Prologue A Nation of Animation Without Animation
Part 1 From Flickers to Frames: Animation through the Lens of Innovation and War
Chapter 1 Turning the Wheel: Pre-Cinema Animation
Chapter 2 The Emperor’s New Films: Animation’s Emergence during WWI
Chapter 3 Imperial Frames: Austria’s Animation Legacy in Habsburg Successor States
Chapter 4 Twenties Turnaround: The Rise and Fall of Animation
Chapter 5 It’s a Mouse! Disney Copycats in the 1930s
Chapter 6 An Austrian Superman: Austria’s Heroes in the World of Animation
Part 2 From War Rooms to Animation Studios: Austria’s Journey into the Digital Age
Chapter 7 Animated Exile: Austrian Creators during WWII
Chapter 8 Animating the Boom: How Economic Growth Rebuilt the Industry
Chapter 9 “For a Piece of Heart”: Austria’s Animated Reanimation
Chapter 10 “Cinema Is Not Movement”: Animated Experiments
Chapter 11 New Austrian Animated Film: Postmodernism in Motion
Chapter 12 Ink and Pixels Unite: The Evolution of Animation in the Digital Age
Part 3 What Was Once Invisible: Austria’s Animation Claims Its Place
Chapter 13 From Sketches to Statues: Austria’s Animated Ascent to the Oscars
Chapter 14 New Austrian Animation: A Return to Narrative Storytelling
Chapter 15 Thrice the First: The Quest for Austria’s First Animated Feature
Chapter 16 Animation Becoming Tricky Realities: Austrian Film Festivals
Chapter 17 How Duckburg Became Austrian: Character Designer Florian Satzinger
Chapter 18 Very British? Very Austrian! Animation on Stage
Epilogue “Animation Can Save the World”
Bibliography
Biography
Florian Schmidlechner has been researching animation history at the University of Vienna’s Institute of Contemporary History since 2007. Alongside his publishing and lecturing, he has contributed to international projects such as the US DVD More Cartoons for Victory! (2012) and a 2015 documentary for German television. Recently, he co-authored a chapter on the history of Austrian animated film for The Encyclopedia of Animation Studies, published by Bloomsbury.
“Florian Schmidlechner’s Animation in Austria takes readers on a captivating journey through the Austrian animation scene, offering valuable insights into both the artistry and technology behind it, making it a must-read for enthusiasts and professionals alike.”
Virgil Widrich, Oscar-nominated and award-winning Austrian director, screenwriter, and multimedia artist, acclaimed for his groundbreaking contributions to film and digital art.
“The emergence of the new Austrian animated film is presented in an exemplary manner. The texts are authentic, factually accurate, and meticulously researched—highly recommended.”
Hubert Sielecki, founder of the Studio for Experimental Animated Film at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, co-founder of ASIFA Austria, artist, and animated filmmaker.
