Animation and the Ancient World

The representation of the ancient world in film has long been an established site of scholarly interest, but animation remains understudied.Given the medium's popularity and its role as an access point to ancient history for young audiences, it deserves more attention and analysis.Why do certain elements of the ancient past resonate and recur in cartoons?Do these productions render the ancient world more accessible, or do they reinforce a sense of distance?This collection of sixteen essays, written by a diverse group of leading scholars, offers answers to these questions as it explores how animation has utilized ancient stories, handed down through mythology, history, and philosophy.In the first section, "Heroes," chapters reflect on the enduring popularity of Hercules, Odysseus, and Icarus, as they explore how mythological tropes, characters, and imagery are frequently mixed and matched to create hybrid interpretations of these timeless tales. "Worlds," the second section, expands out