user313856
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- Aug 1, 2021
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Anime is not a single homogeneous style. I call anime as simply animation from Japan. And while there are mainstream tropes and styles in japanese animation, there are many artists with very unique styles and influences. We shouldn't make general assumptions about anime. There is as much diversity in japanese animation that there is in american animation. And we all that many american cartoons ever look drastically different from each other, and in many other things.
You may ask: what is my point with all of this? It's simple. Disney is undeniably a very big historical influence on anime for many decades. Osamu Tezuka, the Godfather of manga and anime, is undeniably the most important and influential figure in the history of japanese comics and animation. His style was instantly emulated by many artists, his influence is inescapable. And Osamu Tezuka was a huge Disney fan. I think his favorite Disney film was Bambi. He tells that the animation and visuals of the film seemed impossible, a miracle that left him in awe and disbelief, and that he re-watched it as many times as possible, to learn as much he could from it. Bambi is a huge influence on Tezuka's Kimba, The White Lion. Disney's Pinocchio is also a big influence on Astro Boy, the first anime. Tezuka also said that meeting Walt Disney in person in the 50s was one of the biggest moments of his life.
Let's not forget, though, that the Golden Age Of American Animation as a whole (1930s to1950s) was very influential in anime. Disney was far from the only big player in the Golden Age of American Animation. The work of Fleischer Studios (Popeye, Betty Boop, Superman), Warner Bros. (the Looney Tunes), MGM (Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery's one-shots), and many others are also very influential.
Osamu Tezuka is still just one artist. No matter how insanely influential he is, many artists didn't just blindly copy what Tezuka did. Many japanese animators found their own unique visual styles, themes, identity, influences and so on.
Hayao Miyazaki is not a huge fan of Disney. He admires the impressive craft and skill in Disney's works, but he also said that Disney's work simply does not resonate with him. Meanwhile, Miyazaki is a huge fan of Fleischer Studios. He loves the Popeye shorts and Fleischer Superman. He even made clear references to The Mechanical Monsters in his films. The Mechanical Monsters is one of the most iconic of the Fleischer Superman animated shorts. And as unbelievable and insane as it sounds, Miyazaki also said to like the Fleischer Studios' feature-length films Gulliver's Travels and Mr. Bug Goes To Town more than any of Disney's feature-length films!
Miyazaki is just one example. Some of the biggest influences in Mamoru Oshii's work are not even from animators, but from european art-house directors like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Andrei Tarkovsky if I'm not mistaken.
Not only every artist is a unique person, and will do different things even if they have the exact same influences, but Japan's culture is different. Its animation consequently has forged its own identity that is unique to Japan, even with all their foreign influences.
I highly recommend this video:
You may ask: what is my point with all of this? It's simple. Disney is undeniably a very big historical influence on anime for many decades. Osamu Tezuka, the Godfather of manga and anime, is undeniably the most important and influential figure in the history of japanese comics and animation. His style was instantly emulated by many artists, his influence is inescapable. And Osamu Tezuka was a huge Disney fan. I think his favorite Disney film was Bambi. He tells that the animation and visuals of the film seemed impossible, a miracle that left him in awe and disbelief, and that he re-watched it as many times as possible, to learn as much he could from it. Bambi is a huge influence on Tezuka's Kimba, The White Lion. Disney's Pinocchio is also a big influence on Astro Boy, the first anime. Tezuka also said that meeting Walt Disney in person in the 50s was one of the biggest moments of his life.
Let's not forget, though, that the Golden Age Of American Animation as a whole (1930s to1950s) was very influential in anime. Disney was far from the only big player in the Golden Age of American Animation. The work of Fleischer Studios (Popeye, Betty Boop, Superman), Warner Bros. (the Looney Tunes), MGM (Tom & Jerry, Tex Avery's one-shots), and many others are also very influential.
Osamu Tezuka is still just one artist. No matter how insanely influential he is, many artists didn't just blindly copy what Tezuka did. Many japanese animators found their own unique visual styles, themes, identity, influences and so on.
Hayao Miyazaki is not a huge fan of Disney. He admires the impressive craft and skill in Disney's works, but he also said that Disney's work simply does not resonate with him. Meanwhile, Miyazaki is a huge fan of Fleischer Studios. He loves the Popeye shorts and Fleischer Superman. He even made clear references to The Mechanical Monsters in his films. The Mechanical Monsters is one of the most iconic of the Fleischer Superman animated shorts. And as unbelievable and insane as it sounds, Miyazaki also said to like the Fleischer Studios' feature-length films Gulliver's Travels and Mr. Bug Goes To Town more than any of Disney's feature-length films!
Miyazaki is just one example. Some of the biggest influences in Mamoru Oshii's work are not even from animators, but from european art-house directors like Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini and Andrei Tarkovsky if I'm not mistaken.
Not only every artist is a unique person, and will do different things even if they have the exact same influences, but Japan's culture is different. Its animation consequently has forged its own identity that is unique to Japan, even with all their foreign influences.
I highly recommend this video:
