Animation is not inferior

The art form should be better appreciated

Maria Simpson / Opinion Editor / The USD Vista

Since the dawn of cinema, there have been two distinct forms of filmmaking: live action and animation. The two forms offer different benefits to storytelling on the screen, but in recent years — particularly the last decade — there has been a rise in live-action remakes of originally animated movies or shows. These remakes seem to suggest that when an animated movie or show is popular enough, it “deserves” to be remade into a supposedly superior live-action version. Animation is not inferior to live-action and should be regarded as the beautiful and sophisticated art form that it really is.

Some may argue that animation is a less mature form of filmmaking and is primarily used for children’s movies and shows in order to appeal to their imagination, something that adults have less interest in. I say that it is a waste of creativity, unique storytelling and art, to not make animated films and shows for older audiences.  

Animation is typically reserved for children’s movies and series or silly adult cartoons rather than mature or serious adult-oriented stories. As trends in recent years have shown, when an animated children’s story becomes renowned enough, it too is remade into a live-action film.

Since 2015, Disney has remade nine of their animated classics: “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “Dumbo,” “Pinocchio,” “Mulan,” “Lady and the Tramp” and “Pete’s Dragon.” This doesn’t even include the new movies that are retold versions of older animated stories, such as “Cruella” and “Maleficent,” reimagined versions of “101 Dalmatians” and “Sleeping Beauty,” respectively. More live action remakes such as “Peter Pan & Wendy,” “Snow White” and “The Little Mermaid” are expected to be released within the next two years, according to the Walt Disney Company.

The original versions of these films are classics that have withstood the test of time and appeal to kids as well as adult nostalgia. Yet, Disney remakes them, often almost identical to the original film. I would not be surprised if this is partially a money grab, but according to an article by Mowe Studio, there is not a distinct difference in price when producing an animated film versus a live-action film. So why do big companies such as Disney not use their huge budgets to bring fresh new stories to the screen instead?

A similar situation lies with the award-winning animated Nickelodeon show “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (ATLA). ATLA is an imaginative and powerful story, and despite the fact that it was designed for children’s television, it remains — in my opinion one of the best TV shows I have ever watched. But again, their producer (Nickelodeon) decided to remake the show into a live action movie in 2010, titled “The Last Airbender.” This movie was not necessary in any way. It did not add a new part of the plot or any new and improved twists on the story. And after the effort to create it, it flopped big time. It was the winner of five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, and it has a whopping 5% on Rotten Tomatoes. To top it all off, Netflix is now working on a live-action TV series for the show, to be released in 2023.

Regarding animation as a lesser form of filmmaking puts the art form itself in danger, specifically hand-drawn animation. In 2-D hand drawn animation, each individual frame is its own work of art. But many studios and companies are abandoning it for 3-D-esque computer generated images (CGI).

 

 As fewer and fewer filmmakers opt for 2-D, hand drawn animation, fewer animators remain who remember how to master the style. Before long, we could lose that art form. While companies like Disney and Dreamworks shifted to more realistic CGI cartoons years ago as a “superior” format, we should not be so quick to dismiss the beauty that is possible with hand drawn animation. Studio Ghibli, for example, a Japanese animation studio, is highly regarded for their whimsical and creative 2-D animation. Films such as “Spirited Away,” the 2003 winner of the Academy Awards Best Animated Feature, have captured the hearts of many, so there is no reason to do away with the incredible art that has proven itself to be a powerful storyteller.  

Animation does not have to be strictly for children. Look at the popularity of anime, Japanese animation, in the U.S. Lots of teens and adults enjoy anime shows and movies, many of which tell stories just as impactful as any live action television show, yet it has a reputation for being cringe-worthy and immature.

An example of a franchise that I believe could benefit greatly from animation is Marvel Entertainment. Now owned by Disney, Marvel has been pumping out movies and shows non-stop, releasing a total of 12 projects in 2021. Yet, Marvel’s show “What If..?” is the only animated project considered part of the Marvel Universe.

Another superhero animated project is the 2018 film “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse.” It was highly acclaimed after its release, snagging Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the Academy Awards. The movie is known for its unique animation style, reminiscent of the comic books where Spiderman first swung into pop culture and many people’s hearts. Because of their origin in comic books, it makes sense for a superhero movie to be animated in that style. I wonder why more superhero movies don’t capitalize on a fantastic art form like that, which could probably portray the magical and supernatural elements of that world better than CGI anyway. Animation has the ability to express fantastical elements that reality fails to capture.

We can even look to music to see the benefits of animation. Gorillaz, a virtual band that has been making music since 1998, is composed of fictional characters which appear in their animated music videos. This is a very unique approach to a band and it has garnered great success. Animation provides a method of imaginative storytelling and expression that pushes the limits of what live-action filmmaking represents.

There are a myriad of fantastic movies and television shows out there, animated and live-action. While live-action certainly has its benefits in many cases — and I am in no way dissing it — there is no reason that animation should be seen as a lesser format.

In the near future, I hope more studios and producers will experiment creatively and opt for animation as a storytelling method from time to time.