for-TV 107

Toward a New Era of Micro-Studios: Laguionie and Laloux 114

5 French Animation's Renaissance 124

Le Cartoon Plan 124

Michel Ocelot's Alternative Mode of Production 127

Comic Book Aesthetics and Niche Studios 139

Contemporary French Animation: 2006 and Beyond 149

6 Conclusion: French Animation Today 162

References 171

Further Reading 178

Index 181