Animation in Austria

Florian Schmidlechner has been researching animation history at the University of Vienna’s Institute of Contemporary History since 2007. Alongside his publishing and lecturing, he has contributed to international projects such as the US DVD More Cartoons for Victory! (2012) and a 2015 documentary for German television. Recently, he co-authored a chapter on the history of Austrian animated film for The Encyclopedia of Animation Studies, published by Bloomsbury.

“Florian Schmidlechner’s Animation in Austria takes readers on a captivating journey through the Austrian animation scene, offering valuable insights into both the artistry and technology behind it, making it a must-read for enthusiasts and professionals alike.”Virgil Widrich, Oscar-nominated and award-winning Austrian director, screenwriter, and multimedia artist, acclaimed for his groundbreaking contributions to film and digital art.“The emergence of the new Austrian animated film is presented in an exemplary manner. The texts are authentic, factually accurate, and meticulously researched—highly recommended.”Hubert Sielecki, founder of the Studio for Experimental Animated Film at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, co-founder of ASIFA Austria, artist, and animated filmmaker.

• Prologue A Nation of Animation Without Animation, Part 1 From Flickers to Frames: Animation Through the Lens of Innovation and War, 1.1 Turning the Wheel: Pre-Cinema Animation, 1.2 The Emperor’s New Films: Animation’s Emergence During WWI, 1.3 Imperial Frames: Austria’s Animation Legacy in Habsburg Successor States, 1.4 Twenties Turnaround: The Rise and Fall of Animation, 1.5 It’s a Mouse! Disney Copycats in the 1930s, 1.6 An Austrian Superman: Austria’s Heroes in the World of Animation, Part 2 From War Rooms to Animation Studios: Austria’s Journey into the Digital Age, 2.1 Animated Exile: Austrian Creators During WWII, 2.2 Animating the Boom: How Economic Growth Rebuilt the Industry, 2.3 “For a Piece of Heart”: Austria’s Animated Reanimation, 2.4 “Cinema Is Not Movement”: Animated Experiments, 2.5 New Austrian Animated Film: Postmodernism in Motion, 2.6 Ink and Pixels Unite: The Evolution of Animation in the Digital Age, Part 3 What Was Once Invisible: Austria’s Animation Claims Its Place, 3.1 From Sketches to Statues: Austria’s Animated Ascent to the Oscars, 3.2 New Austrian Animation: A Return to Narrative Storytelling, 3.3 Thrice the First: The Quest for Austria’s First Animated Feature, 3.4 Animation Becoming Tricky Realities: Austrian Film Festivals, 3.5 How Duckburg Became Austrian: Character Designer Florian Satzinger, 3.6 Very British? Very Austrian! Animation on Stage, Epilogue