METAPHOR — current posts — Fantasy/Animation

Unveiling the Invisible: A Deep Dive into Metonymy and Metaphor in 2D Animated Short Film Void

With animation’s unique ability to penetrate the internal world of a range of living organisms, it can make the invisible visible (Wells 1998, 122). It is undeniable that animation stands out as a powerful medium for exploring human complex emotions and psychological states, and as an animator myself, the most commonly employed and explored framework that I experience throughout my studies and creative practice is the use of metaphor to abstractly depicted the mind. However, unlike metaphors that have been extensively researched and discussed throughout the history of animation studies (see Wells 1998; Uhrig 2018), the concept of metonymy within animated representation, a similar literary device to metaphor, has yet to be extensively talked about.

CREATIVE REFLECTIONWaroonrat (Palmmy)March 21, 2025METAPHOR, METONYMY, SYMBOLISMComment

Exploring Beets: Conceptualising Loneliness Through Metaphorical Symbolism

The expression of emotion in the design of animated characters is not always a constant event or visible activity; rather, it is often presented in a subtle, complex, and multifaceted way. This is because the contribution of emotion to the formation of a character is closely connected with different backgrounds and contexts, which reflect the richness of human experience (Uhrig 2018).

EDITORIALZhijun HuangMay 17, 2024METAPHOR, SYMBOLISM, EMOTIONComment

Analysis of (OO) (Seoro Oh, 2017)

(OO) is an animated short film directed by Seoro Oh in 2017 that illustrates the unpleasant experiences that someone encounters when they catch a cold. The unnamed protagonist’s journey begins with a sneeze but escalates into a cold. He is shown struggling with breathing through his nostrils and, as a result, finds himself constantly blowing his nose into a tissue. Everyone, at some point in their lives, experiences the feeling of not being able to properly breathe through their nostrils, whether it is because of a cold, being sick in general, or allergies.

EDITORIALJessica ShenOctober 13, 2023METAPHOR, REPRESENTATION, IDENTITY, STYLEComment

Political oppression and resistance in Jiří Trnka’s Ruka/The Hand (1965)

In 1965, the Czech draughtsman, book illustrator, puppet and toy designer, painter, animated film-maker and sculptor Jiří Trnka released his last short animation film Ruka/The Hand (1965). The silent 18 minute animation delivers a powerful and chilling dynamic; allegorically and metaphorically representing the influence of the communist political regime on the freedom of people through the framing of Trnka as the main character (a harlequin) and the accompanying image of the hand, which overpowers harlequin’s agency.

SEQUENCE ANALYSISRenée-Marie PizzardiJuly 29, 2022CZECH, POLITICAL, ALLEGORY, STOP-MOTION, SYMBOLISM, METAPHORComment

Come, Again: Exploring the Sticky Business of Animated Sperm

As someone who was schooled in the UK between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, I don’t have extensive memories of the formal teaching of sex education, for such classes were embarrassingly few.

EDITORIALEddie FalveyMay 20, 2022REPRESENTATION, GENDER, SEXUALITY, FANTASY, METAPHOR, SYMBOLISMComment

Metaphor and Symbol in HBO’s Westworld

Metaphors and symbols are closely connected in animated films. In his seminal book Understanding Animation, Paul Wells (1998) describes how metaphors extend from symbols, noting that “whilst the symbol invests an object with a specific, if historically flexible meaning, the metaphor offers the possibility of a number of discourses within its over-arching framework” (1998, 84).

EDITORIALCarmen HannibalApril 30, 2021TELEVISION, FANTASY, FICTIONAL WORLDS, SPECIAL EFFECTS, VISUALISATION, METAPHOR, SYMBOLISMComment

The Environmental Emergency: An Animated Success Story?

With the Global Climate Strike, Greta Thunberg, environmental disasters and the rise of Extinction Rebellion, it seems like this is the decade when the world is waking up to the environmental emergency. However, it is clear that the research that climate-induced natural catastrophes and multiple activist organisations have existed for decades (especially if we cast our minds back to the 1960s), without leading to a real sense of urgency, albeit due to enormous efforts by big polluters to deny the science. This is where animation comes in. Data from hardworking scientists and policy analysts have illustrated the rapid destruction of our natural habitat for decades. But today, media – and animation in our case – has been able to obtain a much stronger impact on civil society – and, by extension, politicians – and amplify the voices of those who have been too easily dismissed in the past.

EDITORIALEmmanuelle DotNovember 15, 2019ENVIRONMENT, POLITICAL, ALLEGORY, METAPHOR, EDUCATIONComment