Animation Nation

Usually in America when we think of animation we think of Saturday morning cartoons or Disney flicks, but when it comes to international animation, the target is much different. Pretty much every where else in the world it is its own artform, that is perhaps even more so for an adult audience than a child audience. One of the earlier animated films of this type, Joie de vivre, depicts two girls flowing through different industrial scenery being chased by a guard. The contrast between the beauty of the dancing women and the harsh technology of the power plant gives the film a double meaning. On the surface it is a simple story about the dancing girls, but it is also really about the power of man and industry encroaching upon what is natural and good. The piece is influential and subversive and is a perfect example of how international animation tends to be more sophisticated than juvenile.