Identify two animated shorts or a short sequence from an animated feature and present an interesting component of its style or its approach to humor in a 20-minute presentation (any format, from PowerPoint to film to graphic novel to reenactments).

One cartoon must be made between 1895-1960 and one from 1960-2016 (theatrical or television or webisode).

500words for each cartoon

I am interested in looking into how racist views and stereotypes influenced some of the best known early cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse. I have started looking into this and apparently live minstrel acts (white actors with blacken faces) were very popular in the mid to late 1800s. Some traces of these stereotypes were adopted into early cartoons. Details such as white gloved hands, huge eyes and mouths, blacken faces after explosions, and even repetitive violence with no consequences can (with some interpretation) be traced to back to slavery and social repression of African Americans that followed the Civil War.

Text or Interactive References

University of Southern California: Birth of An Industry: Blackface Minstrelsy and the Rise of American Animation

NYTimes: Modern Minstrelsy Exploring Racist Stereotypes in Literature and Life

University of Virginia: Uncle Tom’s Cabin in Hollywood: 1929-1956

1895 – 1960 Animation Suggestions

Mickey Mouse – Mickey’s Mellerdrammer (1933) – blacken faces, white gloved hands, parody of violence and generally terrible situation.

Uncle Tom and Little Eva (1932) – note how close the visual style is to Mickey Mouse.

Uncle Tom’s Bungalow (1937) – the problem here is the style does not match Mickey Mouse.

1960 – 2016 Animation Suggestions

The Jungle Book – I Wanna Be Like You (1967) – apes dancing in jive, which originated in the United States from African Americans in the early 1930s.

JAY-Z – The Story of O.J. (2017) – direct reference to style of 1930s cartoons.

Elders React to JAY-Z – The Story of O.J. – interesting reference to hear other people’s thoughts.