Animation and the ancient world / edited by Chiara Sulprizio, C.W. Marshall.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Sulprizio, Chiara, 1977- editor.

Marshall, C. W., 1968- editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civilization, Ancient, in motion pictures.

Mythology, Classical, in motion pictures.

Animated films--Themes, motives.

Animated films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource : illustrations

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Animation and the Ancient World fills a gap among reception studies of ancient Greece and Rome by offering an extended chronological and thematic treatment of the vivid and diverse world of animation featuring the ancient world. It explores how ancient stories, handed down in mythology, history, and philosophy, have been remixed and revitalized in this unique medium in a guided selection of sixteen chapters, each of which engages directly with the ancient Mediterranean world broadly conceived, through a range of case studies from animated film and television. In the first section, “Heroes,” the chapters survey familiar figures from ancient mythology—Hercules, Odysseus, and Icarus—and reflect on the enduring popularity of these heroes and their journeys in animation. The second section, “Worlds,” expands outward from the heroic realm and contemplates how animation enables the re-creation of fantastical ancient landscapes, which in turn give rise to innovative retellings and reuse of ancient material. The last section, “Histories,” features five chapters that move into the realm of the real and utilize animation as a means of reconceiving the events of the Greco-Roman past in vivid, memorable, and sometimes subversive ways. The contributions adopt a global perspective, not limited to North America: each section includes chapters dedicated to animation in Europe and in East Asia as well. Animation and the Ancient World aims to become a foundational text for further work in this burgeoning area of Classical reception"-- Oxford Academic.

Contents:

Moving shadows in the dark / C. W. Marshall and Chiara Sulprizio

Divine vulnerability in Disney’s Hercules franchise / Maciej W. Paprocki

The mighty Hercules and five-minute mythology / C. W. Marshall

Psychological odysseys in children’s television / Krishni Burns

Ulysses 31 and classical reception within anime / Craig I. Hardiman

Reanimating Icarus / Chiara Sulprizio

Utopias and Cloud Cuckoo Land in coming-of-age animated fantasy / Amy L. Norgard

Archaeology and mythology : animating a composite Midas / Frances Foster

Miyazaki and Shinkai : classical katabasis and folklore motifs in Japanese animation / Stephen Fodroczi

Roman gladiatorial combat in the Dressrosa arc of One Piece / Gabriele Roccella and Julie Newman

Watership Down as eco-epic animation / Amanda Potter

The wise men of antiquity and the socialist imagination in Soviet animation of the 1970s / Ekaterina But

Athletics and exploitation : Extra Olympia Kyklos and the politics of adaptation / Sierra Schiano

Saint Seiya under the lens of Xenophon’s philosophy / Rodrigo Illarraga and Florencia Castro Possi

King of Macedon vs. king of games : Alexander the Great in Yu‑Gi‑Oh! / Phillip C. Höhre

Necromancing ancient heroes and heroines in the Fate anime series / Nicole Becklinger and Jeremy Swist.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Online resource; title from home page (Oxford Academic, viewed May 5, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Animation and the ancient world

ISBN:

9780197800652

0197800653

9780197800638

0197800637

9780197800645

0197800645

OCLC:

1574925654

Publisher Number:

CIPO000359186

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license