Cheer and Loathing: Ramblings on Indie Animation

One of the most acclaimed writers in animation returns with this informal sequel to his previous books on indie animation, Unsung Heroes of Animation, Animators Unearthed, and Mad Eyed Misfits.

In this collection, award-winning writer, Chris Robinson, looks at a wide range of films, topics (sex, censorship, cultural politics, programming, felt, gifs, VR, dogs) and filmmakers (Masaaki Yuasa, Xi Chen, Gil Alkabetz, Jacques Drouin, Bordo, Rosto, Joaquín Cociña, Cristóbal León, George Schwizgebel, Lizzy Hobbs, Andreas Hykade, Leah Shore, and many others).

Eclectic, brief, fiery, and opinionated, Robinson’s gonzo-tinged writing will amuse, confuse, annoy, and maybe even inspire while, hopefully introducing readers to the wonders of independently-produced animation.

Chris Robinson is a Canadian writer and author. He is also the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) and is a well-known figure in the animated film world and was recently given the 2020 award for Outstanding Contribution to Animation Studies by the World Festival of Animation Film - Animafest Zagreb. In 2022, Robinson received the Prix Rene Jodoin for his contributions to Canadian Animation.

Robinson has been called ＂one of the stylistically most original and most provocative experts in the history of animation. He made a name for himself with a unique and eclectic magazine column Animation Pimp, which became a book of the same name (the column was later renamed into Cheer and Loathing in Animation).

Mastering different methods and styles in critical and scholarly approaches, Robinson covers a broad range of Canadian and global subject matters in his books Estonian Animation: Between Genius and Utter Illiteracy, Unsung Heroes of Animation, Canadian Animation: Looking for a Place to Happen, Ballad of a Thin Man: In Search of Ryan Larkin, Animators Unearthed, Japanese Animation: Time out of Mind and Mad Eyed Misfits: Writings on Indie Animation.

Robinson’s most recent animation writing includes Earmarked for Collision, the first ever history of collage animation. He is currently writing Dreaming a Way (of) Life, a book about the legendary collage filmmaker, Lewis Klahr (CRC Press, 2024).

In addition to his writing on animation, Robinson also wrote the Award-winning animated short, Lipsett Diaries (2010) directed by Theodore Ushev. He recently completed the illustrated novel My Balls are Killing Me with artist, Andreas Hykade, and wrote the script for Idling, a live action feature directed by Theodore Ushev.