Cinephile 18.2 Call For Papers

2024-01-11

There are two distinct modes of production for creating film: the mechanical reproduction of reality in live-action cinema, and the artistic reimagining and reinterpretation of reality in animated cinema. While animation is occasionally seen as the lesser relative of live-action film given its association with children’s entertainment, the animation industry has and continues to be an integral part of cultural production. With the recent record-breaking numbers of films such as Sony’s Into the Spider-verse (2018) and DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), as well as the growth of stylistic experimentation seen in films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) and Nimona (2023) or the success of indie series like Helluva Boss (2020—) and Lackadaisy (2023—), it’s clear that audiences appreciate animated films beyond blockbuster fare.

As a medium, animation offers a diverse universe of possibilities, and there is much to be explored: from the history itself, with the success of creators like Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphony, Donald Duck, etc…) and the Fleischer brothers (Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye, ect…), to animation’s potential in endeavors including queer, national, and accented cinema. Animation has often been invoked to articulate a country and culture’s traditional artforms, from China’s Nezha (Nezha zhi motong jiangshi, 2019) to the Irish Wolfwalkers (2020). At the same time, critics such as Daisy Yan Du have noticed a transnational appeal to such animated films with distinct cultural flairs. Such diversity can be seen in Hamid Naficy’s concept of “accented” cinema, films made by diasporic and exiled creators, and animation too serves as a method for these accents to speak, from Persepolis (2007) to Pixar’s Turning Red (2022).

In some ways, possibilities and voices have only expanded with the rise of the animation industry’s success, where animation’s more overlooked status has welcomed indie filmmakers, artists, topics, and now even fans of all kinds. Fandom culture especially has evolved into an expansive, ever-growing web of networks and connections. And yet, in this digital era, even as technology has made animation more accessible than ever, the increasingly cutthroat production system and its preference for the ephemeral has resulted in numerous obstacles for animators not just as filmmakers, but also as artists. AI has been a recent large-scale issue in the artistic industry, where companies use art-generating machines such as MidJourney or StableDiffusion to save money on art. AI art is also contentious since it accumulates data from existing human artists, yet poses problems for artists who want to recover their intellectual property since AI art is difficult to track. Some corporations have also replaced artists with AI. Alongside the unpredictable demands of large media corporations—as seen in the recent cancellations of films and series by HBO Max and its parent company, Warner Bros., the underpayment of CGI VFX artists at Disney’s Marvel Studios, and so on— the industry’s straight forward success and evolution are far from assured.

This issue of Cinephile focuses on providing insight into the frequently overlooked topic of animation, and welcomes submissions that explore any aspects of its creation, production, or consumption.

Possible topics may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Indie animation
“Accented” animation and diasporic filmmaking
National cinema and ideas of national style, transnational influence, or culture
Trends in evolutions of style and box office numbers or developments in animation
The history and lasting legacies, either positive or negative, of specific films, companies, and animators/auteurs
Animation fandom culture (fan animations, comics, conventions, art/prints, merchandise, zines, discourses and debates such as “proshippers” versus “antis,” etc)
Animation series that evolve and “grow” with their audiences (e.g., Adventure Time (2010—2018) and Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (2023))
Queer-coding and/or queer expression in animation (e.g., Heaven Official’s Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu, 2020—), Nimona (2023), The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi, 2018—2021), Steven Universe (2013—2019), Adventure Time (2010—2018), etc)
Corporate Hollywood’s efforts address diversity (e.g., Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto, etc.)
The exploitation of animators in corporate cinema
Social and/or technological developments in animation
The issue of AI in animation and art
Issues of censorship and/or loss of work in corporate animation

We encourage submissions from graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and established scholars. Papers should be between 2,000-3,500 words, follow MLA guidelines, and include a detailed works cited page, as well as a short biography of the author. Submissions should be directed toward SUBMISSIONS@CINEPHILE.CA and general inquiries toward INFO@CINEPHILE.CA.

Submissions are due by March 6th, 2024.

Cinephile is the University of British Columbia’s film journal, published with the continued support of the Centre for Cinema Studies. Cinephile and UBC Vancouver are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations of the Coast Salish peoples. Caring for this land since time immemorial, the culture, history, and traditions of the Coast Salish people are inextricable with these regions and enduring in these spaces. Cinephile acknowledges its identity as a product of settler violence and colonization and is committed to learning and engaging with Indigenous voices and histories on the UBC campus.

Previous issues have featured original essays by such noted scholars as Lee Edelman, Slavoj Žižek, Paul Wells, Murray Pomerance, Ivone Marguiles, Matt Hills, Barry Keith Grant, K.J. Donnelly, Robert Stam, and Sarah Kozloff. Since 2009, the journal has adopted a blind review process and has moved to annual publication. It is available both online and in print via subscription and selected retailers.

Incoming editors: Jade Courchesne, David Wu, Jenny Yang