The Colored Cartoon
Subtitle: Black Representation in American Animated Short Films
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: February 28, 2008
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 160
ISBN-13: 9781558496132
Subjects: Animation; Black studies; Social Science; Ethnic Issues; Pop Arts / Pop Culture; Sociology; USA; Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor; Film & Video - Animation; Film & Video - History & Criticism; Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General; Animated films; Blacks in motion pictures; History and criticism; United States
Description: "The first American animators drew on popular black representations, many of which were caricatures rooted in the culture of southern slavery. During the 1920s, the advent of the sound-synchronized cartoon inspired animators to blend antebellum-era black stereotypes with the modern black cultural expressions of jazz musicians and Hollywood actors. When the film industry set out to desexualize movies through the imposition of the Hays Code in the early 1930s, it regulated the portrayal of African Americans largely by segregating black characters from others, especially white females. At the same time, animators found new ways to exploit the popularity of African American culture by creating animal characters like Bugs Bunny who exhibited characteristics associated with African Americans without being identifiably black." "Drawing on a wide range of sources, including interviews with former animators, archived scripts for cartoons, and the films themselves, Lehman illustrates the intimate and unmistakable connection between African Americans and animation."--BOOK JACKET.