Jumping – Osamu Tezuka (1984)

Jumping – Osamu Tezuka (1984) 

http://vimeo.com/22840924

The titles and beginning and ending credits at the start of this animation give a nice effect relating to the title, as they seem to be 'jumping' up and down.

The main character of this animation is never shown, but it seems that it is of a rabbit, as its movements are of constant jumping, and the character starts off in a countryside scene.

The animation is told from the characters point of view; it is interesting for the audience to be seeing through their eyes.

This could be seen as a use of synecdoche, although the character is not seen, the fact that the audience is looking through their eyes is used as a representation of the character.

This animation is in colour, and looks like it was mostly hand drawn, with bold lines and colours throughout. Effects of the artists' hand are visible but I think this is a pleasant technique regarding this animation.

As the character jumps along, the scene changes from that of the countryside to that of an incredibly busy and industrialized city. This could be a metaphor showing the impact of humans over the years.

The characters also visits other parts of the world affected by war and the colonization of humans, with iconic imagery, such as a mushroom cloud, shown.

Nearer the end of the animation, the character comes across two devil-like creatures who are shown among fire and a large cooking pot. Then the character jumps up and through a (rabbit) hole, back to the first scene of the animation. This could be a metaphor to suggest that this is what humans are (to become), and that they are the cause of evil in the world.

The sounds in this animation also tie in with this possible metaphor and symbolism, as they get louder and harsher throughout the course of the animation. The contrast of sounds used at the beginning, for example birds singing, and at the end, for example explosions and screaming, also have an emotional effect on the reader.

I personally really liked this animation. I thought the way in which the audience was given the position of a character was not human was used really well to capture the message of this animation. I also really liked the style and colours used, as they were somewhat cartoon-ish and eye catching.