Abstract: Th
e term Augmented Reality describes a combination of the real world with virtual objects in real time. Accordingly, it is a combination of reality with animation. Artistic and practical applications of AR are becoming widespread, for example: Madonna performing live with the animated band Gorillaz; information displayed in front of the eyes of engineers, soldiers, or surgeons; or virtual creatures interacting with live images of the video gamer’s living room. Animation Studies offers a variety of perspectives to theorize this phenomenon. This paper will specifically address the broad spectrum of animation styles, which can be used in applications of AR. Biographical statement: Erwin Feyersinger is currently finishing his doctoral thesis at the University of Innsbruck in the Department of American Studies. The thesis is titled Transgressive Phenomena in Animated Films and Television Series. His research is concerned with animation studies as well as transmedial theories, and relies mainly on narratological, poetic, semiotic, and cognitive frameworks. His academic background comprises linguistics as well as film and literary theory. He is a member of the editorial board of Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal and a member of SAS. The proposed paper will bridge my doctoral thesis and the research I will start after its imminent completion. My thesis is concerned with (ontological) transgressions and transformations in animation, which both play a crucial role in augmented reality. My research at the time of the conference will be concerned with animation outside of its traditional formats and contexts (i.e. cinemas, television sets, and, more recently, computer screens). The proposed topic complies both with the focus of the conference on the evolution of animation (as it is a new area of application) and on convergence (in this case, the convergence of animation and reality).