Translating intertextuality in animated films – an analysis of DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar animations

Abstract

Intertextuality focuses on the relationship between different texts, either spoken or written. These connections have been the subject of research for many scholars around the world and initially were discussed mainly from the point of view of literary theory (Tomaszkiewicz, 2006, p. 175). The aim of this paper is to examine intertextual references in the context of translation theory, taking into account the various techniques and strategies employed when translating direct or indirect references in a dubbing format. The author analy-ses dialogues from the DreamWorks production “Shrek”(2001), the Disney films “Zootopia” (2016) and “Wreck-It-Ralph”(2012), as well as the Pixar Animation Studios film “Toy Story 3”(2010) with the aim of identifying intertextual references in the source text and comparing them with their Polish and German translations. The author also considers the sources of intertextuality in animation films and the translator’s role in decontextualizing this genre in the target language, drawing attention to the issue of discourse and the agency of audiovisual translators.