Theses and Dissertations Collection

Animation holds a powerful ability to transport viewers to magical worlds as well as reveal aspects about the world around us that cannot be captured by live-action cinema or even expressed through words. An ecocritical look into cartoons has begun to unfold within the field of what has been called "enviro-toons," which examines specifically cartoons with obvious environmental messages as themes. I propose a new term, "eco-animation," which can open the field even further to examine other forms of animation beyond cartoons as well as ecological issues that might be layered beneath narratives that aren't overtly environmental. This project examines popular animated examples such as the films Rango, Epic, The Croods, the videogame Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, and the popular culture icons the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These texts open the door for eco-animation to reveal further the power of animation to convey layered ecological messages and issues to a large audience.