Outlining Fashion’s Bold Relationship with the Animated World

Welcome to the 165th insertion of DEMUR®, an analytical series highlighting the intricacies of the artistic world and the minutiae lying within. In this episode, we work frame by frame to uncover the importance of style in animated works.

Fashion's influence on the mythical realm is undeniably overlooked. From Mickey Mouse’s cherry red slim-cut trousers to Snow White’s exaggerated blue tunic, these iconic wardrobe staples have aided in shaping childhoods for decades. Defining a character’s personality, social status and cultural background, the use of both style and colour can shift a narrative indefinitely, calling for various emotional responses based solely on appearance.

We can date fashion’s allegiance to animated film as far back as Emile Cohl’s ‘Fantasmagorie’, the first documented cartoon in history (1908). Created by placing each of the 700 drawings on illuminated glass, the film tells a story of a puzzling, distorted world, where fashionable tropes like a comically large feather hat, carry among suited men. While increasingly elementary, the costume design works to illustrate alternate characters and stylistic changes throughout.

This idea is translated most effortlessly through the Disney universe, where princesses like Cinderella work from rags to riches. The transformative process is illustrated through appearance, using thrashed and predominately muted fabrics to insinuate an impoverished lifestyle. Drawing the eye to beauty, dominant tones like yellow, blue and red further emphasize the character’s hierarchy, used to push emphasis toward pivotal moments like Cinderella’s induction to the Royal Ball.

However, with colour dominated focal points comes a necessity for a surrounding palette. Looking to Akira for example, his harsh cherry red fitting is accented by otherwise tonal hues, ensuring the eye is caught when introducing complimentary neons. In doing so, the audience is subconsciously trained to look for that harsh red pigment, possibly explaining why Mickey Mouse’s pants were altered from their original mossy green hue.