AN EXPLORATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF MUSIC IN ANIMATION

Transcription

1 AN EXPLORATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF MUSIC IN ANIMATION A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Animation Department In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Animation at Savannah College of Art and Design by Melissa Glasscock Savannah, Georgia March 2014 Craig Kovacs, Thesis Chair Brian Schindler, Committee Michael Betancourt, Committee

2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Professors: Craig Kovacs, Brian Schindler and Michael Betancourt for their guidance and help in perusing this research and in the production of the animated short that accompanies this research. I would also like to thank my parents, Randy and Patsy Glasscock for their love and support during this journey.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures...1 Abstract...2 Introduction...3 Music for Silent Film..3 Music for Early Cartoons...6 Musical Techniques The Gag 12 Enhancing Narratives...16 Conclusion 23 Appendix: Filmography of Animation Studied 25 Works Cited..26

4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1- Still from Steamboat Willie...7 Figure 2-Poster for Flowers and Trees.8 Figure 3-Still from Swooner Crooner.11 Figure 4-Still from What s Opera, Doc?...13 Figure 5- Still from Peter and the Wolf...15 Figure 6-Still from Tom and Jerry..21 1

5 AN EXPLORATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT OF MUSIC IN ANIMATION Melissa Glasscock March, 2014 This thesis investigates the employment of music in animated shorts, film and cartoon shows. It explores the historical role of music in silent films and the transfer of music to animated shorts and film. It investigates the reasons for the application of music in animation and asks if and how the use of music facilitates animation. This research examines the ways in which music enhances animation, the ways in which music makes animation more successful, the measure of successful animation and why researching the role of music in terms of successful animation important to practical animation. 2

6 INTRODUCTION Music, like animation, is an art form enjoyed around the world, and both can be enjoyed without the bounds of language. The audible message of music can be grasped universally and the action of animation can be grasped universally. Music's aural language adds another realm to animation's visual language, making music and sound a helpful tool in animation. This thesis will explain how music is used in animation through the historical context of music s beginning in silent film, leading into animation with sound, and it will look at the types of music used in animation. It will explain the uses of music in animation; music s connection to the audience through story, emotional connection and leitmotif. Music can be a powerful tool when used in collaboration with animation. In an article about music in animation, writer Nathaniel Thompson describes this important linkage: Even more than most live action movies, successful animation depends as much on music and sound effects as the visuals on the screen. Where would Pepe LePew be without quasi-french accordion music in the background? Would the seven dwarfs be half as charming if they couldn t sing? 1 There are many ways in which music enhances animation. Music evokes an emotional response from an audience, and conveys the emotions of the characters on screen. A story's message can be quickly delivered with music. Gags are also supported by music. Music is essential to animation. MUSIC FOR SILENT FILM The importance of music to on-screen action was known to movie composers even in the days of silent film. The music provided mood, pace and often directly imitated screen action on 1 (Vink 1) 3

7 an aural level. 2 In the era of silent film, accompanists played music on organs and other instruments to provide music for movies. Many of the early composers for cartoons started their careers as accompanists for silent films. Accompanists for silent films had to be creative and improvise while playing. Their music had to match the movement on the screen, enhancing the audience s perception of that action. Max Winkler, inventor of the musical cue sheet, employed to synchronize performances with the silent films, writes about music in the era of silent film: The silent film needed music to bring it to life. On the silent screen, music must take the place of the spoken word had become one of the credos of the film industry. 3 According to Winkler, music was a tool to communicate to the audience watching a silent film. Creating music on the spot was no easy feat for these early composers. Winkler describes the way in which early film composers struggled to keep up with the demands of creating as the movie was playing. There they were sitting in the dark, watching the screen, trying to follow the rapidly unfolding events within their music: sad music, funny music, slow music, sinister, agitated, stormy, dramatic, funeral, pursuit, amorous music. They had to improvise, playing whatever repertoire came to their worried minds or whatever they made up themselves on the spur of the moment, It was a terrible predicament and so, usually, was the music. 4 The demand for a large repertoire leads to problems when accompanists needed to compose such a 2 (Donnelly 6) 3 (Winkler34-35) 4 (Winkler 35). 4

8 wide variety of music on the spot. Not only the need for a wide knowledge of music, but also the quickness in which they needed to create the music during this improvisation lead to mistakes. These errors lead to miscommunication of the film s meaning to the audience. If the music did not match the meaning of what happened on-screen, the combination of music with the film was confusing to the audience. Winkler writes about this predicament: More and more musical mishaps began to turn drama and tragedy on the screen into farce and disaster. Exhibitors and theater managers made frantic efforts to avoid the musical faux pas that made their films appear ridiculous. 5 The music that accompanied the silent films was an important aspect of the viewing experience. Music made a tremendous impact on the audience s understanding of the intentions of the film; it could make or break a moment in film. Winkler explains the importance of the silent film composers and their growing need for a larger repertoire: In these days of the silent film these men created the connecting link between the screen and the audience, and the film companies and large theaters which employed orchestras clamored for more and more music. 6 In need of more and more music to accompany films, film composers began to look for music to meet their growing needs. They turned to what they knew, as Winkler notes: ( ) in Hollywood preparing musical scores for sound film. And what was more logical than for them to fall back on the material they had used in the past and knew so well-the mood music, Dramatic and Incidental, that would fit the situations in sound 5 (Winkler 35) 6 (Winkler 39) 5

9 pictures as it had fitted the situations in silent ones? 7 Film composers chose familiar music that could rise to the occasion of meeting their many different musical needs. For this, film composers fell back on the classics. Winkler described this use of classical music as silent film accompaniment: The demands upon us grew into staggering dimension. In desperation we turned to crime. We began to dismember the great masters. We began to murder the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Grieg, J.S. Bach, Verdi, Bizet, Tchaikovsky and Wagner-everything that wasn t protected by copyright from our pilfering. 8 The use of classical music to convey the on-screen actions of silent film to the audience is a technique that would pave the way for composers of animation. MUSIC FOR EARLY CARTOONS Many early cartoon composers had roots as composers for silent film and improvised as the silent film composers did. Editors Goldmark and Taylor write about the improvisation of early cartoon composers: (...) many of the early composers for cartoons started out as improvisers themselves, playing organ and other instruments to accompany silent movies. 9 Carl Stalling was one of the first cartoon composers. He was working as an orchestra conductor and film accompanist at the Isis Theater in Kansas City when he met Walt Disney. Stalling had a remarkable ability to enhance movies with his accompaniment: 7 (Winkler 42) 8 (WInkler 40) 9 (Goldmark and Taylor 5) 6

10 As a film accompanist he learned to use songs to amplify the on-screen story; he carried this approach with him into the animation world, where he combined short original cues with songs arranged for whatever instruments the studio could afford. 10 Stalling became the first musical director for Disney, where he played a key role in producing animated films with sound. Disney was determined to keep up with competition and made the first sound cartoon: Steamboat Willie Figure 1 Steamboat Willie (Disney; Iwerks, 1928). Soon after Steamboat Willie, Disney made the Silly Symphonies: animated shorts that were scored with popular classical music. The animation for Silly Symphonies was choreographed to prerecorded music. The Skeleton Dance was the first animated short in the Silly Symphonies, created in (Goldmark 10-11) 11 (Goldmark 7) 12 (Goldmark and Taylor 7) 7

11 Figure 2 Flowers and Trees (Disney; Gillet, 1932). According to Stalling, he was responsible for the idea of creating the Silly Symphonies. (...)Stalling noted that it was he who suggested the concept for Disney's series, the Silly Symphonies, which were conceived to showcase more self-contained musical scores. (Due to their plot and gag-oriented nature, the "Mickeys" generally subordinated the music to animated action.) 13 The Mickeys is a reference to Disney animations starring Mickey Mouse, in which the music was made to fit and facilitate the animation. It was used in a literal way. If there was music accompanying the animation, it was shown being played on-screen. Stalling wanted music to take on a more important role in the animation. In trying to accomplish having music in the forefront, he developed the idea for Silly Symphonies. Stalling later worked for Warner Brothers Studio, where he composed music for many of 13 (Goldmark and Taylor 23) 8

12 the classic Warner Brothers animations. Warner Brothers animated shorts, at the time, were called Loony Tunes, a play off of the Silly Symphonies name. Warner later made Merry Melodies, as well. Stalling had more freedom at Warner Brothers to create the kind of music he wanted. He was not limited to using classical music, as he had at Disney. At Warner Brothers, Stalling was able to use popular music in his compositions. ( ) at Warner s I could use popular music. That opened up a new field so far as the kind of music we could use. At Disney s, we had to go back to the nineteenth century, to classical music, to My Old Kentucky Home. 14 The use of popular music in animation was successful because it allowed the animation to connect quickly to the audience, which is extremely important in animation. When a viewer hears a certain tune, all things associated with that tune are brought to mind. A scene can be set and a character s personality revealed by music alone. Animation composers also used well-known tunes to help transmit the narrative. By using popular songs one could easily tie into the audience s emotions and help direct them down any path, which in some ways was predetermined by the previously heard song. 15 Stalling s compositions were influenced by other musicians work. His work referenced Debussy and the following jazz composers: Zez Confrey, Red Norvell, Spike Jones, John Kirby, and, especially, Raymond Scott 16. Popular jazz music was also used by animator Max Fleisher. Fleisher collaborated with 14 (Goldmark and Taylor 49) 15 (Evans 2) 16 (Goldmark and Taylor 8). 9

13 famous jazz musicians in the 1920s to create jazz soundtracks for his cartoons featuring Betty Boop. Author Dirk Sutro writes about Fleisher s use of Jazz: Cartoonist Max Fleisher s famous Betty Boop character was based on flappers, and he set the cartoons to swing jazz by Cab Calloway, Ron Redman and others. Caricatures of Calloway (as a walrus) appear with Boop in Talkertoon and Minnie the Moocher (Calloway co-wrote the famous song for which the cartoon takes it title). In another cartoon Fleisher also had Betty sing a duet with Louis Armstrong on his tune I ll Be Glad When You re Dead You Rascal You. 17 The design, story and use of jazz music made Fleisher s cartoons very successful. Goldmark and Taylor write about this success: The jazz-themed shorts featuring Armstrong and Calloway are some of the most striking cartoons ever released, both for their bizarre visual style and their disturbing racial politics. 18 MUSICAL TECHNIQUES In composing for animation, it is imperative to have the music and sound effects match the action on screen. That is, the type of sound must match the type of action and be the timing of the action and sound must be properly synched. The impact of animation can be greatly amplified by the use of music, but only when it is correctly matched to the visual motion. Stalling was a master at this. The music and the sound effects are mirrors of the action, so completely integrated into the note that, for many of us, Carl Stalling s music and Treg Brown s sound 17 (Sutro 205) 18 (Goldmark and Taylor 63) 10

14 effects are the common threads that holds the Warner cartoons together. 19 An example of Stalling and Brown successfully matching music and sound to the action on screen was in The Swooner Crooner. Figure 3 The Swooner Crooner (Warner Bros.; Tashlin, 1944). In The Swooner Crooner (Tashlin 1944), Porky Pig runs a farm producing eggs for the war effort, with pullets that produce on a belt-driven assembly line. Stalling uses Powerhouse as the sound of the industry, carefully synchronizing the contours of Scott s tune with each step of Porky s production as the movement of the hens visually matches the music s rhythm. 20 The use of music and sound effect makes the animation clear to viewers. It makes it easier for an audience to believe the different aspects of animation, such as weight, if there is music and sound to accompany those visuals. It is easier for an audience member to buy into the weight of a grand piano crashing to the ground if there is a crashing sound effect when it hits the earth. 19 (Goldmark and Taylor 38) 20 (Goldmark 29) 11

15 THE GAG The marriage of music and visuals greatly supports a significant tool used in animation: the gag. The Fleisher studio used jazz to enhance their gags. Goldmark and Taylor describe Fleisher s use of jazz: The Betty Boop cartoons feature every character ( and in these films the animals, vegetation, machines and household objects are likely to be or become characters at any instant) constantly bouncing and swaying to the rhythm of the soundtrack, ready to riff when their moment to take a solo (with a sight gag) comes around. 21 Stalling also realized the potential for musical gags. That is, what if the idea linking the music and the image led to its own gag, which itself relied on recognizing the song s word as inapposite in the context of that movement of the film?(...)it became his (Stalling s) trademark as a composer. Such accompanists were called film funners 22 At Warner Brothers, Stalling used opera music to create musically-based gags. His favorite opera composer to reference was Wagner. During Stalling s twenty-plus years at Warner Brothers, Wagner cues appear in 120 different cartoons. 23 Director Chuck Jones used opera for narrative and plot in two of Warner s cartoons: What s Opera, Doc? I and the Barber of Seville. Jones created his plot lines and story from those of famous operas. He (Jones) constructed the cartoon out of a hodgepodge of famous tunes with familiar plots devices, taking the most familiar parts from the note of the 21 (Goldmark and Taylor 63) 22 (Goldmark 29) 23 (Goldmark 141) 12

16 composer s dramatic overture, and poured them into the shell of Wagner s single most famous work: the Ring cycle. 24 Jones was extremely successful in making animations, parodying opera. What s Opera, Doc?, an animated short in the Merry Melodies series, is an example of this success. It stars Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The music for the cartoon is taken from parts of Wagner s operas. Jones comments on this success: Jones once explained, Many cartoons using classical music have failed because they don t take music seriously enough. I always felt that Bugs and Elmer were trying to do the opera right. Jones also told me, We didn t want people to laugh at the music, we wanted them to laugh at what was interpreted by Bugs and Elmer( ) (Goldmark 133) Figure 4 What s Opera, Doc? (Warner Bros.; Jones, 1957). 25 (Goldmark 133) 13

17 Jones used both musical elements from Wagner s operas and plot structures from the operas. Operas are loved by many because of the themes they employ: mythology, magic, love and fantastical settings. Animation easily lends itself to the use of those operatic themes. The score for What s Opera Doc? Uses musical conventions from late-nineteenth-century Romantic music and sites melodies from more than a half-dozen different Wagner operas. The screenplay s rapidly changing plot points embrace a complicated collection of generalizations about opera, specifically those associated with Wagner (mythology, magic, love, and fantastic, otherworldly settings.) 26 Opera is also lends itself well to animation because of its musical themes. When musical themes are associated with certain characters, the audience can easily become aware of the characters personalities, especially when the animation for a character matches its motif. Pieces with easily identifiable motifs gave film accompanists (and later animators and cartoon composers) a simple means of connecting a tune with a visual idea, enabling them to give a sense of completion to each gesture, at once aural and visual. 27 If a character s theme is upbeat and pleasant, in a major key, the audience knows the character is happy. If the musical theme associated with a character is slow, dragging and in a minor key, the audience knows that the character is sad. The use of themes associated with characters is called leitmotif. ( )leitmotiv (also leitmotive or leitmotif), a functional theme usually associated 26 (Goldmark 132) 27 (Goldmark 110) 14

18 with a character on screen, as a building block to give structural unity to the film as well as consolidating the relationship between the music and the action on screen and it s narrative development. 28 Leitmotif was used in opera and by Wagner, another connection between animation music and classical and opera music. A quintessential example of the use of leitmotif was in the animation Peter and the Wolf (Disney 1946). Figure 5 Peter and the Wolf (Disney; Geronimi, 1946). In this animation, each character has a musical theme and instrument to play that theme. This composition method gives clues to the audience about characters personalities and feelings. One of the most important goals of animation is making a connection with its audience. Just as music is used to tell a story in opera, it is a tool used for telling a story in animation. That is why classical and opera music lends itself well to being used in animation. From the start, narrative-minded film accompanists frequently used these more accessible pieces, whose lower status in the classical repertoire made them seem 28 (Donnelly 10) 15

19 especially suitable for appropriation. (Brahms s Hungarian Dances, Strauss s waltzes, Liszt s Hungarian Rhapsodies.) Disney used classical music as the main focus in creating Fantasia (1940). 29 Goldmark writes: Animation made it possible to create illustration stories for each piece of music. Fantasia s technological achievements ( ) also won the Disney studio new prestige, as it brought the classics into the world of more mainstream entertainment with impressive success. 30 ENHANCING NARRATIVE Stalling realized from his days as a film accompanist that music could be a powerful tool used to tell the story in animation. Stalling used music to tell a story, rather than something to fill the background. ( )composers increasingly realized that a few well-chosen songs could contribute to a film s narrative while also giving the audience something they might recognize, it only subliminally, Stalling thus learned the power of music to shape, direct and manipulate both the emotional level of the story and the feelings of the audience when he worked as an accompanist. He tried to tap into this power with each score he wrote, and those same experiences would eventually inform his sound cartoon scores. 31 Disney also knew that music could be utilized for story. Disney was an industry leader because of his ability to tell stories. His innovative stories brought audiences to theaters time and time again. 29 (Goldmark 128) 30 (Goldmark 128) 31 (Goldmark 16) 16

20 He used a mix of new and existing stories in his animations. Disney s animated stories were so acclaimed because of his use of music to enhance his narratives. From most reports, while he was not a musician, Disney s sense of what worked for his films, as well as what appealed to the public musically, was as keen as his brilliant story editing skills. 32 Public appeal is crucial to animation. An animation and the studio that made that animation is measured by its success with its audience. If an animation is not received well by the public, the studio runs the risk of losing funding, and closing. A studio s success rides on the success of its animations. Music is also used to appeal to audiences in animation with no dialogue; the music can serve as a replacement, having a role in telling the story. The sounds of certain instruments can elicit emotional responses from the audience. The bassoon the trombone the slides on the trombone the violin, with the glissandos, for comic effects. The viola is very good for mysterious effects. 33 Musical effects are used to set the mood in situations, giving the audience clues about what is happening in the story, even before they see events taking place. Mood can be set by musical modes (major or minor) or by tonal agreement or dissonance. ( )dissonance often gets used in film music, much the way the minor mode does, to create affective backing for ominous situations (Goldmark and Taylor 29) 33 (Goldmark and Taylor 51) 34 (Donnelly 21) 17

21 Music is known to evoke emotion. Animation composers know this and use music to win over audiences when telling a story, creating an emotional bond between the viewer and animated characters. This use of music adds an element of pathos to the story. The tremendous ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable, and yet largely inexplicable. 35 Since it is essential that characters and plot in animations be quickly recognizable by viewers, the emotional response of an audience to animation music is important. In the cartoons and in the comedies all sorts of other emotions, besides that of plain hilarity, may come into play; there may be sorrow, doubt, horror and even death; only all these emotions lack the quality of the truth and must be expressed as mocked sorrow and grief, mock doubt and death. 36 Empirical Studies of Emotional Response to Music (Sloboda 1992) has shown that the difference in musical effects directly elicit emotion. If music alone can engage an emotional response from a person, no wonder it is such a powerful tool for animation composers. According to Sloboda s findings that music alone can bring about desired emotions, a response can be elicited from an audience even without effective animation. Several characteristics have been suggested that might influence the emotion of music. For example, according to one study, major keys and rapid tempos cause happiness, whereas minor keys and slow tempos cause sadness, and rapid tempos together with dissonance cause fear. There is also a theory that dissonance sounds unpleasant to listeners across all cultures. Dissonance is to a certain degree 35 (Vaidya 1) 36 (Goldmark and Taylor 18) 18

22 culture-dependent, but also appears to be partly intrinsic to the music. Studies have shown that infants as young as 4 months old show negative reactions to dissonance. 37 In the study done by Sloboda (1992) people first listen to music and then describe their feelings elicited by the music. Statements made by the listeners included: music helps me discover what I am actually feeling. 38 In the same study, the listeners identified musical elements that lead to reactions such as crying and shivering. Twenty passages related to the response crying which contained features such as melodic appoggiaturas and melodic or harmonic sequences. Shivers were related most frequently with new or unprepared harmony.( ) These specific moments in the music were all associated with sudden, unexpected musical changes. 39 The people in this study claim that music helps them to discover what they are feeling. This ability of music to facilitate a discovery of feeling is how animation composers use music to direct the audience in a narrative path. Animation composers can use the emotions created by music to manipulate viewers into believing they feel a certain way, or into having a desired reaction to the characters and plot on the screen. Henver (1935,1936,1937) is one of the first researchers who systematically studies which musical parameters are related to the experience of emotion. She adapted various short existing piano pieces and played them for subjects, both the original version and an adapted version. In the adapted version, she constantly only 37 (Vaidya 1) 38 (Vink 6-7) 39 (Vink7) 19

23 manipulated one musical element, such as the mode (major or minor), the harmony (simple-complex), rhythm (steady-fluent), tempo (fast-slow) and the melody line (increasing-decreasing). Other musical parameters were held constant as possible. After playing she asked the subjects to indicate on the Henver s adjective circle, which emotion verb best described the emotional content of the piece. Tempo and mode had the strongest impact on the listener, when describing the experienced emotion in the music. Piano music played past in major was described as cheerful and in contrast the slow piece in minor as dreamful and sensitive. 40 Animator Scott Bradley at MGM Studios expertly used sounds and music to render emotions of characters in animations, including Tom and Jerry: ( )Chion argues, is the use of digetic sounds (that is, sound emanating from within the world of the film) to render the emotions of a specific moment by fulfilling the viewer s expectation of how a physical gesture would sound and, thus, how it might feel. The complexity in Bradley s music lies not just in the actual notes but also in Bradley s ability to illustrate both action and emotion, often at the same time (Vink 3) 41 (Goldmark 63) 20

24 Figure 6 Tom and Jerry in the Hollywood Bowl (MGM; Hanna and Barbera, 1950). Music s emotional influence can also be used to help identify the characters in a story. Musical themes are created because of the responses they will evoke. This technique was also used by Disney and Stalling. Some emotional responses of music come from our cultural coding: In a study of narrative film music, Claudia Gorbman comments that the music telegraphs the correct meaning of the sequence on screen, while also deftly indicating to the audience aspects of historical and geographical setting, and atmosphere, through the high degree and its cultural coding. 42 There are some musical themes that are popular with the general public. One example of a well-known musical theme is in the opening of Beethoven s Fifth symphony. This eight-note theme is easily recognized. These eight notes create a sense of seriousness. During World War II, these notes were also used evoke feelings of patriotism: Beethoven s Fifth Symphony is sometimes heard, but usually only its opening 42 (Goldmark 30) 21

25 gesture, recontextualized to elicit feelings of patriotism during World War II-the symphony s main da-da-da-daaaaah motif was associated with the slogan V for Victory, because it echoed the rhythm of the letter V in Morse code (dot-dot-dot-dash). 43 While the success of some motifs depend on the audiences previous knowledge of the music s meaning, some music is automatically identifiable with no background knowledge: happy and upbeat, slow and sad. Motifs played by different instruments can be associated with different moods. A theme played by a trumpet might sound regal, while the same theme played with a viola may sound sentimental. Other musical themes rely on the audience s previous knowledge of music s cultural or societal context. The classical pieces promoted by various film music compendiums usually had some sort of cultural or social resonance, whether due to their original sources (e.g., Wagner s Bridal March in Lohengrin, obviously suitable for accompanying a wedding) or to an earlier cultural reassignment (e.g.) Rossini s William Tell Overture, given new life in the early 1930s as a cowboy music when it was used as the theme for The Lone Ranger radio program). 44 Rossini s William Tell Overture is an example of a theme that has automatic associations because of its cultural context. This overture is usually associated with horses, racing or a situation when characters are rushing. The use of a theme that has cultural context was a tool employed by many composers in animation. An example of the tool of music with cultural context in an animation can be found in 43 (Goldmark 109) 44 (Goldmark 111) 22

26 Warner Brothers The Fifth-Colum Mouse (Freleng 1943): For example, in The Fifth-Colum Mouse (Freleng 1943) a house full of mice are resolved to rid their home of a hungry cat. They organize themselves into an efficient robot army, singing the World War II song We Did It Before (And We Can Do It Again). ( ) As the mice sing this song, with unaltered lyrics, no less, and audience in 1943 should make the connection. 45 CONCLUSION Music is a potent tool for animations. The marriage between music and animation helps to make the crucial emotional link to the audience, a connection upon which animation so greatly depends. Disney was able to use music to facilitate story in animations like Fantasia. Fleischer used jazz to enhance gags and on-screen movement. Stalling was able to use popular music to create a connection between animation and the audience. These and other great animators and composers used music to enhance their animation because it is such a powerful tool in relating to an audience. Music helps convey the plot, characters personalities and feelings, and to tell the story in animation. It also promotes the creation of gags. Music is able to support animation through the emotions and feelings it evokes from an audience. In my visual project, music has been used as a tool to portray character personality and facilitate story. The music was created prior to the animation and is a crucial element of the story. The historical use of music in animation, along with psychological research on the effects of music to create human emotional reactions, can be valuable information when designing and directing future animation. These ideas can be used to facilitate an emotional connection between characters and viewers, an understanding of on-screen movement by viewers and, ultimately, a deeper 45 (Goldmark 23) 23

27 understanding and connection for viewers of the overall animation. 24

28 APPENDIX: FILMOGRAPHY Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Walt Disney Pictures, Videocassette. Beauty and the Beast. Dir. Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise. Walt Disney Pictures, Videocassette. Fantasia. Dir. Norm Ferguson. Walt Disney Pictures, DVD. Flowers and Trees. Dir. Burt Gillett. Walt Disney Productions,1932. Web. 3 March Ratatouille. Dir. Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava. Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, DVD. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Dir. William Cottrell, David Hand. Walt Disney Productions, The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics. Dir. Chuck Jones. MGM,1965. Web. 3 March The Lion King. Dir. Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff. Walt Disney Pictures, Videocassette. The Little Mermaid. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Walt Disney Pictures, Videocassette. Steamboat Willie. Dir. Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks. Walt Disney Productions,1928. Web. 3 March

29 WORKS CITED Donnelly, K.J., ed. Film Music: Critical Approaches. New York: The Continuum Publishing Group, Inc, Print. Evans, Noell Wolfgram. Bum Da Daaa, DaDa Da Dun Daaaa: The Early Animation Composer. Digitalmediafx.com. Digital Media FX, n.d. Web. 10 Oct Goldmark, Daniel. Tunes for Toons: Music and the Hollywood Cartoon. Los Angeles: University of California Press, Print. Goldmark, Daniel, and Yuval Taylor, eds. The Cartoon Music Book. Chicago: A Capella Books, Print. MacDonald, Laurence E. The Invisible Art of Film Music: A Comprehensive History. New York: Ardsley House, Publishers, Inc.,1998. Print. Morgan, David. Knowing the Score: Film Composers Talk About the Art, Craft, Blood, Sweet, and Tears of Writing for Cinema. New York: HarperEntertainment, Print. Schelle, Michael. The Score: Interviews with Film Composers. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, Print. Sutro, Dirk. Jazz Music for Dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., Print. Thompson, Nathaniel. The Music of Animation. animationartist.com. Animation Artist Magazine, n.d. Web. 10 Oct Vaidya, Geentanjali. Music, Emotion and the Brain. brynmawr.edu. Bryn Mawr College, n.d. Web. 10 Oct Vink, Annemiek. Music and Emotion. uncc.edu. University of North Carolina Charlotte, n.d. Web. 10 Oct Winkler, Max. The Origin of Film Music. Films in Review Dec. 1951: Print. 26