Animation Theatre: Michel Gagn

1965- Present

Fig. 1 Michel Gagn

Canadian born artist Michel Gagn is hard to categorise with regards to the type of art he specialises in because he has worked in so many different types. Just some of them include comics, writer, book illustrator and game designer but he is probably most well-known for his delve into the world of animation. With credits to his name including An American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven and The Iron Giant, as well as working for Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers Studios theres no wonder hes a highly regarded figure in the animation industry right now. It isnt just his type of art that changes on a regular basis; Gagn also mixes up the style of his work, trying to create something new for each of his creations. Oh yes he has a fixation of anything to do with creation and so it has become his focus to experiment with his own creations. A cinematic storyteller, writer, illustrator, game designer and animator, Gagn tries to reinvent himself, with every project he puts his heart into. (Lemos: 2011)

Fig. 2 The Iron Giant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fa8K0nxo9k

The Iron Giant is probably one of Gagns most recognised works, it is meant for children but there is something about Gagn that enables him to throw out the certificate classification of the animations he is a part of and appeal to a much wider audience no matter their age. It may just be the simplicity of his artwork which is not automatically viewed as too childish or too mature but which instead assists in telling the story on all levels of maturity and knowledge, something Forbidden Planet has picked up on. The beauty of Gagns work is that he holds an almost

universal appeal. His simple stories and delightful, uncluttered and clean lines on the page draw in children and adults alike. But his stories can be read on several levels. (Forbidden Planet: 2007) It isnt just the age groups that Gagn equally seems to engage; it is the audiences of a variety of genres and styles that are also engrossed by his work and Gagns Sensology is a perfect illustration of this. Exemplifying a muse from Kandinskys work Sensology is something all the more different from Gagn focusing on depicting the act of a piece of music within his animation as his character with shape and movement, and so he opens up his work to the world of abstract art, to music lovers especially jazz and even back to fans of Norman McLaren with the way the piece is put together, dont those horizontal lines look familiar

Fig. 3 Sensology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWKtXDvr04

Again an all new style was taken up when Gagn entered the animation of videogames, he kept his characteristic bright colours but also took the monochromatic technique he had picked up such as in Sensology combining them to form Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet something completely different to both Gagns own work and the rest of the animation industry. However, he doesnt leave his influences behind with McLarens work being suggested throughout the silhouetted shapes and forms within the game that are not just shapes but characters that Gagn has created out of inanimate forms through movement.

Fig. 4 Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Gagn doesnt seem to be fazed by the change in animation but rather embraces it, he is after all extremely interested in the idea of creation and so it isnt surprising that he is able to create a career of work which is full of different techniques and styles but can still be recognised as his own.

Michel Gagn allows his imagination to run away with him. Whether creating lavish or bizarre illustrations, comic book epics, or visual design, he leaves the mark of his unique creativity on his work. (Ogden: 2007) In fact in doing so Gagn has changed animation already, he has communicated each piece of his work in a way that has inspired aspiring animators and current animators of our time and so his ways of communicating animation will be referred back to again and again.

Bibliography
Forbidden Planet International (2007) The Propaganda Review presents the incredible work of Michael Gagne http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2007/the-propaganda-review-presents-theincredible-work-of-michael-gagne%e2%80%a6/ (Accessed 11/03/2012) Lemos, Joyce, (2011) Animation Reporter (India) http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/misc/articles/AnimationReporter.html (Accessed 11/03/2012) Ogden, Steve, (2007) The Insanely Twisted World of Michel Gagn http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/misc/Interviews/Animwatch/page_1.html (Accessed 11/03/2012)

List of Illustrations
Fig. 1. Michel Gagn. [Online image]. On gagneint.com http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/About%20Michel/bio/Michel_FFF_2010.jpg (Accessed 11/03/2012) Fig. 2. The Iron Giant. [Online image].On gagneint.com http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/Gallery/films/irongiant/Crash/1.jpg (Accessed 11/03/2012) Fig. 3. Sensology. [Online image].On gagneint.com http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/Animation/Sensology/Sensology.html (Accessed 11/03/2012) Fig. 4. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. [Online image].On gagneint.com http://www.gagneint.com/itsp/itsp_main_gallery_07.html (Accessed 11/03/2012)