ABSTRACT
Silent movies were never really “silent,” as there was always some kind of music or sound effect played during the presentation of the film to increase the action and drama and comedic value on-screen. Sound shows us the image differently than what the image shows alone, and the image likewise makes us hear sound differently than if the sound were ringing out in the dark. Sound was now to stay and film language had to be adjusted to a new way of storytelling. Animation can create visuals that are beyond reality, are uncoupled from the confinements of nature, and can create any visuals imaginable: literally. Sound quickly became the norm in Hollywood after 1928 and audiences expected shorts and features to come with sound, a not-insignificant additional expenditure for the studios.
