Maria Pagès | Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (original) (raw)

Papers by Maria Pagès

Animation (in)Flux Symposium, 2024

This paper explores the special features of animation in order to better introduce idle animation... more This paper explores the special features of animation in order to better introduce idle animations into the gameplay using its full potential. It combines methods from different branches that nourish its multidisciplinary approach such as Traditional and Digital Animation practices, Game Studies research, Ethnologic taxonomy of non-verbal communication, Cognitive theory, Human-Machine Interaction and Image Analysis. The text suggests a critical evaluation of the potentialities that animation can offer to the core of immersion in the gameplay and to the empathy aroused from virtual characters. To justify our assumptions, we will also focus on several case studies of video games that use idle animations to deep into the roundness of characters, to set a distinctive mood, to link the player with the surrounding setting or just to entertain with basic beckoning signs. After some years of video game degrees becoming-of-age in world-wide universities, there is a controversial subject that arises in the classroom as far as it is suggested during any given session. Year after year, when questioning about what is an idle animation, someone raises its hand in disappointment with the definition given by current literature of the subject. The consensus about the need and definition of the oxymoron "idle animation" is not easy to achieve, as it is shown by the eternal debate that encompasses students, practitioners and game designers as well. This article will try y to elucidate this uncomfort table zone in video games that defines the unsettling world of idle animations.

The birth of Spanish animation studios and their settlement during the Franco’s dictatorship

Animation Studies 2.0, 2024

Despite a common belief, the industrialization of Spanish animation studios took place only a dec... more Despite a common belief, the industrialization of Spanish animation studios took place only a decade later than in the United States. However, the first experiences happened at the beginning of the 20th century.

Con A de Animación, 2023

After visiting the Disney studios in 1930, Sergei Eisenstein wrote several texts about a characte... more After visiting the Disney studios in 1930, Sergei Eisenstein wrote several texts about a characteristic that he detected in the animation cinema of the time: plasmatic- ness. With this adjective he tried to define the ability of animated bodies and objects to alter their original form throughout the story. Recently some authors (Cook, 2018; Väliaho, 2017; Rebecchi, 2020) have dust- ed off these texts and have analyzed an- imation and its by-products through the plasmaticness proposed by Eisenstein. This text aims to analyze productions of all times of animation cinema to see if the presence of plasticity has decreased, or increased. The intention is to find out if this feature that Eisenstein saw as char- acteristic of early animation is maintained over time and if it is still present in current productions.

grafica, 2018

L’any 1950 es tanca l’edat d’or dels dibuixos animats a Barcelona i Espanya amb un llargmetratge ... more L’any 1950 es tanca l’edat d’or dels dibuixos animats a Barcelona i Espanya amb un llargmetratge atipic que reuneix a destacades personalitats del moment. En aquest treball s’analitza que van aportar els seus creadors al film i que va significar aquest dins de la seva trajectoria creativa i vital. El treball acaba demostrant que l’atipicitat d’aquest film d’animacio es fruit de la marcada personalitat dels quatre principals membres que els van dur a terme.

Els pioners de l'animació a Catalunya: la consolidació de la indústria de comunicació de masses a partir del film Érase una vez... (1950)

Programa de Doctorat : Traducció, Gènere i Estudis CulturalsA partir de l’estudi del film d’anima... more Programa de Doctorat : Traducció, Gènere i Estudis CulturalsA partir de l’estudi del film d’animació dirigit per Alexandre Cirici i Josep Escobar Érase una vez... (1950), aquesta tesi fa un recorregut per entendre com, durant l’autarquia franquista (1939-1951), i en el camp de l’animació a Catalunya, es va gestar un engranatge tècnic i un teixit industrial prou sòlid com per arribar a produir films d’animació que estaven a l’alçada del què s’estava fent a la resta d’Europa. Ja que la seva consolidació no va ser possible, intentarem dilucidar les causes i la magnitud de l’edat d’or de l’animació espanyola amb seu a Barcelona resseguint els punts clau del desenvolupament d’aquest llenguatge i de la modernitat que va promoure a partir de la cultura popular del moment.A partir del estudio del film de animación dirigido por Alexandre Cirici y Josep Escobar Érase una vez... (1950), esta tesis hace un recorrido para entender como, durante la autarquia franquista (1939-1951), y en el campo ...

Serra d'Or, 2021

Després de més de deu anys de trifulgues entre entitats del barri i representants del districte, ... more Després de més de deu anys de trifulgues entre entitats del barri i representants del districte, a principis d’agost del 2021 s’enderrocava l’edifici que va ser la seu de l’estudi d’animació espanyol capaç de produir el primer llargmetratge d’animació tradicional a nivell europeu: Garbancito de la Mancha (1945). Com que a hores d’ara és impossible preservar la que fou la seu dels estudis Balet y Blay del 1943 fins al 1951, intentarem fer un repàs a allò que aquest estudi d’animació del barri del Coll-Vallcarca va significar per a la història de l’animació catalana, espanyola i fins i tot europea.

Hoja de Sala Filmoteca Española, 2021

La digitalización por parte de la Filmoteca Española de poco más de dos minutos del corto "El ... more La digitalización por parte de la Filmoteca Española de poco más de dos minutos del corto "El Rata primero" (1933) aporta nuevas piezas al complejo rompecabezas de los inicios de la historia de la animación en España. A partir de este hallazgo, se hace un recorrido por los inicios y las figuras principales del cine de animación durante la República.

Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Mar 23, 2020

During the 1940s, the Spanish animation industry based in Barcelona reached a high technical leve... more During the 1940s, the Spanish animation industry based in Barcelona reached a high technical level. Despite the Franco dictatorship and austerity following the Spanish Civil War, the Catalan animation industry produced feature-length films that bore comparison with those made elsewhere in Europe. This article looks at the reasons for and the nature of Barcelona’s Golden Age of Animation, and follows the steps on the industry’s path to technical mastery. The author revisits the history of the Spanish Golden Age of Animation (which lasted from 1939 to 1951) in the context of the international animation scene at the time.

Canemàs, revista de pensament associatiu, 2018

Publicació de l'article a partir de la xerrada "Parlem de... Manuel Cubeles i Érase una vez (1950... more Publicació de l'article a partir de la xerrada "Parlem de... Manuel Cubeles i Érase una vez (1950) "que va tenir lloc al Festival Ésdansa el 2018.

Serra d'Or, 2020

In 2020 it was the 70th anniversary of the première of Érase una vez... (1950), an animated film ... more In 2020 it was the 70th anniversary of the première of Érase una vez... (1950), an animated film that blossomed in the final period of the Golden Age of Spanish animation. Walt Disney feared this film would compete in the European market with his own Cinderella, so the Catalan studio was banned by the Burbank one to use the same title. This article aims to balance the lack of activites around this anniversary.
El 2020 es va complir el setantè aniversari de l'estrena d'Érase una vez (1950), un film d'animació que va florir durant el periode final de l'edat daurada de l'animació a Espanya. El mateix Walt Disney va tenir por que el film català competís amb la seva Cinderella i l'estudi americà va prohibir al català l'ús del mateix títol. Aquest article persegueix equilibrar l'absència d'activitats entorn aquest aniversari traçant cronològicament el periple de creació del film.

Journal of Visual Political Communication, 2020

This article analyses the political undercurrents running through the first European hand-drawn a... more This article analyses the political undercurrents running through the first European hand-drawn animated feature-length film, which was made in Barcelona in 1945. It was titled Garbancito de la Mancha and will be analysed at discursive, iconic and visual levels. The goal is to establish whether political events during the Second World War years as well as the early years (1939–45) of the Franco dictatorship are reflected in the film. After the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), two main political parties struggled to control the nation. One of them was the Spanish version of fascism (the Falange); the other was the Catholic Party (National-Catholicism). The end of the Second World War was to mark a showdown between the two parties for political hegemony. The outcome set the tone for the regime until its demise in 1975 with Franco’s death. Given that the film was made by key political figures of the period, the ideology of the film will be revealed by visualizing the myths and values for the period spanning from 1939 to 1951 when Spain pursued autarky (self-sufficiency).

JOURNAL OF GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMICS, 2020

Spanish animation went through a Golden Age after the Civil War (1936–1939). No fewer than four f... more Spanish animation went through a Golden Age after the Civil War
(1936–1939). No fewer than four feature films were made in seven
years. The making of animated cartoons in Barcelona began in the
1920s, reaching a technical zenith in the 1940s through the efforts of
press illustrators and comic strip authors. This paper examines the
development of Spanish animation language through one of Josep
Escobar’s comic strips. Escobar shows how illustrations could be used
to explain technical matters to children. Using comic strips to spread
technical know-how was uncommon in post-Civil War Spain. It is time
to revisit the history of Spanish animation through the eyes of a
pioneering comic strip author who had closely followed American
and European advances in the field from the early days.

Con A de animación, 2019

Although Josep Escobar is well known as the cre- ator of the comic strip characters of Zipi and Z... more Although Josep Escobar is well known as the cre- ator of the comic strip characters of Zipi and Zape or Carpanta, he was one of the Spanish Anima- tion pioneers. Even though he had a fruitful ca- reer in the Animation field, that lasted more than fifteen years, his animated works are unknown by public at large. To fill that gap, this article aims to make a journey through the several contributions he made to the Animation language, which in- herited his experience in apparently such uneven fields like the comic strip, the mechanics of the gag, the dissemination of Animation technique, the creation of characters, the animated docu- mentaries and the film direction.

Publicacions GREDITS, 2016

This article analyses the relationship between illustrated journals and animation industry after ... more This article analyses the relationship between illustrated journals and animation industry after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Some of the most well-known illustrators of the period, such us Josep Escobar, Salvador Mestres and Artur Moreno, transferred their characters from the press into the animated screen. The permeability between both media enriched animated language as much as comic journals of post-War era.

Publicacions GREDITS 03, 2017

This article analyses how female characters had been depicted in Spanish animation, from its sile... more This article analyses how female characters had been depicted in Spanish animation, from its silent era to nowadays. With some examples from different decades, the female characters had been constructed from a masculine point of view because very few Spanish women were and are able to direct an animated feature film, even nowadays (figures say that just the 7%). This situation has an impact on how female characters appear in the screen and the roles they play in the narrative development.

Gráfica, 2018

In 1950 the Golden Age of Spanish animation, based in Barcelona, ends with an animation feature f... more In 1950 the Golden Age of Spanish animation, based in Barcelona, ends with an animation feature film made by well-known personalities of that period. This research analyses the inputs from the creators of the film and how it contributed to their personal and vital careers. The research concludes that the peculiarity of the film is due to the strong personality of the four main members involved in the production.

Comunicació. Revista de Recerca i d'Anàlisi, 2016

The following paper presents the results of the research carried out on the origin and evolution ... more The following paper presents the results of the research carried out on the origin and evolution of the animation industry in Catalonia during the postwar period. More specifically, this work focuses on the 1942-1951 period, a golden age in terms of creativity and enterprising golden for this industry and country. Several different projects were developed in the city of Barcelona despite the adverse conditions and complicated context. Some of the works produced during this period were distributed and acknowledged internationally. The text is divided in four sections: 1. Political, economical and cultural context, 2. Enterprising projects, 3. Creative talent and 4. Final conclusions.

Books by Maria Pagès

Cuerpos representados. Objetos de ciencia artísticos en España, siglos XVIII-XIX, 2020

Hermanos Baguñà SL fue una productora de Jaume Baguñà (1907-1994) que durante veinte años estuvo ... more Hermanos Baguñà SL fue una productora de Jaume Baguñà (1907-1994) que durante veinte años estuvo creando animaciones divulgativas paralelas a los planes de estudios de la época para dar a conocer temas como la medicina, las matemáticas o la geografía. Este capítulo da repaso a la producción científica con animaciones de Baguñà Hermanos S.L para entender su envergadura y aportaciones en el campo de la comunicación científica en Cataluña desde los años cuarenta a los sesenta del siglo pasado.

Conference Presentations by Maria Pagès

Actas El estrellato cinematográfico en España. Actrices bajo el franquismo, 2021

This article studies the filmography of the comic Spanish actress Mary Santpere. The objective is... more This article studies the filmography of the comic Spanish actress Mary Santpere. The objective is to investigate the origin of the characters she featured in the theatre plays and how they provided feedback to the cinema ones. Due to a comic proposal, her characters show an alternative
to the ideal of femininity under Franco’s Dictatorship and they also show the slight modernization of the feminine roles that took place during the sixties.

La dona visible. Presències de la feminitat en la pantalla. 1895-1920, 2020

This paper proposes to trace the archetype of the Tamed Woman and its presence in the imagery of ... more This paper proposes to trace the archetype of the Tamed Woman and its presence in the imagery of the American animated works preserved nowadays and released between the birth of cinema and 1920.