Investigating Storytelling Differences Between Western and Eastern Computer Animation

Abstract

Throughout the twentieth century, animation has been used to tell a variety of stories. The narratives told through animation are diverse, owing to their origins on various continents. Different regions of the world produce an animation that takes a unique approach to storytelling. This distinguishes the animation’s story, as the storytelling approach would significantly influence the culture from which it originated. The story’s origins can be traced back to the geographical location of the animation’s production, and this approach is classified as either western or eastern animation. This classification demonstrates a significant distinction between the animation produced and its storytelling approach when viewed from a western and an eastern perspective. Numerous previous studies have established a significant distinction between the western and eastern approaches to computer animation storytelling. Two critical factors have been identified as having a significant impact on and influencing the storytelling approach of western and eastern animation: culture and origin. Culture has a significant impact and influence on how western and eastern computer animation storytellers tell their stories. This paper investigates the storytelling differences between western and eastern computer animation. The paper begins with an overview of the storytelling approach from both a western (American) and an eastern (Japanese) perspective in computer animation. Both western and eastern computer animation storytelling approaches are discussed in detail to provide a thorough understanding of the storytelling approaches used and practised within each category. Following that, an analysis of the significant differences and approaches between western and eastern computer animation storytelling is presented, focusing on the storytelling elements and storytelling models (narrative structure). The findings of this analysis will be used as a foundation of storytelling approaches and practice in western and eastern computer animation, with the goal of proposing a conceptual storytelling model for Malaysian computer animation.