Go Global With Animation News

Animation has become a mainstream form of art in the United States. No longer is it limited to afternoon cartoons for kids or cult short films from independent animators. Large studios routinely release feature-length films, and there is even an Oscar category for best animated feature now. For new animation fans, this is a golden age when information is abundant. Choosing how to sift through that information can be time-consuming, so relying on animation news sites is what many fans do. If you're looking around at animation news, do yourself a favor and look for global news, not just US-based news.

Mainstream Media Doesn't Often Cover Overseas Animation

With the exception of feature animated films from countries like the United Kingdom and the occasional English-dubbed version of a Studio Ghibli film, mainstream US media does not often cover animation from other countries. Before the Internet became ubiquitous, these cartoons were often restricted to the odd traveling animation festival or to genre-specific clubs, like anime clubs on college campuses in the 1980s. With the spread of the Internet, however, it's now easier than ever to learn about animation in other countries. Because of their animation focus, these news sites are more likely to have space dedicated to more countries. You will still find genre-specific news sites that focus only on one country, but general news sites may have more international information.

You Can Understand More In-Jokes

Animators, like filmmakers, often reference each other's work. Sometimes this is straight-up parody, such as this Simpsons tribute to Studio Ghibli, while other references may be more subtle. Animation is a lot more fun when you see this cross-referencing and understand what's going on. News sites will likely have snippets pointing out Easter eggs and other references that you can go back and watch again.

Keep Yourself in the Loop

And of course, there is regular collaboration, too. These news sites let you know if US and international studios are collaborating on projects. Advance notice lets you look up the other studios and find their work so that you become familiar with their styles. It can be very interesting to watch studios with different approaches to animation collaborate on a film.

These animation news sites are growing in number, which means you have an abundance of news and reference articles to read through. Even if you're already into animation scenes in a few countries, it still helps to gain more knowledge about what's happening all over the world.

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