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8/2/2019 Animator Profiles: Michel Gagné
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/animator-profiles-michel-gagne 1/3
Animation Theatre: Michel Gagné
1965- Present
Fig. 1 Michel Gagné
Canadian born artist Michel Gagné is hard to categorise with regards to the type of art he
specialises in because he has worked in so many different types. Just some of them include comics,
writer, book illustrator and game designer but he is probably most well-known for his delve into the
world of animation. With credits to his name including An American Tail, All Dogs Go to Heaven and
The Iron Giant, as well as working for Disney, Pixar, Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers Studios
there’s no wonder he’s a highly regarded figure in the animation industry right now.
It isn’t just his type of art that changes on a regular basis; Gagné also mixes up the style of
his work, trying to create something new for each of his creations. Oh yes he has a fixation of
anything to do with creation and so it has become his focus to experiment with his own creations. ‘ A
cinematic storyteller, writer, illustrator, game designer and animator, Gagné tries to reinvent
himself, with every project he puts his heart into.’ (Lemos: 2011)
Fig. 2 The Iron Giant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fa8K0nxo9k
‘ The Iron Giant ’ is probably one of Gagné’s most recognised works, it is meant for children
but there is something about Gagné that enables him to throw out the certificate classification of
the animations he is a part of and appeal to a much wider audience no matter their age. It may just
be the simplicity of his artwork which is not automatically viewed as too childish or too mature but
which instead assists in telling the story on all levels of maturity and knowledge, something
Forbidden Planet has picked up on. ‘ The beauty of Gagné’ s work is that he holds an almost
8/2/2019 Animator Profiles: Michel Gagné
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universal appeal. His simple stories and delightful, uncluttered and clean lines on the page draw in
children and adults alike. But his stories can be read on several levels. ’ (Forbidden Planet: 2007)
It isn’t just the age groups that Gagné equally seems to engage; it is the audiences of a
variety of genres and styles that are also engrossed by his work and Gagné’s ‘ Sensology ’ is a perfect
illustration of this. Exemplifying a muse from Kandinsky’s work ‘ Sensology ’ is something all the more
different from Gagné focusing on depicting the act of a piece of music within his animation as his
character with shape and movement, and so he opens up his work to the world of abstract art, to
music lovers especially jazz and even back to fans of Norman McLaren with the way the piece is put
together, don’t those horizontal lines look familiar…
Fig. 3 Sensology
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVWKtXDvr04
Again an all new style was taken up when Gagné entered the animation of videogames, he
kept his characteristic bright colours but also took the monochromatic technique he had picked up
such as in ‘ Sensology ’ combining them to form ‘Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet’ somethingcompletely different to both Gagné’s own work and the rest of the animation industry. However, he
doesn’t leave his influences behind with McLaren’s work being suggested throughout the
silhouetted shapes and forms within the game that are not just shapes but characters that Gagné
has created out of inanimate forms through movement.
Fig. 4 Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Gagné doesn’t seem to be fazed by the change in animation but rather embraces it, he is
after all extremely interested in the idea of creation and so it isn ’t surprising that he is able to createa career of work which is full of different techniques and styles but can still be recognised as his own.
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‘ Michel Gagné allows his imagination to run away with him. Whether creating lavish or bizarre
illustrations, comic book epics, or visual design, he leaves the mark of his unique creativity on his
work.’ (Ogden: 2007) In fact in doing so Gagné has changed animation already, he has
communicated each piece of his work in a way that has inspired aspiring animators and current
animators of our time and so his ways of communicating animation will be referred back to again
and again.
Bibliography
Forbidden Planet International (2007) The Propaganda Review presents the incredible work of
Michael Gagne… http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2007/the-propaganda-review-presents-the-
incredible-work-of-michael-gagne%e2%80%a6/ (Accessed 11/03/2012)
Lemos, Joyce, (2011) Animation Reporter (India)
http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/misc/articles/AnimationReporter.html (Accessed
11/03/2012)
Ogden, Steve, (2007) The Insanely Twisted World of Michel Gagné
http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/misc/Interviews/Animwatch/page_1.html (Accessed
11/03/2012)
List of Illustrations
Fig. 1. Michel Gagné. [Online image]. On gagneint.com
http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/About%20Michel/bio/Michel_FFF_2010.jpg (Accessed
11/03/2012)
Fig. 2. The Iron Giant. [Online image].On gagneint.com
http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/Gallery/films/irongiant/Crash/1.jpg (Accessed 11/03/2012)
Fig. 3. Sensology. [Online image].On gagneint.com
http://www.gagneint.com/Final%20site/Animation/Sensology/Sensology.html (Accessed
11/03/2012)
Fig. 4. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. [Online image].On gagneint.com
http://www.gagneint.com/itsp/itsp_main_gallery_07.html (Accessed 11/03/2012)