Today we were looking at expressing and reinforcing meaning through integrated choreography of backgrounds and sound design with the animated character. We started by studying the evolution of the animated environment - background and soundtrack, during the 20th century.

In Felix the Cat from the 1920s the character performs as if on a stage, with 'silent movie' style musical accompaniment, for most of the animation. The stripped-down visuals metamorphose from time to time, but it's a minimal performance - there's little interaction between audio, character and sketchy, linear background.

Fast forward to the 1990s and the Ren and Stimpy Show. In John Krikfalusi's fast-paced animation, the changing backgrounds and sound interact seamlessly with the emotions expressed by the characters. The highly coloured and textured backgrounds, characters and sound design are integral components of the animation experience.