• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.42
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• pp.53-79
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• 2016

The public interest and popularity of animation has already forecasted the value of animation as the leader of pop culture and cultural industry. The trend in animation changed from 2D to 3D animation, a new genre that appeared in the 1990s with the development of computer technology and innovative changes in media, and 3D animation secured its position in the 2000s. Researches on 3D animation are conducted in various ways. Integrating the area it shares with film and the area it shares with design, it is produced and consumed. This study focused on 'formativeness(design)', the basis of character design, and tried to find out how it is recognized by the audience, who actually watch and feel it. Also, it approached basic theory and tried to deduce logic that is easy to understand and can analyze design or formativeness which keeps changing. Lastly, this study regards the parts that viewers are not satisfied with as problems, and tries to find out a developmental direction. Among the animations for theaters that were big hits in 2015, this study focused on the characters of and . It reviewed errors and what was lacking in the previous studies, collected experts' opinions and made adjustment. Using the frame prepared through this process, it conducted a survey on study participants, the viewers, to see how it is perceived by them. Finally, it tried to find out the reasons why the audience felt that way through theoretical reviews and applications.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.41
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• pp.107-131
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• 2015

This study is on the modification of characters' role and personality between spin-off animation and original works. For this, one of box office hits, (2011) and (2015) have been analyzed with Enneagram and Greimas' Actantial model. The result shows, firstly, the protagonist of spin-off work plays subject role in a new narrative comparing that he/she plays faithful helper's role in original work. Secondly, the protagonist's personality does not show big difference between in spin-off and in original. But, anyway, there's a small change that the secondary personality in original stands out as a primary personality in spin-off. Finally, the standing out personality of the protagonist tends to be 'achiever' or 'loyalist', those of stereotype successful animation characters. In conclusion, the role change according to new narrative seems to be unavoidable. And, the personality change is, too. However, the personality change is partial and it has continuity from the original considering the potential audiences' expectation.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.49
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• pp.325-357
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• 2017

It can be assumed that the reasons why the animation characters, 'Olaf (in Frozen Kingdom)' and 'Minions (in Super Bad)', etc., which were very successful in the merchandising market while having won the popularity better than the main characters are very popular even though such characters appeared only by playing a funny role while assisting the adventures of the main characters are not only because of their cute appearances but also because such characters have their own core features in their inner world as the transitional object-characters. Simply expressing, a 'Transitional Object' as a concept suggested by a child psychologist, 'Donald Winnicott', means a lovey doll or an imaginary friend which temporarily replaces an infant's mother during the procedure when the infant is mentally separated from its mother. However, in case that the theory of transitional objects was applied directly to many narrative content characters for doing a study, there must have been done some studies in advance for establishing some new criteria and indexes related to the transitional object-characters of such narrative contents. Accordingly, while thinking that the 'emotional relationship' between a growth-subject and a growth mediator must be dealt with as the most important content in order to define a transitional object-character in a narration clearly, this researcher established some emotional index for judging the propensities of a transitional object-character on the basis of such way of thinking. The index is composed of 4 kinds of emotional roles (quasi-family member, growth mediator, lovey doll, an imaginary friend), 6 kinds of emotional supports (hugging, protecting, accepting, giving the initiative, improving the relationship and mutual supervising) and 4 kinds of emotional impressions (impression by contacting, impression to protect and impression accepting an attack). In case that some main characters of a family feature animation, 'Inside Out', are analyzed while the index mentioned above is applied, it was found that 'Bing Bong' and 'Sadness' have a high propensity as a transitional object-character. Especially, it could be inversely inferred in which ways some good transitional object-characters can help the narrations on growth of a family feature animation by taking a look at the character, 'Sadness' that has the highest propensity as a transitional object-character. The transitional object-character, 'Sadness' assists the narration on growth internally and externally by helping the internal maturity of a growth-subject in a way of projecting the tasks for the internal maturity of a growth-subject while helping the growth-subject to be successfully externally in a way of providing the growth-subject with some kinds of facilitating emotion. As the results from this Study, since such kinds of emotional experiences provided by such transitional object-characters are displaced to not only the relevant growth-subjects but also the audience who are emphasized with such growth-subjects as they are, such transitional object-characters play a role of hidden benefactors who induce some immersion into the narrations and provide child and adult audience with various layers of emotional satisfaction.