Animated erotica: An analysis of the films and archive of Guadalupe Sánchez Sosa

The objective of this article is the study of the short films ¿Y si eres mujer? (1976) and Niño de mis ojos (2008) by the animator Guadalupe Sánchez Sosa (Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico, 1955–present), as well as the archive material preserved by the artist, where the filmmaking process is documented. ¿Y si eres mujer? is relevant for the history of animation in Mexico because it is the second animated film directed by a woman and the first realized with techniques like cut-out and collage, steering away from the dominant cartoon tradition. In Niño de mis ojos, Sánchez Sosa experiments with the use of rotoscoping, a very unusual technique in Mexican animation. Using the ‘animated erotica’ category, we want to show how Sánchez Sosa takes a coherent aesthetic and political approach towards the depiction of desire and the bodies of women on screen through animation.