Animation: The Global History

by Maureen Furniss

Maureen Furniss surveys the cultural, political and economic context of how this dynamic industry evolved, emphasizing both artistic and technical achievements from around the world - from Hollywood to Tokyo, from Moscow to Sydney. Featuring a timeline for each of its six parts, Animation: The Global History provides readers with a clear and accessible chronology of events. A 'Global Storyline', highlighting the major themes of the era, opens each chapter, and an end-of-book glossary defines key terms used throughout the book.

Genres: Nonfiction, College, Art History, Art

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2017

Reviews

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook. No matter how much you adore animation, no matter how interesting the field is, Maureen Furniss's book reminds you that this is an over a hundred year consolidation of the history of the animation world. And it's an interesting world, you know.

And yet the question is: ought teachers to switch over to this new textbook, one that encompasses recent years and strides in the animation field? I would say no.

Furniss's book is huge, struggling to include decades of information, and yet in order to make the book a publishable size, she had to cut things out; a lot of things. I felt that, having prior knowledge of certain eras due to my class textbook, she was skipping over information—important information. And knowing that she was cutting out things in American animation made me wonder if she was cutting out things in other countries' history of animation that I just didn't notice, which made it hard for me to trust her textbook to give me all of the facts.

While I would recommend readers to use Furniss's textbook loosely and consult other sources as well, it's expensive, and for that kind of money I'd say go with the older books (like Cartoons: 100 Years of Cinema Animation) and consult more recent readings on the side.

[Skrivena stranica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odlično za istraživanje o povijesti animacije, ali ne mogu se oteti dojmu da je sve previše centrirano oko Amerike. Istina, Amerika ima veliko mjesto u animaciji, ali tužno je da se neke zemlje prvi put spominju u kontekstu recepcije u Americi ili u prikazivanju u američkoj animaciji.

Nakon drugog čitanja potvrđujem svoje mišljenje kako je knjiga previše centirana oko SAD-a, a i puna je implikacija o političkim stavovima autorice prema izboru materijala i načinu na koji ih se opisuje. U nekim stvarima se susrećemo (poput negativnog odnosa prema komunizmu), ali čak ni tada mi se ne sviđa način na koji tumači neka djela: npr. jedan ruski animirani film ona tumači kao alegoriju čežnje za zapadnim svijetom što smatram čistom glupošću.

[Sarah Sarah Bo Barah]

*****QUICK FACTS 4 NERDZ*****
title: A New History of Animation
author(s): Furniss, Maureen
pages: 464
media type: Paperback
edition: Illustrated, First
ISBN: 978-0500-292-099
LC classification: NC 1765 .F873 2016
my edition’s publication date: Thursday, September 29, 2016
my edition’s publisher: Thames & Hudson
started reading: Thursday, May 22, 2025
finished reading: Monday, September 1, 2025

*****REVIEW*****
A note: this nonfiction book was found in the library of my alma mater (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater).

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but the second this book’s cover caught my eye as it sat on the shelf, I knew it was going to be good.

And if you’re an animation geek like me (who also just so happens to enjoy reading about the histories of niche subjects), you would love it too!

A great and informative read, it taught me some things I never knew before about animation as an art form. It takes you on a comprehensive guide to the history of animation from its origins in the 1600s with magic lanterns to modern animation worldwide.

[Brady M Mock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good for a textbook, tho it can get a bit monotonous

[Rescribo]

Students out there, the UK edition of this book Animation: The Global History ($60 AUD) is so much cheaper than the US edition ($160 AUD), and the content seems to be the same - as of May 2024.

[Eilís Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If nobody else has got me, Maureen Furniss has got me.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

*To begin I must say that I did putter a little bit on this as I had started this in the first week of March when I was going to California for a Disney tour. I found that the content is very condensed and very thorough so I had to pace myself and do a large chapter every other day on average.
Now with the quarantine I've had a lot more time so I picked up my pace.*
This history of animation as mentioned goes through a huge plethora of ever evolving animation practices. I'm talking about it as far back as 1659 when magic lanterns were starting to become used, and other optical devices that simulated movement like the zoetrope. It then branches off and explores how it further becomes more advanced with different companies and of individuals who also experimented with animation. Much of the time after these chapters I went back and looked through YouTube to find some of these experimental shorts; and those that have long since come out from the companies now open to the public for free viewing. But good luck trying to find Eveready Harton (1929) the first adult cartoon short in the pornographic sense. I mean it in the funniest of ways. That this book talks about practically everything when it comes to cartoons, video games, and the progression of interactive design. Interactive in which now normal audience members can actually interact and create their own editing, filters, and animations. Mind you this edition went to print a couple months before TikTok, but it obviously shows where this has led to that. It displays how animation has developed in the way of commercial successes, experimental indie pieces, as well as becoming a high art form in studio galleries for embracing technology and symbolic meaning together. A totally perfect read for those going into animation or are enthusiastic about its historical studies as well.