Describing Beyond Words: Why Animation Shouldn’t Be Disrespected
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From the various cancellations from streaming platforms to its blatant disrespect from prestigious awards, animation is often stigmatized and labeled to be “just for kids”, a superficial justification that ignores its unique form of artistry and visual storytelling. Unlike other mediums, animation offers limitless opportunities to build universes beyond words. Its ability to illustrate compelling and invigorating worlds pushes the envelope of imagination, acting as a beacon for what could be if we took the opportunity to see.
Live-action films and shows can present worlds that have fantastical elements, such as the dragons in Game of Thrones or sorcery of the Harry Potter franchise, but its main objective is to make these imagined universes feel attainable and realistic. Animation, however, takes this one step further by expanding the capabilities of fantasy. Reality is limited to what we know is real, whereas animation doesn’t exist in this vacuum as we already perceive everything presented in this medium as fake. With this preconceived notion in place, the medium can easily transport an audience beyond reality and into a new one, even if its setting is located in a world that appears to be our own. For instance, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018) takes place in what we can identify as New York City, but in its animated appearance, the comic-book aesthetic of the film forces us to dive into the adventure alongside its characters. The animation allows the story to go beyond its original format by providing life to characters that were once ink inside pages. From the vibrancy of the film’s color palette to the minute, visual details of Miles Morales experiencing his spidey senses, the medium takes what seems fantastical and reimagines a place we are familiar with into a universe we can escape to with limitless possibilities.
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While using fantasy to carry its narratives, animation also provides symbolic imagery capable of demonstrating themes without explicit explanation. Studio Ghibli does this exceptionally well by understanding its medium and using it to visually explore and illustrate basic human feelings. In Whisper of the Heart (1995), Shizuku’s creativity is paired with a statue of a cat known as The Baron. Being a lonely statue in an antique shop, Shizuku sees the potential of a greater story and uses The Baron as inspiration for her first book. A film that encourages exploring one’s imagination and discovering one’s voice uses animation as a tool to illustrate Shizuku’s desire for escapism, with a gorgeous sequence involving her and The Baron flying around the town she imagined for him. A colorful palette paired with The Baron’s character not only captures her creative mind but symbolizes Shizuku’s hunger for more than what the world has to offer, as The Baron represents what could be if given the right story. Shizuku’s yearning for epic romance and adventure boils down to the human feeling of want, which is manifested and captured without words. Animation hence emphasizes the unexplainable by leaving room for interpretation.
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As animation understands the subjective nature of feelings, it also recognizes its ability to mirror humanity through its limitless characterization. Pixar is known for its beloved characters and their capability in capturing human behaviors despite many not being human. For example, Inside Out (2015) purposefully exaggerates literal emotions by creating caricatures of them, such as Joy being the most flamboyant character while Sadness is frequently isolated. The interactions between each emotion, particularly Joy and Sadness, demonstrate the human need to constantly feel a certain way and not allow ourselves to authentically express our deepest feelings. Being that the emotions are tied to Riley, an eleven-year-old girl, further emphasizes the difficulty in deciphering our feelings and makes the caricatures all the more realistic despite their animated format. Even with their human characters, Pixar uses animation to represent their flaws and insecurities, most notably with The Incredibles (2004). Each member of the superhero family has powers that juxtapose their greatest strength with their weakness. Take Elastagirl, whose flexibility represents both her integral role as the “glue” that keeps the family together and her worry of losing what has been built around her, perhaps being “stretched” too thin. While a live-action film could certainly create characters that are representative of humanity, animation provides a comforting relatability by honing in on the duality between reality and fiction. The medium presents the characters knowing that they are fictional, but surrounds them with a realistic sense of humanity that is palatable because it isn’t in our realm of reality.
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Despite its reputation for being a medium that offers superficial storytelling for children, animation provides so much more than what it’s deemed to be. Some of the most impactful films I have ever watched have been animated and I’ve learned more about myself from talking toys and animals than I have from a real person. Expressing humanity shouldn’t be limited to what we know or else we won’t discover what we could. Looking at the criticism placed on animation, I find that it may come from a place of fear. Those who find the medium to be inferior may fear what’s possible, so they create what already is. Animation gives the most unconventional stories, ideas, and thoughts a place to be understood. It simply is what art should be: the combination of expression and imagination with the hopes of inspiring innovation. Perhaps the fear isn’t in animation, it’s in art.
Strike out,
Writer: Sophia Ferraro
Editor: Addy Crosby
Tallahassee