THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ART ELEMENTS IN THAI ANIMATION

Abstract

The objectives of this research article were to study the evolution of Thai animations and analyze the creative process of Thai animation directors while developing the art form. This research utilized textual analysis in conjunction with expert interviews to assess the evolution of Thai animation from the very first inceptions to the recent releases. The researcher chronologically categorized Thai animations into 3 ages; 1. The first age is 2. The transitional age and 3. The current age. Thai animations selected for this study were collected and analyzed based on the criterion that the animations were released in theaters nationwide between 1979 AD- 2018 AD. The findings of the research showed that: Thai animations have improved in all aspects over time including character design, set design, and the quality of animation. However, the stories are often based on known works of traditional literature or history. This makes the work harder to comprehend and not so appealing to global markets. Thai animation has a quality workforce to produce animation at global standards but is not economically successful. The researcher concludes that as an industry, Thai animation has a quality workforce to produce animation at global standards but is not economically successful. To make this industry successful, the Thai government and related organizations should collaborate and support the industry. Additionally, the styles and stories of animations should be synthesized to be globally appealing and not taken literally from traditional source materials. Lastly, academic institutes and the industry should share their knowledge and experiences to produce a capable workforce for the Thai animation industry.