This study is mainly focusing on how the

This study is mainly focusing on how the movie reviews and criticism evaluate the digital technologies and the trend of digitalization in movie production and circulation. The researcher has used the qualitative case study analysis method to analyze the movie reviews of three movies including Frozen (2013), Wall-E (2008) and Toy Story (1995). The study turns to the professional reviews gave to these motion pictures. Through the analysis on reviews in the main part of this dissertation, it is found that film criticisms are tend to be two-fold including positive and negative influences. As for the positive influences, the digitalization has changed the audiences watching experience, movie producing process and audiences cognition model and knowledge of the world. The attitudes of reviews about the digitalization are pointed out in this dissertation as well. The movie reviews also discuss the negative impacts including excessive pursuit of visual and audio effects, lack of story plot and organic design, shortage novelty and creativity. To sum up, both the positive and negative points should be well considered to get a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of the digitalization in the movie industry so as to contribute to future industrial development. The future research can have a more pertinent and corresponding research on one digital film to evaluate both the positive and negative aspects so as to get a clearer understanding. In the meantime, a mixed methodology integrating in-depth interview and questionnaire survey is also suggested to increase the validity and credibility of the research. Content Abstract 2 Introduction. 4 1.1 Research context 4 1.2 Research rationale. 5 1.3 Research aim & questions. 5 1.4 Structure of research. 6 Literature Review.. 7 2.1 Introduction. 7 2.2 Digital technologies& digitalization of movie industries. 7 2.2.1 Digitalization & CGI technology. 7 2.2.2 Digital technologies & digital technologies in movie industry. 8 2.2.3 Role of movie reviews &criticism in digitalization of movie industry. 10 2.3 Theories of movie reviews & criticism.. 12 2.3.1 Concepts &connotation of movie reviews & criticism.. 12 2.3.2 Role of movie criticism in movie industrial development 13 2.3.3 Changes & development of movie reviews & criticisms. 14 2.4 Animated film & development of Disney. 16 Methodology. 18 3.1 Aim of the research. 18 3.2 Justification of inductive reasoning & qualitative methods. 18 3.3 Case study analysis method. 19 3.4 Sampling &information collection. 21 3.5 Information analysis. 22 3.6 Research limitations& general ability of the interview.. 22 3.7 Ethical considerations. 23 Findings & Analysis. 24 4.1 Case study of three cartoon animation movies. 24 4.2 Influences of evaluation on movie industrial development 30 4.2.1 Changes in experiences of watching films. 30 4.2.2 Influences on movie production. 32 4.2.3 Influences on audience. 34 4.3 Problems existing in current digitalization in movie production& circulation. 35 4.4 Comprehensive evaluation of digitalization. 36 Conclusion. 37 5.1 Research summary. 37 5.2 Limitations of the research. 38 Bibliography. 39 Introduction 1.1 Research context Since the creation and population of computer in recent decades, the term Digitalization appears in a variety of domains. It leads the world into the Digital Age with its popularization. Nobody would deny the benefit offered by the digitalization that it does assist for achieving the better living experience. The film industry is one of the fields the digitalization has affected. In the word of Chong, compare with the era before the Digital Age, the media became more accessible due to the invention of personal computer and digital media devices (2008, 6). To focus on the film industry specifically, the digitalization could be seen has discovered a new direction to film creating, and it even has been developed as an indispensable element of the film. The film Westworld (1973) was marked as the beginning of the computer-generated imagery technology was applied to film making, to present frames of shooting live action (Chong 2008, 43). It shows digital technologies could make some frames can hardly be shot in real life. Because of the strong functions digital technology has, now it has been widely used in almost all kinds of film, especially action film, science fiction film, and animated film. Particularly for animated film industry, as Chong pointed out in his book (2008, 6), for the resurgence of animated features and animation industry, digital technology could be treated as the role of conduit in general. Therefore, it is believable that the effects brought by digital technologies are especially obvious in the animated film industry. Thus, this dissertation sets the research topic as How Film Criticisms Evaluate Digitalization: The Case of Disney Animated Film Reviews. It will mainly study in professional reviews about 3 specific animated films have irreplaceable status in the history produced by the Walt Disney Company from the time before the Digital Age to nowadays. Toy Story (1995), Wall-E (2008) and Frozen (2013). Other examples will also be discussed. The methodology of qualitative textual analysis is used in order to approach the result. The main procedures are collecting and analyzing the reviews of films so as to find out the contents talk about the digitalization in those animation reviews; and then the researcher classifies and analyzes the text about both positive and negative comments on digital technologies and digitalization in movie production and circulation. The final target is to find out how film reviews think about the influences of the digitalization on movie production and future movie industrial development. 1.2 Research rationale Film criticism has improved its significance step by step. Especially in the US where is the birthplace of Hollywood film industry, the large amount of film products give the birth to film reviews, which is for improving film industry as well; thus, it can hardly deny that film criticism owns a significant statues of studying and researching film (Bao 2009, 1). On this basis, this research shows an original and reliable angle to evaluate role and influences digitalization from the perspective of movie review and criticism. To explore the relationship between digitalization and film reviews, this dissertation focuses on three films including Frozen, Toy Story and Wall-E. To come up with a rational reliable result, this dissertation will make a comparison between reviews of these movies both in positive and negative aspects. The methodology of textual analysis is used to achieve the final outcome. 1.3 Research aim & questions Digitalization of the movie industry and digital technology being used are believed as the new to the movie audience. Therefore, it lacks certain standards or rules to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the movie. It highlights the importance of quality movie criticism to evaluate the effectiveness of using digital technologies in movie production process. Thus, the aim of this research is to investigate how film reviews and criticisms evaluate the positive and negative impacts of digital technologies and the trend of digitalization in movie industry. This dissertation will take case study analysis of three animation movies. In order to achieve the research aim, the researcher has also set up several objectives: What does the digitalization exactly look like in film reviews? What effects is agreed by the film criticism the digital technique bring to the animated film industry? And how they evaluate these changes? If possible, is there any impacts havent been noticed before? How to evaluate both the positive and negative impacts and how to make the best use of digital technologies and trend of digitalization to contribute to further and healthier development of movie industry? 1.4 Structure of research This dissertation can be divided into five chapters. The first chapter introduces research context, rationale, aim and objectives of the research. The second chapter reviews previous literature on theories of movie criticism, review and concepts, development and influences of digital technologies and digitalization in movie creation and circulation. The third chapter discusses the methodology of case study being used in this dissertation. The fourth chapter will make analysis of the movie reviews of three movies and discuss both positive and negative impacts as well as comprehensive evaluation of digitalization in movie industry. The fifth chapter summarizes major points of the research and propose future research prospect. Literature Review 2.1 Introduction To analyze and synthesize the existing knowledge relevant to this research, a review of literature is provided (Hart 2005, 153). As a part in the very beginning of the research and should never be forgot (Hart 1998, viii), the literature review could not only help collecting the information might be helpful to the research, but also could form the idea of what should the current research include and how could it be organized. To make the illustration as comprehensive as possible, this literature review probably will include review of the theories of movie reviews, digitalization of movie industries and influences of digitalization. In summary, most of the literatures be found only provides the comprehensive knowledge which somewhat relate to current research but not very close; few of studies are found focus on similar range with this topic, while the research match entirely with current study have not be found yet. 2.2 Digital technologies& digitalization of movie industries 2.2.1 Digitalization & CGI technology In the Dictionary of Media and Communication (2011), the digitalization has been described as ??the conversion of data from analogue to digital form and ??the computerization of information. Transfer it into an adjective, the ??digital could be briefly understood as a form of data designed to be read and transferred by computer (Wood 2007, 4). Different with human mind, computer only can deal with number 0 and 1, when load information into the computer, the information will be transferred into data formed by 0 and 1, and the data will be visible through the conversion of digital projector or computer monitor. The feature that computer could only read numbers might give the name of ??Digital. At present, the digital technology has permeated into almost everywhere in human society. Besides the media industry, digitalization has effects in various fields. In the field of digital cinema, another term ??CGI must be introduced. Computer generated image, the use of 3D computer graphics for special effects in films (Chandler 2011). In other words, CGI is a type of technical visual effects in films approaching through computer which can hardly achieve in real life. Some scholars also call CGI as ??computer graphics imagery, in similar mean with previous explanation (Apodaca 1999, xiii). The first film applied this effect is deemed to Westworld (1973), for processing live shooting action frames (Chong 2008, 43). After came into service, the CGI technology came welcome and became a common technique gradually, in 1995, the first fully CGI animated feature film Toy Story has been produced by the Walt Disney Company and Pixar, successfully caught the attention of mainstream audience (Dobson 2009, 49). 2.2.2 Digital technologies & digital technologies in movie industry Digitalization of movie production and movie industry can be extended from the area of computer-generated imaging (CGI) which is the basis to a new stage which has utilized the advanced digital technologies and given impetus to the entire industrial development of movie production and circulation. At present, the trend of digitalization contains several aspects of digital technologies, equipment, and information transmission, etc. Pankow (2003) has discussed three important developing links in digital movie production and circulation. The first step is digital production which refers to the digital equipment being used in the process of movie production including links of film editing, dubbing, dynamic effects and composition. This kind of digital technology has long been used in the cartoon movies such as Garfield, Ice Age, and Mu Lan, etc. In this stage, the movie production has completely got rid of traditional production methods which have also brought great changes to the circulation of movies. Therefore, the digital technologies have penetrated to various dimensions and aspects including movie creation, production, transmission, and projection (Moyer, 2015). In this process, the artistic connotation of digitalization of movie industry has also been extended. Utilization of digital technologies is not contradictory with movie artistic features. Instead, the digital trend of movie production and circulation can help to on the one hand meet with peoples sensational demands and also reveals insightful ideas or perceptions for humanity or philosophical understanding of the world. Therefore, the movie production is the integration of artistic pursuit and technologies (Hand, 2006). Therefore, digital technologies have become the basis and carrier to manifest the artistic feeling of the movie. As a tool to present the movie, the significance of digitalization of movie industries are not restricted in the area of replacement of traditional movie production and circulation process but also has greater connotation in expanding the imagination space of the movie creation and production. Specifically speaking, digital technologies have enriched the creation means of movie and also perfect the time and space of movie production. Compared to other artistic forms, movie can give the audience a kind of enjoyment in time and space and movie can employ more digital technologies and other visual and audio effects to present the story plot and this presentation is different from the presentation of theatre, dancing and other stage performing arts (Rasheed & Shah, 2002). When the audience is immersed in the movie in cinema, they have developed a virtual reality experience based on three dimensional presentations of the time and space. With continuous development of digital technologies, the experience of watching movie can also be constantly perfected to build up a multi-dimensional space for the audience. Consequently, the digital technologies have also realized the process of image stitching crossing different time and spaces which can bring people to the past or to the future (Redondo & Holbrook, 2010). Through creation and utilization of digital technologies, it can create diversified and limitless possibilities. The digital technologies have created new visual effects and more perfected artistic performance. The trend of digitalization has brought various possibilities for new performing forms and extensions of movie arts which are different from traditional movie performance. The new digitalization trend will integrate various aspects including actors performance, digital technologies, photographic lens and other visual or audio elements, etc. Besides, visual reality is also an important emerging technology based on creating the feeling of reality. The digital technologies of visual reality can formulate a dynamic and interactive world which can produce various kinds of feelings of visual, audio and touch effects. In the past, the technology is often used in military, science study and medical industries or urban development design. When the technologies related to visual reality has been put into practical use, it can correspondingly and creatively meet with the demands and pursuit of feelings which can simulate the actual visual or audio effects in the real situation. However, the technology of virtual reality has also enabled people to develop a new cognition and understanding of the world (Hand, 2006). Gradually, this kind of belief and new cognition model has replaced the traditional outlook which has finally changed peoples way of sensing the world. This is also the disadvantages or negative impacts of the development of the digitalization of the movie industries. With movie criticism and review, the public can also evaluate the movie content and story plots as well as digital technologies being used in the movie production process. 2.2.3 Role of movie reviews &criticism in digitalization of movie industry With the generalization of the digital technologies in movie production and circulation, the movie criticisms also serve as the guiding role to reshape or rebuild the public aesthetic standards out of commercial considerations and artistic connotation of the movie. Digitalization of the movie industry has also fundamentally changed the forms and features of digital media. Since then, the movie production has not been treated as an individual behavior solely but turn into a kind of virtual space where editing and reviewing of the film are easier than before (Fujii,et al, 1998). The trend of digitalization could achieve a kind of interaction with the audience and the audience also have the ability to control the plot development of the movie and characters in the movie. Therefore, the digitalization of movie production and even the entire movie industries have broken the previous boundaries and the trend could be further generalized in the future. Thus, with further development of digital technologies, various kinds of entertainment forms will be further integrated and the audience gradually takes the controlling power to choose actively instead of accepting passively. Under the general background, the standards of movie criticism on utilization of these digital technologies and movie production methods may also change according to the tastes of the public. The three-dimensional cartoon movie is an important method to directly get the visual and audio effects from the digital movie. On the other side, the three-dimensional cartoon movie is also an important representative of digitalization of movie production and circulation. Since the birth of 3D cartoon movie produced by Disney Corporation, there have been both positive and negative comments. However, the trend of digitalization has vividly represented the picture of cartoon characters and figures and the rise of digital technologies have been widely used in other kinds of movie production (Keller, Effelsberg& Lamparter, 1994). The movie market is not solely decided by movie arts or digital technologies. Therefore, the artistic feature and commercial feature are integrated and inseparable with each other in every movie. Thus, the utilization of digital technologies is also based on scientific advancement and practices to gain better box office. In addition to digital technologies being used, the establishment of digital cinema has also gradually replaced the traditional cinema and led the development of movie industry. With generation of digital cinemas, it has actually realized the synchronized screening of the movie in different countries and regions all around the world (Yao & Sun, 2013). The technology can also benefit industrial development. Under this premise, the corresponding real-time movie review has better functions to have communication and interactions with the audience in a more frequent and efficient way which can trigger the interest of public and focus on the movie. From the perspective of movie review and criticism, the appearance and generalization of digital technologies have for a time enlightened the development of previously downturn movie market and movie industries. Everything has double edges. With the development of scientific technologies, the digital technologies and the trend of digitalization have also brought great crisis for movie aesthetics, movie culture and movie industrial development (Maddalena, Petrosino & Laccetti, 2009). For instance, more and more movies tend to pursue the visual and audio effects instead of rich connotations and profound meaning. In this way, the vitality of movie will decline without too much room for survival and sustainable development in the future. Given this situation, too much dependence on digital technologies will lose the value of an excellent director or scriptwriter and this may lose the real nature of movie art which made movie become a pure visual or audio game (Li, 2011). Therefore, it is of great importance to strike a good balance between movie plot and utilization of digital technologies. In the process of keeping a good balance, movie criticism and review serve as an important role in guiding the production and circulation procedures contributing to better movie production and further industrial development. Zou and Wang (2008) also discussed that movie criticism can reveal the problems of movie production and story plot of the movie without considering the dazzling visual and audio effects made by digital technologies. 2.3 Theories of movie reviews & criticism 2.3.1 Concepts &connotation of movie reviews & criticism Although there is not any specific explanation of the film criticism, a simple function of the film criticism has been quoted by McWhirter said the film criticism is for ??facilitating a discussion (2013), which might means it is for improving the communication of the watching experience between viewers. Normally, the film criticism is believed appeared more than hundred years ago. Since the film was created and became more and more popular, the film criticism was needed to promote the development of the film quality (Bao 2009), but Sultanik argued the most significant period for the film criticism in the history is the era during the World War II, because from this time the film critics start to evaluate movies through the range of art (1986). And after few years of the appearance of film criticism, it starts to form a new publication named film journal and rises in European developed countries and American firstly. In the same reading, the author also mentions about the rules of film criticism, which is it ??should rely on common sense, uncommon taste, and a diligent reading of film history in evaluating a movie (Sultanik 1986). Film as a type of cultural production, its reviews should be feasible analyzing through art criticism or cultural criticism as well. In the word of Berger, the cultural criticism could mean ??a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, pan-disciplinary, or meta-disciplinary undertaking (1995, 2). Many literatures aim at the area of film criticism are more like textbooks talk about how to do the film criticism or how to read and understand it, like what Bordwell write in his book (2013), which provides an original approach for me to do the further information analyzing, similar work could be found in How to Read a Film (Monaco 1977) as well. Some mainly focus on what is the how should the film criticism develop in the future, Short Article: Film criticism, film theory, and the middle range, for instance, the author argues is there any academic film criticism exist or not, and then further discusses should the film criticism contains personal feelings or not ,due to all the critics must have personal emotion, the final point of the author is that the best result should be balance between subjectivity and objectivity (McWhiter 2013); another scholar points out problems and differences between European film criticisms and American film criticisms at that time and judges the criticisms over that time is still immature and suggests film critics should consider through more elements before criticize (Sultanik 1986). Nonetheless, as Berger said, the cultural criticism has not stopped changing itself, thus these points may not as worthy as its publishing age, they could only afford angles of how other scholars analyze the film criticism. 2.3.2 Role of movie criticism in movie industrial development As for important driving forces push the development of movie creation and industrialization, the movie criticism has long been accompanying with the movie production and circulation. Movie criticism serves the role of bridge and guidance between movie production and movie audience (Zhao 2005). On the one hand, movie criticism can contribute to more matured and better movie production; on the other hand, movie criticism can also lead the audience to develop their cultural and interest choice. In the internet era, professional movie criticism also changes its traditional media channels from professional magazines and newspaper to internet area (Chen 2013). However, the professional movie criticism is also facing up the challenges from the public. On the internet, the rise of popular reviews has taken more advantageous position compared to the traditional movie review. In contrast with the traditional movie criticism texts, the forms of internet movie reviews and criticism are freer and lively (Maltz 2014). In addition, the online movie review can integrate both pictures and texts with more interaction between movie production and audience. The large amount of resources and movie reviews on the internet has triggered peoples interests into movie studies and this has also given great impetus to the development of online movie review and criticism. However, there also appeared a large amount of improvisational reviews or criticism in the forms of ??one sentence, impression of view, hindsight, making fun or cursing comments (Chen, 2007). This kind of comment doesnt have much value or influence. With the gradual improvement in quality of internet audience, the negative of movie reviews and criticism have been greatly reduced. Currently, the core of movie criticism and review can be qualified with more professional knowledge based on large numbers of experiences of watching films, better artistic feelings, professional or semi-professional movie critics and movie fans. 2.3.3 Changes & development of movie reviews & criticisms Given the digitalization of movie industry, the corresponding movie criticism and comments also have the tendency of digitalization. Especially in the internet era with the development of video, telecommunication and digital media technologies, it has drastically and profoundly changed peoples aesthetic views and entertaining methods. As a new kind of media transmission method, internet digital technology has gradually become the most primary and the most important media approach for information receiving. Internet digital technologies have generated various kinds of entertainment methods leading to the popularization of mass culture and consumerism. Internet movie, video and games have also turned to the entertainment direction. Therefore, the aesthetic standards and directions of audiences also change to the high-level entertainment which has also posed great challenges for movie production and digitalization of the movie industries. The digital technologies can not only expand the performance and space of movie but also create the virtual reality and visual or audio wonder for the audience (Maltz, 2014). With the advent of 3D or 4D movies, digital technologies have also created a new era which redefine the information exchange and communication between the public. In the meantime, the trend of digitalization also changes the traditional social and cultural form which has also penetrated to different aspects in the entire society and exerts great influences on aesthetic views, perceptions and attitudes of people towards the world. Therefore, a new video world comprised by movie, TV, broadcasting, multi-media, PC, smart phone and internet as the mass culture and communication has been formulated to decide the future development directions and digitalization of the movie industries. From text reading to video narration, the digitalization of communication has changed peoples thinking patterns and aesthetic standards for movie. Currently, the publics review and criticism on a movie does not only focus on aspects of beauty, excellence and charm but also extend to the other areas such as the feelings of being cool or awesome (Goldman 2009). Especially with the demand of new visual stimulus and consumption demands, the aesthetic standards for movie review and criticism have also changed which made the consumption culture to be the leading role in movie production and circulation process (Jeon, et al 2009). In the meantime, due to different demands and perception of the audience, the movie aesthetic standards have also changed the original direction and the corresponding movie criticism has also changed (Li, Huang & Zheng 2011). In the context of digitalization, movie criticism and review have also developed into diversified directions. Besides the literatures providing general information, there are some studies are found in the similar domain with the current topic, although the quantity is not abundant. A research done by Kersten and Bielby is found pay attention to the film reviews. What they tried to do is to find out how the film criticisms and the film industry relate to each other through analyze reviews as research samples. They found the auteurism, the experience, the processed and the context are four essential components always considered by film critics (Kersten and Bielby 2012). They compare the reviews in the US with the UK, for finding out the cultural differences through the behavior of the film reviewers. It is more like a behavior analysis. And because of this study did a comparison in the different country, the result tend to relate to cultural issues closer. The digitalization was mentioned only because it provides more possibility for the film producing. And different with current research, this article looks into a larger scale and smaller period, which is pay attention to general range of films released in 2007. In general, while this study concentrates on the similar field with current research, it chooses an opposite to approach the result. There is another study focuses on the relation between the digitalization and the media production provided by Bolin (2010). It is aiming at how the digitalization affects the media production as well. Through his research, the author believes the digital technology not only provides more access for spreading media production, but also gives audiences the possibility to play a variety of roles in the whole field (Bolin 2010). What the difference is, this research is studying in the television production instead of film production. Although the result might be close to the current research, but different study objects could lead to different results. In summary, through searching the relevant literatures, most of them are like the general introduction for the related areas, they are somewhat useful to build the general understanding of the topic, and might provide possible angles to process the research. However, these studies only slightly link with the current topic, and as a kind of textbook form, the information are too general in some degree, and some of them published decades ago, although they connect with this research, but the information of them could be out of date and not suit very well to the new era. 2.4 Animated film & development of Disney Compare with the number of studies about the digitalization specifically, the literature focus on the animations is a lot more, and most of them focus on studies of animation movies. For instance, Chong described the animation as ??a process that creates the illusion of movement to an audience by the presentation of sequential images in rapid succession in his book (Chong 2008, 8). Thalmann define this term simpler as the ??art in movement (Thalmann 1990, 3). Through quoting the words ??movement is the essence of animation gave by Halas (1968). Dobson said the animation is ??a motion picture made by photographing successive positions of inanimate objects (a puppets or mechanical parts) (2009, xxxvi), moreover, he even provided another explanation given by other scholar said the animated cartoon could be understood as ??a motion picture made from a series of drawings simulating motion by means of slight progressive changes (Pilling 1997). Although the words are slightly differ

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