Identifying Animations 6: La Linea

"La Linea" is an Italian experimental animation series by Osvaldo Cavandoli which was broadcast for the first time in 1971. The series is done with traditional hand-drawn 2D animation techniques, with an aesthetic sense of minimalism. The voice of the character is just sped-up jibberish, which insinuates that the animator and character understand each other without verbal use of language (one's a projection of another's creative mind, after all). Although the series' name is "La Linea" (translated to "Line Man"), due to its global broadcast, different countries have a different nomenclatural name for the show. The

"La Linea" Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skb2gKR7rOk

The cartoon series features a man which is drawn as with a single line, showing him only as a silhouette. Furthermore, the animation revolves around the Line Man encountering all sorts of obstacles, after which he consults the animator to draw a solution (as there is often a line or two placing the man in danger). Thus, the global purpose of the animation is not solely entertainment values, but also to portray the power animators hold in terms of manipulating still life around them. In other words, the animation hyperbolizes the omnipotent power vested in animators as they bring life to the inanimate. Every episode has the motive of breaking the 4th wall, and it is what inspired other animators to experiment with the paradigms of animation.