A historical enquiry into the animation unit, situated within the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) 1976-1988

Abstract

Abstract This historical enquiry exhibits the chronology, growth and development of the South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) Animation Unit (1975-88), largely through the understanding of the Unit's production context as well as through a contextual analysis of the socio-political, economic and technological landscapes of the decades preceding the launch of television in South Africa. This report traces the history of animation through the pre-cinematic, cinematic and televisual eras, both locally and internationally, in an attempt to expose the many influences, overlapping animation traditions and parallel technological histories evident between Europe, America and South Africa. This empirical study is concerned with the preservation of the history of the South African Animation Unit through the combined use of archival materials, interview subjects and pre-existing historical data.