Animating the Unconscious

Book excerpt: As critical interest has grown in the unique ways in which art animation explores and depicts subjective experience - particularly in relation to desire, sexuality, social constructions of gender, confessional modes, fantasy, and the animated documentary - this volume offers detailed analysis of both the process and practice of key contemporary filmmakers, while also raising more general issues around the specificities of animation. Combining critical essays with interview material, visual mapping of the creative process, consideration of the neglected issue of how the use of sound differs from that of conventional live-action, and filmmakers' critiques of each others' work, this unique collection aims to both provoke and illuminate via an insightful multi-faceted approach.