Something those close to me know is that I love animated films and shows. Animation is a medium that often does not get the respect it deserves. Often people see anything animated as immature or made for children, which is just blatantly untrue.
The fact that some people will take a glance at a show like ‘Blue Eye Samurai’ or movies like the ‘Spiderverse’ series and put them into the same grouping as the shows ‘Bluey’ and ‘SpongeBob’ is truly maddening. Animation is a diverse medium that allows you to tell whatever kind of story you want to tell.
Part of this stigma that truly irritates me is that this causes animation that is actually made for children to suffer. It means many products made for children do not have a level of quality and care put into them. Just because something is made for kids doesn’t mean it should be low quality.
In fact, I believe the opposite. If we are making content for our children to consume shouldn’t it be of the utmost quality to aid their development? To me it is a common sense thought process that I feel many people haven’t taken the time to go through.
Shining examples of exemplary entertainment that is either suitable or made for children would be ‘Bluey’, most of the ‘Shrek’ franchise, and honestly a lot of the cartoons I grew up watching like ‘Codename: Kids Next Door’ and ‘Teen Titans’.
What makes this content better than, for the sake of the argument, ‘Cocomelon’ you may be asking? The answer to that I believe is the messages being conveyed, a respect for the audience, and the intent to make something worthwhile.
You can tell that ‘Bluey’ was truly made to be a positive force in children’s lives. Even if it is a kids show it has heartfelt messages that adults can relate to as well which speaks to the effectiveness of those messages.
‘Teen Titans’ has mature stories about finding purpose and friendship without being so mature that it is not suitable for a younger audience. You watch these characters struggle and grow, learning from important lessons and growing as people and heroes.
A more recent example in film, and a personal favorite, is ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’. I was obsessed with this movie when it was released and for good reason. The movie handles mature themes that are enthralling and important without scaring off the younger audience.
Love, commitment, sacrifice, and death are just a few of the themes explored as it ties them all together, drawing in all aspects related to them. On top of that, the writing is top notch, and the animation quality is truly stunning. This is the kind of stuff I would want my hypothetical kids watching.
Animation is so powerful. It does not need to be silly. While it lends itself to those kinds of stories it absolutely should not be used for just those kinds of stories. Honestly, the animation world has gotten a lot better with this after the release of the initial ‘Spiderverse’ film.
The most recent example of this improvement would be the recent Dreamworks Animated film ‘The Wild Robot’. I saw it just the other day, and I absolutely recommend seeing it in theaters while you can. It is a heartfelt story that managed to make me, as well as several other college students, cry.
With all that said, I’m glad that animation seems to be being taken more seriously by those producing it. I hope the rest of the world catches up and realizes its worth. Until then, I will gladly be a die-hard supporter for the medium, even if it kills me.
Lupita Nyong’o voices Roz in “The Wild Robot.”
Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation | TNS
