Literature Review and Research Method
In the studies I looked at, for example, Bateman et al. (2014) explain that meaning in visual media isn’t created by just one element, but by the interaction of multiple factors—like visuals, language, sound, and editing. Similarly, Mayer (2009) emphasizes that combining language, audio, and visuals boosts learning. But these studies mostly focus on how people process information. They don’t really dive into the creator’s intentions or how animations are actually structured. That’s where my approach comes in: I’ll build my own criteria based on these theories to analyze how animations are designed and how they create meaning.
In concreate, I first read the key literature to build my analysis criteria. Then, I apply these criteria to compare different animations like educational animation series such as “Pakkorin” and “Shimajiro no Wa!”, and as entertainment animations like “Inside Out,” and no phrase and dialogue animation such as “WALL-E,” and “Shaun the Sheep.” After analyzing them, I’ll organize the results in tables so it’s easy to see how each animation works and how they has different. Through this, I hope to get a deepen understanding of what educational animation is.
