Movies

Progressive Animation is a term that was first coined by Brian C. Wilkinson of the Hayao Miyazaki Mailing List (A discussion group mainly focused on the films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata) back in the early 1990s. It was first referenced in this quote:

For that matter, it seems that the best anime has neo-realist/French new wave as well as Japanese cinematic overtones, plus the occasional expressionist/ impressionist (the slash "/" in these cases indicates a contrast comparison) work too. I do not know too many non-japan animated works that attempt to directly "compete" as films rather than "cartoon movies" ala Disney, let alone hold that place as competent works (even AKIRA deserves this credit :). Hence what I've coined as "Progressive Animation"--even Roger Rabbit was more a "Cartoon Movie" then good cinema.

Source: Fukumoto Archive of the Miyazaki Mailing List Message #605

Progressive animation is very closely related to alternative comics, in that both are works in their respected medium that go against traditional views of their mediums. These traditional views in both are works that are only produced for children or a small fan obsession-oriented subculture.

Because of the large variety of animated films Japan has produced, it has a comparatively large progressive art oriented market. But despite Japanese Anime's diversity, progressive Anime in Japan is still vastly overshadowed by the more common fan obsession oriented market, and only a relatively small percentage of Anime films are actually considered progressive.

Progressive animation advocates want to see a more critical and less "blindly obsessive" evaluation of the animation medium normally found in traditional animation oriented groups. Progressive animation artists want to do something vastly different from what is commonly accepted as animation experimenting in genres and visual styles that were thought inappropriate for the medium.

A few non-Japanese examples of progressive animation

(for Japanese examples see progressive anime)

Æon Flux (US)
Drawn From Memory, a feature film animated entirely by Paul Fierlinger
Fantasia (US)
Fantastic Planet (France/Czechoslovakia)
Křysar (Czechoslovakia)
The Old Man and the Sea (Alexandr Petrov, Russia)
Plague Dogs (US)
Tale of Tales (Yuriy Norshteyn, USSR)
Watership Down (UK)
When the Wind Blows (UK)

External links

• The Hayao Miyazaki Mailing List
• A prototype of the Progressive Animation Review