Blog Post 3

            I’ve been interested in the topic of stop motion picture animation ever since my first viewing of the Wallace and Gromit British clay animation series. Though Madama Butterfly and Wallace and Gromit have nothing to do with each other whatsoever in terms of storyline and characters, they are both stop motion picture animations that involve lifeless objects. Also, Wallace and Gromit does contain dialogue as well which does require more effort and time obviously. However, both animations are very smooth when it comes to the flow of the visuals. Additionally, although Madama Butterfly seems more of a film for a mature audience unlike Wallace and Gromit, the different techniques used in Madama Butterfly to get some sort of message across to the audience with the lack of any dialogue is something I do applaud.

            I admit that I do think it was somewhat humorous to use what seemed like a fishbowl and a fish to represent the pregnant mother and her child. Particularly when the glass broke when she delivered her child was amusing in a weird way. I originally thought the reason why that was the case was because it was indeed a sailor that impregnated her which could be a connection to the fish and water being elements of the sea, but I might be thinking a little bit too deeply. I am a little confused on the woman’s identity, however, because it’s obvious that the male character was a sailor possibly related to the navy. The island where the woman is located isn’t specified but her race seems to be that of an Asian country which links with the idea of the sea captain belonging to the navy.

            Aside from the storyline, I’ve always appreciated stop motion animation films and the work that is put into them. From the creation of the characters and their minute movements, to the artistic scenery and sounds used in films like this one. The things used to create films like this are all simple material, but, obviously, with technology involved, the artist can give this material energy and can create something quite beautiful. I myself have created a stop motion animation film much simpler. With time being a factor, I used simple figurines and whatever I had around me in terms of the environment and setting to establish scenes and a story and with my ideas, materials, and my computer I brought the plastic figurines to life.