OVERSEAS INFLUENCE ON ANIMATION

Overseas has had a very significant influence on the Australian popular culture aspect of animation. Australian television has been majorly impacted upon by overseas cultures. During the 1960’s and the 1990’s, the main countries who influenced this particular aspect of Australian popular culture were the United States of America and Britain. Between 1956 and 1963, almost all Australian television originated from overseas, with 83 percent being American and the rest being sourced from Britain. Since the arrival of British settlers in Australia in 1788, the extent of the British influence is still evident in the society of today. Britain remained the dominating cultural influence in Australia up until World War II, due to most of the Australian society consisting of citizens born in Britain or British descendants. This period in Australian history was largely dictated by British culture, including the animation in Australia. However, one of the most significant changes in Australian society took place after the end of World War II, when American culture had a greater influence on popular culture in Australia. This rapidly altered the way we spent our money and entertained ourselves, due to many American ideals coming into place. The ongoing impact of American culture in Australian society has raised concerns about the local identity of Australia being outweighed by the American way of life. Local cultural products, like films and television are an important way for a country to maintain its culture and heritage, thus the introduction of many American films and television programmes has removed the Australian concerns and national identity. The early years of Australian television were largely dominated by American comedy and drama, for example, in 1959, the ten most popular programmes on Australian television were American. However, animation in Australia was also minorly impacted by countries from the continents of Asia and Europe. This occurred due to many migrants arriving in Australia and influencing our culture after the conclusion of World War II.

                                                                               Diagram 1: The United States Of America.                                Diagram 2: Britain.

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE TELEVISION

1950

A significant overseas influence on animation in Australia was the introduction of television in Australia in the late 1950's. It allowed for animation to be more commonly screened and there were many new genres introduced that were dominated by production from the United States of America. One of these new genres was 'Saturday Morning Cartoons' which were mainly produced by the United States production company, Hanna Barbera. This had a major impact on animation in Australia because animators from Australia contributed to many Hanna Barbera cartoons, as there was a production company present in Sydney. Additionally, Hanna Barbera many successful shows for over thirty years;including 'The Flintstones', 'Scooby-Doo' and 'The Smurfs'. These popular animated films are still viewed and enjoyed by many Australian viewers and are even being re-created and continued as film series. Therefore, the new innovation of the television and the significant impact of America has been influential on animation in Australia.

Video 1: The introduction of the television in Australia.

INFLUENCE OF FEATURE-LENGTH ANIMATION FILM

Another major influence that was important in the development of animation in Australia was the first production of a feature-length animated film by Walt Disney. This film was ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ created in 1937, which influenced Eric Porter in 1972 to produce and direct the first ever feature-length animated film in Australia, called ‘Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon’. However, this first feature-length animation film in Australia was not recognised until forty years after the release of Snow White. The production of feature-length animation by Walt Disney allowed feature-length animation to become popular in Australia and it further developed animation in Australia. Without the influence of Walt Disney on animation in Australia, feature-length animation films would not have become so popular nor would they even exist. Consequently, the overseas influence of feature-length animated films and Walt Disney had a significant impact on Australian animation.

INFLUENCE OF THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Furthermore, the country of Britain also influenced animation in Australia to a major extent. During the late 1950’s, the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) was filled with broadcasts from Britain, as a result, the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) was formed. The BBC not only appealed to Britain, however, it also influenced Australia because this was the source from where most of the country received its latest information and news. In addition, this created increasing concerns due to a lack of local Australian content being presented on the ABC. Hence, the national government suggested that there be a minimum amount of Australian content on Australian television to protect our television industry from being somewhat dominated by British content. Therefore, Britain and the BBC had an influence on animation in Australia but it was soon taken over by the dominating influence of America.

OTHER OVERSEAS INFLUENCES

Finally, parts of Asia and Europe had a minor influence on the development of animation in Australia post World War II. An increasing number of migrants arriving in Australia from various countries meant that new stories, traditions and perspectives could be introduced to the Australian culture and way of life. This resulted in the Australian society having to adapt to these changing cultural influences, whether they be Asian or European. Therefore, the national identity of Australia continued to evolve and our unique national identity was challenged by the development of a global culture. This had impacts on animation in Australia because traditional Australian animation had to be changed so that it could include concerns and influence from other countries around the world.

OVERALL SIGNIFICANCE OF OVERSEAS INFLUENCES

The American and British influence has played a significant role in defining the Australian identity and it has especially contributed to the popular culture aspect of animation in Australia. Asia and Europe have also had a minor influence on the development of animation in Australia. Australian animation has been majorly impacted by influence from America, however, it has also been minorly affected by British influence. The introduction of the television, feature-length animated films and Walt Disney are influences from America which have changed the face of animation in Australia forever. Similarly, Britain and the BBC has had an evident impact on the development of Australian animation. Europe and Asia have contributed to animation in Australia as a result of many migrants arriving in Australia from these countries. In conclusion, the overseas influences from America and Britain have had a very crucial impact on animation in Australia.

Powered by Webflow