“Animation is not a genre. It’s an art form.”
– Brad Bird –
introduction
There seems to be a sort of disdain for the animated format in the general public. When discussing this art form, people throw words such as “cute” or “fun” around. I think Disney Studios established this attitude.
While they pioneered the way for 2D animation during their heyday, they also monopolized the animation industry. This meant competition from other studios was minimized. On top of that, Disney aimed their stories towards younger audiences. A negative side-effect of this? The general public grew to expect animated films to be for younger audiences. But despite this general view of animation by the public, I do think this perspective is beginning to change.
studios and animation
Large film studios in particular show the most disrespect towards animation. We see this in the newest trend to adapt classic animated stories into a live-action format. Basically, studios are saying animation isn’t good enough of a storytelling medium. and that you can’t take it seriously. The irony? Because most of these adaptations are, let’s say… not great, we now have a stronger appreciation for the original animated stories. I think that is part of the reason the general public’s eyes are beginning to open to how their assumption about animation being a “lesser” form of storytelling is incorrect.
strengths to animation
It is my opinion that animation is the purest form of storytelling there is. By using dramatic shapes and colors, one can easily channel an idea or a message to their audience. When certain facial expressions, body movements, or physique is over-emphasized, one represents the character in a way that is not necessarily realistic, but conveys a plot point or character motive directly.
Animation is taking the essence of something and boiling it down to the basic elements (shapes, color, movement). One could almost say it’s “primal”. I do think this primal aspect works very well, because you cut away any additional guesswork. The audience has immediate access to the character or world by its design alone. By being so “primal,” it almost manages to touch our emotional nerve more easily.
We often find we can relate to an animated character quickly because they seem more “real” to us. Their shape or color immediately conveys an emotional point. It pulls out a child-like part of us. I think animation captures children’s attention so well because it’s simple in nature, and likewise, children are simple. When one puts a story in front of them that uses basic shapes and colors, it takes a lot of the guesswork out for them. They feel things purely based on what they are seeing.
Animation vs Live-Action
Animation has the ability to have us suspend our disbelief more easily than the traditional film format. Immediately, we have to acknowledge the animated world we are about to step into is made-up. With traditional film, it’s always harder to suspend disbelief because when we see real people, we immediately try to impose our laws of reality on them. This means the film has to fight harder to make us suspend our disbelief.
When I talk about animation making us suspend disbelief, I’m not talking about gaps in storytelling. Rather, the fictional world they create is more believable because it does’t have to fight so hard to convince us the world that is created is real. We are more willing to approach it with open minds.
Animation can tell bigger stories too. There are no limits to the visual world building. Animation allows the storyteller(s) to create as fantastical of a world as they want and then design characters who fit into that world. However, the world-building has to be intentional. It needs to enhance the narrative and reflect the characters and greater themes of the story. Without intentionality behind character design, world-building, etc, an animated film can easily turn into chaos or just noise.
conclusion
Is animation superior to other story-telling formats or even live-action? No. At least I don’t think so. I think it has its strengths that lend itself to telling powerful stories when utilized. The general public just needs to take these strengths more seriously. If we are able to unlock the general attitude towards animation being child-ish by the public, we will open a whole other world of stories to tell and worlds to create.
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