Madame Butterfly Animation

 

    Out of the three versions we watched, I liked the animation the best. I am actually a huge fan of animation and I find stop motion animation (like the Madame Butterfly animation) to be fascinating. It takes a lot of time and effort to create an animation like this and the way that they interpreted the original story and added their own twist on things was really great. The puppets visually were great and the use of a ken like doll for Pinkerton and a handmade doll for Butterfly really helped to show that they were of different ethnicities. The backgrounds were simple and stuck with the theme of the puppets but they were still striking. 

    I think my favorite thing about the animation is that even though the puppets themselves are mostly silent, you still get to hear some of the original songs from the opera. The songs don't feel out of place, in fact they are ingrained into the plot because certain songs fit certain moods that Butterfly is experiencing. I feel that the music box was a great way to incorporate the music and like Pinkerton's cap, they are symbols of his love and reminders to Butterfly of him.   

    Another thing that I really liked about the animation was the fact that the characters never spoke. Often times I feel film, animation, and T.V. rely too much on sound and explaining the plot to the audience. You don't get to read the actors body language and interpret for yourself because the characters themselves already spelled everything out for you. With the Madame Butterfly animation, you get the plot through the characters actions and hinted emotions. The story itself isn't too difficult to understand so it allows you to admire the animation for what it is, rather than it telling you how to feel.