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Student Editorial Contest Winner

The Unlimited Possibilities of Animation

We are honoring the Top 11 winners of our Student Editorial Contest by publishing their essays. This one is by Sylvia Woodbury, age 19.

By The Learning Network

This essay, by Sylvia Woodbury, 19, who is taking a gap year, in Sharon, Mass. , is one of the Top 11 winners of The Learning Network’s 10th Annual Student Editorial Contest , for which we received 12,592 entries.

We are publishing the work of all the winners and runners-up over the next week, and you can find them here as they post.

Every fall, graduating students at Gobelins, School of Images, release their animated shorts on YouTube. From “Louise,” a historical vignette with the looseness of line and bold palette of a Toulouse-Lautrec poster, to the richly-detailed fable that is “Colza,” these films validate and renew my love for animation.

Yet when I turn my gaze to American film culture, I find that mainstream animation lacks the creative diversity of these student shorts. In the history of the Academy Awards, only three animated films have been nominated for Best Picture, all of them Disney-Pixar releases; since the introduction of the Best Animated Feature category in 2002, 3-D films intended for children have won 19 times.

The Disney-Pixar sensibility dominates. Smooth, uniform 3-D generates a slightly-exaggerated realism. Plot tends toward the formulaic: protagonists engage with fantastical scenarios just enough to learn a singular life lesson. Complexity eludes; we may cry or laugh, but we are never truly unnerved or challenged.

The films that deviate from this standard — overwhelmingly produced by indie and international studios — prove that regarding animation as a medium, rather than a genre, expands the ways stories may be told.

Consider “Flee,” a 2021 animated documentary about a family’s escape from war-torn Afghanistan. In creating remembered landscapes lost to time and destruction, the film carries an elegiac weight interwoven with personal grief. One striking scene reduces the characters to scratchy gray outlines as they flee through Kabul, a visual that captures the stark fear of the characters as well as the obliteration of war.

Animation’s capabilities extend beyond the reproduction of live action. An animated feature plays with shape, line, color and perspective, infusing a film with a dual story: that of the world and characters, and that of the art which represents them. The Irish studio Cartoon Saloon imbues its animation with the flatness and drawn patterns of Celtic artwork, evoking the elaborate whimsy of an illuminated manuscript and underlining the legacy of human creation.

Laika studios’ “Coraline” similarly challenges the accepted formula: surreal, feral and off-putting, the Claymation acknowledges the ability of children to process and dispel darkness through their own imaginative powers. “Coraline,” writes A.O. Scott in The New York Times, depicts childhood “as an active, seething state of receptivity in which consciousness itself is a site of wondrous, at times unbearable drama.”

Animation’s artistry allows stories to bloom in dynamic ways; whatever may be dreamed, may be created. Limiting animation to formulaic boxes has turned a vibrant garden barren and hostile. But the next generation of filmmakers — those impassioned creators who spin such intricate visions within three-minute shorts — may seed new growth if only they have the room and respect to do so.

Works Cited

Aguilar, Carlos. “ The Small Irish Animation Studio That Keeps Getting the Oscars’ Attention .” The New York Times, 16 Dec. 2020.

“ COLZA — Animated Short Film 2020 .” YouTube, uploaded by Gobelins, 1 Oct. 2020.

“ How ‘Spider-Verse’ Forced Animation to Evolve .” YouTube, uploaded by Vox, 10 Sept. 2022.

“ LOUISE — Animation Short Film 2021 — GOBELINS .” YouTube, uploaded by Gobelins, 17 Nov. 2021.

O’Connell, Mark. “ Cartoon Saloon and the New Golden Age of Animation .” The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2020.

Scott, A. O. “ Cornered in a Parallel World .” The New York Times, 5 Feb. 2009.

Scott, A. O. “ ‘Flee’ Review: From Kabul to Copenhagen .” The New York Times, 2 Dec. 2021.

Vilas-Boas, Eric. “ ‘It’s Kind of Embarrassing’: Why Animators Are Unhappy With the Oscars .” Vulture, 9 March 2023.

What is Animation — Definition, History and Types of Animation

• What is Animation
• Types of Animation
• What is Pre-Production in Animation
• What Does an Animator Do
• What is Cel Animation
• What is Pixilation Animation
• What is Tweening in Animation
• What is Anime
• What is Claymation
• What are Keyframe
• What is Persistence of Vision
• What is Stop Motion Animation
• What is Rotoscope Animation
• What is Character Design
• What is Vector Animation
• How to Direct an Animated Movie
• Animation Storyboard Tips
• Unreleased Aladdin Animatic
• Best Animated Music Videos
• Best Animation Software
• Best Animated Movies of All Time
• Best Hayao Miyazaki Movies
• Pixar Storytelling Formula
• Best Pixar Features
• Best Pixar Shorts
• Best Stop Motion Movies
• Best Rankin Bass Christmas Movies

A nimation has allowed storytellers to tell stories in unique ways. The visceral fantastical worlds in animated films can reignite inspiration and the magic of stories no matter what age. So if you’re a storyteller, or want to be, the animation is a great place to start. So what is animation? And what are the types of animation cartoonists and artists use? Let’s jump in.

Watch: The Ultimate Guide to Animation

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How is Animation Made

What is the definition of animation.

The simulation of movement created by a series of pictures is animation. But how it actually works is a bit more complicated than that. Before we get to the various types of animated motion pictures, let's start with an animation definition.

Animation Definition

What is animation.

Animation is a method of photographing successive drawings, models, or even puppets, to create an illusion of movement in a sequence. Because our eyes can only retain an image for approximately 1/10 of a second, when multiple images appear in fast succession, the brain blends them into a single moving image. 

In traditional animation, pictures are drawn or painted on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed. Early cartoons are examples of this, but today, most animated movies are made with computer-generated imagery or CGI.

To create the appearance of smooth motion from these drawn, painted, or computer-generated images, frame rate, or the number of consecutive images that are displayed each second, is considered. Moving characters are usually shot “on twos” which just means one image is shown for two frames, totaling in at 12 drawings per second. 12 frames per second allows for motion but may look choppy. In the film, a frame rate of 24 frames per second is often used for smooth motion.

Different Types of Animation :

• Traditional Animation
• Rotoscoping
• 3D Animation

Stop Motion

• Motion graphics

Now that we have an animation definition, let’s dig into the different types of animation .

Traditional

This is one of the oldest types of animation in film. It’s sometimes called cel animation . As mentioned above, in traditional animation objects are drawn on celluloid transparent paper. In order to create the animation sequence, the animator must draw every frame. It’s the same mechanism as a flip book just on a grander scale. 

Traditional is most often 2D animation. Aladdin , The Lion King , and other earlier cartoons are the best examples of this. 

In the earlier years, the animator would draw on a table that had a light inside of it, so the creator could see his or her previous animation. While the traditional style is not nearly as prevalent today, drawings are generally done on tablets. And manual coloring hasn’t been used by Disney since The Little Mermaid in 1989. 

Here's an explanation of how animator Aaron Blaise creates traditional, hand-drawn animated movies.

Animation definition  •  How is animation made?

Anime could technically be considered a subcategory of traditional animation. But anime simply refers to any of the types of animation which comes out of Japan. Take a look at this scene from Akira , one of the most celebrated anime films of all time:

Animation definition  •  Akira

Japan has become a powerhouse of animation, and anime has been massively influential around the world. One of its most distinctive characteristics is that often, anime is animated on 3s, which means there is a new image every three frames, rather than in the US, where most animation is every two frames.

This allows Japanese animators to draw with more detail, since fewer images are required. It also gives anime a distinct feel to its movement. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule: some US animation is done on threes, and some anime is done on 2s or even 1s.

For a more in-depth dive into anime, check out this video:

The history of anime  •  Animation definition

2d (vector).

2D animation can fall under traditional animation like most early Disney movies — Pinocchio , Beauty and the Beast , etc. But there is something called Vector-based animation that can be 2D without being traditional. 

With Vector-based, the motion here can be controlled by vectors rather than pixels . So, what the heck does that mean? 

Images with familiar formats like JPG, GIF, BMP, are pixel images. These images cannot be enlarged or shrunk without affecting image quality. Vector graphics don’t need to worry about resolution. Vectors are characterized by pathways with various start and end points, lines connecting these points to build the graphic. Shapes can be created to form a character or other image. Below is an example.

Animation definition  •  Vector Style

Vector-based animation uses mathematical values to resize images, so motion is smooth. They can re-use these creations so the animator doesn’t need to keep drawing the same characters over and over again. You can move around these vectors and animate that way. 

This is also helpful for animators who aren’t the best drawers. Yes, these people exist. 

Today, 3D or computer animation is one of the most common types of animation. But just because computers have stepped in instead of actual drawings, it’s not necessarily easier. The computer is just another tool, and 3D animation is still a long, intense process. 

In 3D animated movies, the animator uses a program to move the character’s body parts around. They set their digital frames when all of the parts of the character are in the right position. They do this for each frame, and the computer calculates the motion from each frame. 

Animators adjust and tweak the curvatures and movements their characters make throughout. From Toy Story in 1995 to today’s Coco , 3D animation has become one of the dominant types of animation.

What is Animation  •  Top 3D Animation Movies

3D animation is also unique in that, unlike 2D or other traditional methods, the character’s entire body is always visible. If a character turns to the side, the animator only needs to draw the side profile in 2D animation, but in 3D, the entire body still needs to be visible. So again, even though computers are being used, with new technology comes with way more considerations. 

Whether you’re using drawing in 2D or computing in 3D, animators and filmmakers alike look to storyboards to plan out each frame. Unlike live- action, animation movies can’t rely on camera tricks in a shot. Storyboards are the lifeline for creating animation . Here are the storyboards used for Disney's classic animated feature Aladdin organized in StudioBinder’s storyboard tool .

Aladdin • Magic Carpet Scene • View Storyboard

Motion graphics.

Motion Graphics are digital graphics that create the illusion of motion usually for ads, title sequences in films, but ultimately exist to communicate something to the viewer. They’re often combined with sound for multimedia projects.

They’re a type of animation used mostly in business, usually with text as a main player. Below are a few examples of motion graphic animation, using the top trends of today.

Motion Graphic Design Inspirations  •   Subscribe on YouTube

Stop motion encompasses claymation , pixelation, object-motionm, and more. But the basic mechanics are similar to the traditional style like a flipbook. However, instead of drawings, stop motion adjusts physical objects in each frame.

If moved in small increments, captured one frame at a time, the illusion of motion is produced.  Whether puppets, clay, or even real people, these manual adjustments can make it a long, arduous process. Wallace and Gromit , Chicken Run ,  and The Nightmare Before Christmas   are all great examples of stop motion films.

Wallace & Gromit  •  The Bunny Vacuum Scene

Stop motion is definitely an older form in the history of animation, especially compared to 3D computer animation. But the process of animating pictures dates back way before Disney or Pixar.

Cutout Animation

Cutout animation is one of the oldest forms of animation. The technique is essentially 2D stop motion. An animator moves cutout shapes (hence, cutout) from frame to frame to create the illusion of movement.

The technique is cheaper and slightly easier than other animation styles, so it proliferated in independent spaces. Think of Monty Python animation:

What is animation?  •  Different types of animation

The earliest surviving animated feature, Lotte Reiniger’s The Adventures of Prince Achmed , uses cutout animation.

FIRST ANIMATION EVER

History of animation.

While it’s unclear when and where first animation ever came to life, the concept of storytelling has been around for centuries. Let’s look at the history of animation

From shadow puppetry in about 200 A.D., to the magic lantern in the 1650s, the first real image projector — telling a story through motion has been happening forever.

But it was in 1832 when the Phénakisticope was invented by Joseph Plateau that the first widespread animation device came into place. Using the persistence of vision principle, it created a fluent illusion of motion. When multiple images blend into a single moving image in the brain it’s called persistence of vision. See below.

What is Animation  •  History of animation

In 1834, William George Horner created a similar motion picture projector, putting the drawings inside of a drum that turned in a circular fashion. This was one of the biggest innovations that laid the foundation for projecting film. Horner originally named it the Daedatelum, or “wheel of the devil” but French inventor, Pierre Desvignes, renamed his own version after the Greek word for “things that turn,” or the Zoetrope.

What is Animation  •  Zoetrope Animation

These early feats of animation carved out the path for the animation we know today. And if we want to get specific about who really had the biggest hand in its birth, we should take a look at the “Father of Animation” himself...or themselves ?

The Father(s) of Animation

The history of animation tells us that many different people were involved in creating animation. There even seem to be two “first animation ever” examples.

The Father of American animation is James Stuart Blackton. Though a British filmmaker, Blackton created the first animation in America and was one of the first to use the stop motion technique. 

What is Animation  •  First animation ever?

In 1906, he went on to create a silent film where drawings on a blackboard are captured using film at 20 frames per second. He called it, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces .

What is Animation  •  Humorous Phases of Funny Faces

However, if you were to ask the world who is considered the “Father of Animation,” you would find one name that stands out. French cartoonist Emile Cohl created what is considered the first fully animated movie ever made. In 1908, Fantasmagorie premiered in Paris.

What is Animation  •  Wait, is this the first animation ever?

In 1914, Earl Hurd created cel animation, thereby becoming a founder of traditional animation.  This would of course, revolutionize the entire industry for the majority of the 20th century.

That same year, way before Mickey Mouse came into fruition, the first animated short to have a distinguishable character was made by cartoonist, Winsor McCay. A dancing “Gertie the Dinosaur” comes to life on screen. 

But no cartoon is as iconic as Mickey Mouse. While the first Mickey cartoon is technically a short, dubbed, “Plane Crazy,” it was never distributed. “ Steamboat Willie ,” premiered as the first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound in 1928.

What is Animation  •  Steamboat Willie

In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first feature to be entirely hand-drawn. The beauty and success of Snow White gave traditional animation its legs for Disney, and for the entire industry.

What is Animation  •  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Between popular 2D and traditionally animated movies to today’s CGI , storytellers have created fantastical animated worlds to tell the best possible stories. 

From the influential stop motion extended skeleton battle scene in Jason and the Argonauts (1963).

Jason and the Argonauts  •  The Amazing Skeleton Fight Scene

To the claymation stop motion in Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Wallace & Gromit  •  Bunny Breakfast Scene

To computer animation in… well nearly every recent Disney Pixar.

Animation is one of the most beloved film formats across many generations, and it’s exciting to see what new technique may develop next.

Techniques in stop motion

The coolest part about animated filmmaking is its accessibility to anyone who wants to create. Sure, many types of animation require the creator to be a great artist, but stop motion isn’t one of those. And you don’t need fancy equipment to pull it off either. Try out some DIY techniques found in the next post. 

Up Next: DIY Stop Motion →

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Essay on Animated Movies

Animated movies are quite simple at first glance, but once you dig deep and actually start realizing how much work goes into them, you start to appreciate them even more. This was the case with me as before studying this topic, I didn’t realize just how many steps there are to producing one of these films. From storyboards to brainstorming, animated movies are truly revolutionary, and I’m going to explain to the best of my ability how one of them is made. The reason that I chose to do my research on animated movies is because I was always intrigued by them, as they can do things that live action movies cannot, which is not having a limit on your creativity. Some of my favorite shows are animated and I find it cool how they can portray a story by drawing it and only using voices.

Before doing the research on animated movies, I knew I had a decent amount on them but it was really only the tip of the iceberg. I knew that there were lots of storyboards and a lot of work on a computer, but I had no idea what any of it was. The storyboarding part I knew because even regular movies have storyboards. For a good amount of time I thought that these movies were fairly easy to make as to me it was just drawing stuff and making them move but as time went on I realized how much work actually goes into little things like one of the characters blinking or moving a body part.

My resources consisted of some of the most reliable sources that I could find on animated movies. First thing I did was I googled how animated movies are made, and I looked for a website that was clear with the steps which led me to my first resource. My primary source where I got most of my information was motion cue, which is a website dedicated to explaining the process of animation and the steps that go into making something that’s animated. It focused more on the steps like storyboarding and scripting and less of the actual animation like rendering and all of that tech stuff. The website also has a learning course and a quote as well which I didn’t get my research from, but it shows that they have a good idea of what they are talking about. My second source was the science behind Pixar, which I used for more of the animation itself and all of the details on the rendering, modeling, rigging, and many more. This website is set up like an exhibit, and it has each of the steps broken down and split into separate parts. The last resources I used were more used for additional facts rather than the actual animation. This website was Disney animation, and it’s an Official Disney website that gives information on the movie Encanto and all of the little details that come out of making one of these movies.

For animating a movie, there is a boatload of steps that go into it. In the article,”How are Animated movies made?”,  (2020) it stated the following. The first step that occurs before anything is the brainstorming process. This process consists of Writing down ideas without really holding back anything. This starts with a team coming together and trying to find the main idea of the story that is going to be told. Some ideas may be irrelevant, but the point is to just throw them out there and hopefully find some that work. After this they eliminate the bad ideas and try to combine ideas to form a bigger picture of what the plot is set out to be. Animation is important for plot because it’s supposed to create a world where there are now limits to what is done so the plot must stand out compared to a normal live action movie. It’s also important to have a relatable but interesting main character with a unique backstory. The next step is scripting. Scripting or screenwriting, is the outline of all the events that take place in the film. This is things like the dialogue, sound effects, musical score, and all of the other audio occurrences. A good script helps to sell the idea to directors and studios. Though the animators are those who get the praise, the screenwriters are really the ones that carry the story out. The third is concept art. Concept art helps create all of the directors and screenwriters' visions into real life. Concept art is more design centric, and is sort of a downgrade from an illustration. The main point for concept art is that it gives the movie makers and animators a reference throughout the movie making process. It also can be seen as a stepping stone for improving upon the animations. For example, the concept art for buzz and woody were way different than the actual final product. This is due to improvements and changes made to the animation based on the general flow of everything else. The fourth step is storyboarding. Storyboards help finalize the development of a storyline and it serves as the backbone for the animating process. Storyboards also draw out plots and it makes a visual timeline of the events that are going to occur in the movie. The last step before the animator's job is the pre-vis. Previsualization is figuring out the film's visual plan. The animated films are most of the time, laid out in an array of stills that are custom to the director's vision, and the premise is what makes the vision of the director clear. Now I’m going to start explaining the actual animation itself and its steps. In the article, “The Science Behind Pixar, it explained how each of the Technological steps are brought to life. The first thing done after the pre-vis and concept art is the modeling of each of the characters. A model is a “virtual wireframe of points and the edges that connect them”. So the concept art is transferred over into this modeler that makes them 3D. The digital modelers create a model of the character and they have to understand the bone structure and the specific shape of the character and they have to do this for every character in the movie. The next step is rigging which is basically the bone structure and muscles for a specific character. The better a rig, the more flexible a character is, but the more flexible, the more time consuming it is the pose the model. Next is the surfaces and sets and cameras which involve many of the previous steps. The surface is what it sounds like, which is the surface of a character in gray and white. The animators then set up the scenes and the characters move around but their mouths aren’t working. All that is next is the lighting, which actually makes the animation look somewhat real as shadows are added and just light like the sun and the moon are added as well. And lastly is rendering which is just throwing all of the steps together and setting all the simulations together so it’s ready to run. That’s really all there is to it but again each step takes a while. And now I’ll just toss up some fun facts about the making of these movies using the example of Encanto, which is a Pixar production. Encanto has a run time of 90 minutes. There are many sequences in the movie made up of various different shots. Each of the shots are around 0 to 30 seconds long. Within the shots, there are frames, which are approximately 0.04 seconds. Encanto has a whooping 133,709 frames throughout the whole movie. From the storyboarding to the final frame, each film takes an average of 3 to 5 years to create, which after reading this, is easy to see why.

To conclude, Animated movies aren’t an easy thing to make. It takes a lot of time and talent to produce a product that is considered good in today's time and date. Though they are so hard to make, the final product of an animated movie can be such a great form of art as they enhance the stories of those that can’t be made with just regular actors and a camera. I am glad that I got to research this as I had a great time finding out all of the steps that occur while making these movies, and it makes me appreciate ever more those who do this for a living.

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Animation and the Animated Film

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Animation and the Animated Film by Paul Wells LAST REVIEWED: 19 December 2012 LAST MODIFIED: 19 December 2012 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199791286-0076

For many years, animation received minimal recognition as a significant form of cinematic and artistic expression. A seemingly irrevocable process of marginalization and dismissal has been arrested, however, by the enduring presence of animation festivals worldwide, the rise of animation studies in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the exponential rise in animation production in all sectors of media, culture, and the arts. Animation is now at the heart of cinema, from the traditional neoclassicism of Pixar Animation to high-end effects movies such as Avatar (2009); indeed, some argue that all cinema is a form of animation. Animation has been most associated, of course, with the American animated cartoon. Following the pioneering work of J. Stuart Blackton and Winsor McCay, Walt Disney developed the form through his “ Silly Symphonies ,” and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first full-length, Technicolor, sound-synchronized, marquee-headlining, animated feature. Narrative, esthetic, and cultural challenges to Disney’s emergent classical style followed in cartoons by the Fleischer, Warner Brothers, MGM, and UPA studios, soon inventive models of comic mayhem and social satire. A different kind of experimental tradition emerged in Europe through auteurs such as Émile Cohl, Lotte Reiniger, Oskar Fischinger, Ladislaw Starewich, and Norman McLaren, employing different techniques and materials, but it also informed the productions of studios such as those in Zagreb and Prague, or Halas and Batchelor and W. E. Larkins in the United Kingdom. Animation afforded practitioners the opportunity to develop distinctive approaches, exploring color, shape, form, and motion for its own sake, or advancing fresh approaches to narrative and sociocultural representation. Strong indigenous traditions of animation were present, too, in Japan, Russia, and China, and almost uniformly across eastern and western Europe. Pixar Animation and Dreamworks have moved animation into the forefront of mainstream feature film entertainment, with high-quality franchises such as Toy Story (1995–2010) and Shrek (2001–2010), but independent works such as Persepolis (2007) and Waltz with Bashir (2008) have also achieved breakthrough crossover success. Animé—especially the films of Hayao Miyazaki—enjoys international appeal. Most major blockbuster movies employ spectacular animated visual effects, and The Simpsons , South Park , and Family Guy remain important staples of the TV schedules. The whole history of global animation practice is coming under fresh scrutiny. This developing literature properly reflects the different strands of activity and thinking about animation as a process, an art, a craft, a representational idiom, and a site addressing ideas and issues, most specifically memory and emotion.

The following texts offer broad overviews of animation in a variety of ways, partly operating as quasi-histories, partly as introductory, informative, and often richly illustrated works, and partly as commentaries on production that suggest other kinds of more developed reading and investigation. McCall 1998 is a useful catalogue; Beck 1994 collects the fifty greatest cartoons; Beckerman 2003 offers a view of animation as a craft, fully extended in Furniss 2008 ; Faber and Walters 2003 provides an update of the experimental tradition championed in Russett and Starr 1988 ; Kanfer 1997 looks at animation through the filter of business and industry; and Wiedemann 2004 collates the imagery of global animation as art.

Beck, Jerry. The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals . Atlanta: Turner, 1994.

Beck, one of the most knowledgeable figures about American animated cartoons, and convener of the “Cartoon Brew” website, ballots animation-invested experts and practitioners to name the fifty greatest cartoons. The criteria by which cartoons are evaluated are “originality,” “artistry,” “animation,” “music,” “humor,” “personality,” and “concept.” Number one is Chuck Jones’s What’s Opera, Doc? (1957).

Beckerman, Howard. Animation: The Whole Story . Rev. ed. New York: Allworth, 2003.

A practitioner perspective on the development of the form, offering a view of the history of animation in relation to its technical and craft orientation before offering insights on drawing, creating characters, visual storytelling, direction, and traditional approaches to 2D animation.

Faber, Liz, and Helen Walters. Animation Unlimited: Innovative Short Films since 1940 . London: Laurence King, 2003.

An invaluable compendium of innovative independent animated shorts made since 1940, with short introductory pieces and high-quality illustrative images. The book includes a DVD of examples based on the thematic categories of form, sound, words, and character, and embraces the anticipated canon of experimental filmmakers, and less celebrated figures including John Stehura, Jules Engel, Karl Sims, and Stan Vanderbeek.

Furniss, Maureen. The Animation Bible . New York: Abrams, 2008.

Maureen Furniss, a leading figure in animation studies, has produced some key texts in the research, scholarship, and pedagogy of animation. The Animation Bible constitutes a summation of her expertise and outlook, drawing together contemporary production examples not only to exemplify different models of practice but also to offer a theoretical and critical commentary on style, technique, and creative methodologies.

Kanfer, Stefan. Serious Business: The Art and Commerce of Animation in America from Betty Boop to Toy Story. New York: Scribner, 1997.

An engaging overview of the history of the American animated cartoon, set within an industry and business context, often described by veteran animators themselves. Though journalistic in tone, the book is often insightful about the relationship between the commercial infrastructure and the eventual production outcomes of competing studios.

McCall, Douglas L. Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts . Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1998.

Divided into three sections, the book provides data on 180 feature animations, films that include animated credits and interludes, and information on more than 1,500 shorts. It also has material on key animation studios. A range of these kinds of texts are found in the bibliography, and they tend to be more authoritative than information of this sort on the Internet.

Russett, Robert, and Cecile Starr, eds. Experimental Animation: Origins of a New Art . New York: Da Capo, 1988.

One of the most significant yet neglected books in animation studies, offering an account of experimental animation as the “origin of a new art,” taking up the work of abstract filmmakers, and focusing on nonobjective, nonlinear shorts. The book includes analyses of work both in the European and in the American experimental tradition, constantly drawing attention to the deployment of new technologies.

Wiedemann, Julius, ed. Animation NOW! London: Taschen, 2004.

A comprehensive pictorial overview of animation practices worldwide, with an accompanying DVD, with short introductions about featured filmmakers, studios, universities, and colleges. The book adds credibility to the status and quality of the visual imagery drawn from animated films, by aligning it with Taschen’s overall strategy in producing publications dedicated to the primacy of the image in its own right.

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Essay Samples on Animation

Schizoid personality throughout the movie shrek.

The 2001 movie Shrek, tells the tale of an unsociable ogre who lives in a secluded swamp. He loves being alone, but he is soon accompanied by a talkative donkey who wants to be his friend. Shrek’s world gets turned upside down when he realizes...

How Toy Story 3 Incorporates Character Self-Esteem

Ken plays a major roll in being a narcissist. Ken is a popular character in the real world just like the movie. However, the movie shows his changes as time passes. You notice this when he’s around Lots-o and his gang. He tries to act...

• Self Esteem

Comparative Analysis of Animation Movies: Moana and Mulan

Moana by Walt Disney is a fantasy and action Disney movie that follows the story of an island princess who is strongly willed to save her island from natural disasters. Mulan, on the other hand, is an animation where Mulan takes the role of a...

Finding the Appeal Behind Shrek, the Animation Movie

The world of animation is filled with so many talented and creative people. It is a common language shared between adults and children, a world where anything goes just as long as one has the imagination for it. And imagination itself has no bounds. It...

Uses of the Cartoon Illustration Style

Abstract This essay explores beloved and widely used cartoon illustration style. The paper depicts history of drawn cartoon style that is used for book illustrations and further evolution of this art that developed into animated movies using researches of Thomas Milton Kemnitz (1973) and Maureen...

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History of Japan Anime Culture and the Main Types of Anime

The anime industry is hugh, but it wasn't always. Anime didn't start till the early 1900’s, and it didn't become “popular” until the 1980’s. Dragon Ball is the most well known anime but is often called a cartoon. Now anime is a lot more popular...

The History of Anime and Why I Came to Love It

Anime some might know it as cartoons but anime is generally considered to be a form of entertainment. The Japanese have been producing and creating animation for over 100 years and are known for their ability to create realistic characters, scenery and action scenes. The...

Alternation of Themes and Symbols in Fairy Tales: Analysis of Shrek

The End of Fairy Tales? How Shrek and Friends Have Changed Children’s Stories, written by James Poniewozik, provides criticism on how children are exposed to fairy tales in today’s society and how they are not being presented in the traditional storyline. In particular, Poniewozik uses...

Historical Inaccuracy in Johnny Tremain

Disney often recomposes films or cartoons based on historical events and novels, and these movies are beneficial to educate children history using an alternative source so that people could better understand and accept the history. To cater the targeted audiences, such as parents and children,...

Spirited Away: The Beautiful Messages in the Picture

“Spirited Away” is an animated movie produced by Studio Ghibli in Japan. The movie itself is a masterpiece of story and imagery, and has a wonderful lesson for people of all ages watching it. The film centers around a young girl named Chihiro who loses...

• Spirited Away

Bad Monsters and Good Sprites in the Spirited Away

Spirited Away is a 2001 fantasy animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli’s most well-known film, and to no surprise, it is noteworthy for being the first ever anime (Japanese animation) to win an Academy Award. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro, a...

The Lessons of Pocahontas The Animated Movie

Walt Disney’s animated classic film Pocahontas is established as a true story on a Native American girl named Pocahontas. Not only was it the studio’s first historical-based animated movie but it helped show diversity being that she was a Native American leader. The movie itself...

Analysis of the Conflict Between Colonized and Colonizers in Pocahontas

Pocahontas is a movie about the early colonization of the New World, yet it shows a lot about Post Colonialist problems from the start. This movie within the start shows the colonial roots with the protagonist, Pocahontas, who is depicted as a “voluptuous young woman”(Hunter...

Portrayal of the Different Cultures in a Disney Movie Pocahontas

The movie I chose to write this assignment over is Pocahontas. It is a Disney animated film that was released in 1995. Captain John Smith from England and his crew traveled to the New World in hopes to find gold and a new place to...

The Power of Nonverbal Communication in Animation

The animation industry has endured the test of time, adapting and evolving with technology, creating a seemingly timeless artform. Animation owes much of its success to its ability to harness nonverbal communication as a form of storytelling. Nonverbal communication transcends the barriers of time and...

• Effective Communication
• Nonverbal Communication

Mowgli: The Darker Jungle Book

The Jungle Book isn’t a new story. It started as a book, becoming two animated Disney films, and was later turned into a live action movie. Netflix decided to release their own version of the timeless tale with their new movie Mowgli: Legend of the...

• The Jungle Book

Realism in Fairy Tale 'Snow White'

‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ (1937) was originally inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale. This story left an impression on Walt Disney as a child and urged him to create the movie we all know today. For this film, Disney incorporated new animation...

Dissociative Identity Disorder In the Japanese Animation 'YuYu Hakusho'

The dissociative identity disorder is a disorder called in others time as multiple personalities disorder. It is a condition which a person has more than one personality or identity state. People with this kind of disorder may feel like there are one or more than...

• Dissociative Identity Disorder
• Mental Illness

Origins of the Famous Internet Creepypastas

What’s the Deal with Creepypastas? As with a lot of things on the Internet, it’s very hard to pinpoint the exact origins of the creepypasta. The word itself is a portmanteau of “creepy” and “copypasta,” an Internet slang term that refers to a block of...

Spongebob Squarepants: A Classic Cartoon Enjoyed by Adults and Children Alike

Anyone who grew up in the nineties has had a childhood filled with classic cartoon TV shows. Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Animax, and many more have paved the way for a child’s ability to experience quality entertainment while learning new ideas and concepts at...

Similarities Between Pantalone, Zanni and Mr. Krabs

Pantalone Pantalone is a very important character in Commedia. He is one one of the highest ranking characters and a lot of the other characters roles exist to serve him or his daughter. Pantalone is a very common Commedia character and is found in most...

Political Message in South Park's Episode Splatty Tomato

South Park is most effective at expressing its message of being equally satirical to all situations and by doing so creating a situation where no one can be offended since everyone is offended. South Park’s humor has continued to grow darker and more relevant to...

Mini-Criticism of South Park's Commentary Article by Marcus Schulzke

Mini-Criticism of South Park Marcus Schulzke’s commentary article Contentious Language: South Park and the Transformation of Meaning on the popular TV show South Park’s episode titled “The F Word” is an affirmation of the maxim ‘the end justifies the means. ’Schulzke argues that the writers...

Southpark's Satire and Critical Humour

As a provocative and anti-politically correct television series, South Park offersits viewers an alternative space to critically think about and discuss contemporary issues. Contrary to its reputation for potty-mouth humor, South Park often has insightfulperspectives on complicated topics in present-day culture. The writers of South...

How Suicidal Themes in Cartoons and Games Affect Children

Through children games and television, the government is manipulation our kids. The internet is what keeps us all connected, allowing us to communicate at any time of day with anyone. We get our news, our weather, and even our groceries online. You can now unlock...

Inside Out: Understanding Emotions Through Animation

According to Sadness, “Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life’s problems”. Inside Out is a Disney Movie directed by Pete Docter and was released in June 17, 2015. The story starts with an eleven-year old, named Riley, who encounters difficulties...

Toy Story's Message for Young Children

Toy Story is an animated movie that was released in 1995 by director John Lasseter. This blockbuster film is about a group of toys who seem to be well alive but pretend to be lifeless when actual humans are around. The main characters in this...

The Animation Wars of Two Animation Giants: Disney and Pixar

As one could say it’s a “Tale as Old as Time”. You can name a favorite you can name a least. You can say you like one studio more then another. All in all, everyone at one point or another have seen a Disney or...

The Development of Animation Industry and Methods

Introduction In this assignment, I will be discussing the development of animation. I will do this by explaining how technological advancements throughout history have paved the way for new techniques to be founded that have shaped the way that we see animation to this day....

Emotion And Family Bonding In The Movie Despicable Me 3

Despicable Me 3 is a 2017 movie produced by Illumination Entertainment, an animation studio. Its genre falls under family comedy and its sub-genre is animated action. Despicable Me 3 is a third installment for the movie Despicable Me. Despicable Me 3 is rated PG, so...

Overview Of The Animated Tv Series Spongebob Squarepants

Since it first aired on Nickelodeon on the 1st of May 1999, the animated TV series Spongebob Squarepants created by marine biologist/animator Stephen Hillenburg has not just generated a huge revenue ($13 billion, as at late 2017) for the network but has ranked as one...

• Movie Review

Pixel Art – Digital Graphics Used For Computer Games

Pixel art is a style of digital art drawn at the pixel level, sometimes having the pixels enlarged for a retro appearance. Pixel art is almost exclusively used in video games, however there are some uses for pixel art outside of video games. One notable...

• Graphic Design
• Video Games

Plot Summary Of The Toy Story 3 Movie

The first two parts of the movie revolved around the relationship of Andy with his toys.In the third part Andy is all grown up and ready to go to college, and his toys find themselves in a situation where they are fighting for their survival...

Types Of Digital Graphics Used: Raster And Vector

In digital media, two types of digital graphics are used: raster and vector. Raster files are bitmaps, which are fixed grids of pixels that compose an image as each pixel is coded to a specific hue. Raster graphics are used in photographs, scans and detailed...

• Digital Literacy

The Representation Of Mental Disorders In The Movie "Finding Dory"

From, the beginning of the movie itself we see that Dory experiences from short-term memory also known as “Anterograde Amnesia”. The opening scene of the film highlights Dory as a youthful fish figuring out how to disclose to others about her ailment. The one thing...

• Mental Disorder

The Concept Of An Imagined World In The Games Animation And VFX Industries

To better our understanding of an imagined world we have been asked to conduct a detailed investigation into an artist or an artistic movement that has used its own unique style for an imagined world and examine how this could be translated into a Games,...

Analysis Of Social Issues Highlighted In Powerpuff Girls Show

“The Powerpuff Girls” is a TV show created in the late 1990s about three superhuman kindergarteners that were accidentally made by Professor Utonium. While he was mixing sugar, spice and, everything nice to create the perfect little girl, he accidentally knocked over Chemical X which...

• Social Problems

The Presence Of Word Painting In The Cartoon Series Tom And Jerry

Any meaningful attempt to appreciate a piece of music must begin with the text, if it has one. Listeners, critics, analysts, and performers must all take the text as their starting point for the simple and obvious reason that that was where the composer began....

• Music Industry

Best topics on Animation

1. Schizoid Personality Throughout the Movie Shrek

2. How Toy Story 3 Incorporates Character Self-Esteem

3. Comparative Analysis of Animation Movies: Moana and Mulan

4. Finding the Appeal Behind Shrek, the Animation Movie

5. Uses of the Cartoon Illustration Style

6. History of Japan Anime Culture and the Main Types of Anime

7. The History of Anime and Why I Came to Love It

8. Alternation of Themes and Symbols in Fairy Tales: Analysis of Shrek

9. Historical Inaccuracy in Johnny Tremain

10. Spirited Away: The Beautiful Messages in the Picture

11. Bad Monsters and Good Sprites in the Spirited Away

12. The Lessons of Pocahontas The Animated Movie

13. Analysis of the Conflict Between Colonized and Colonizers in Pocahontas

14. Portrayal of the Different Cultures in a Disney Movie Pocahontas

15. The Power of Nonverbal Communication in Animation

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• Forrest Gump
• A Wrinkle in Time
• A Beautiful Mind

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Home » All articles » The Role of Animation in Society: A Look at the Power of Visual Storytelling

The Role of Animation in Society: A Look at the Power of Visual Storytelling

Animation is more than just entertainment; it is a powerful form of visual storytelling that has a profound impact on society. From captivating children’s imaginations to conveying complex messages to adults, animation plays a crucial role in shaping our culture and influencing our perceptions. In this blog post, we will explore the significance of animation in society, delving into its ability to educate, inspire, and build empathy. Join us as we dive into the world of animation and discover the incredible power it holds in shaping our understanding of the world around us.

Table of Contents

Impact of Animation on Cultural Expression and Identity

The Power of Visual Storytelling

Animation has emerged as a powerful tool for cultural expression and identity in society today. Through the art of visual storytelling, animation enables creators to convey powerful narratives that resonate with audiences on a global scale.

Breaking Barriers

Animation has the unique ability to transcend language and cultural barriers, allowing stories to be communicated in a universal way. By using visually engaging techniques, animated films and series can capture the essence of diverse cultures, showcasing their values, traditions, and beliefs.

Amplifying Voices

Animation has the power to amplify underrepresented voices, offering an inclusive platform for cultural expression. By showcasing diverse characters and storylines, animation challenges stereotypes and promotes a more inclusive society. Through creative and relatable narratives, animation enables individuals from all backgrounds to see themselves represented on screen.

Preserving Heritage

Animation serves as a valuable medium for preserving cultural heritage. By depicting traditional stories and folklore, animation helps cultures to keep their traditions alive in a rapidly changing world. This ensures that future generations are aware of their cultural roots and can maintain a sense of identity and pride.

Inspiring Creativity

Animation inspires creativity and encourages individuals to explore their own cultural expression. By blending traditional techniques with modern storytelling, animation showcases diverse artistic styles and techniques, fostering innovation and encouraging new perspectives on cultural identity.

Empowering Communities

Animation has the potential to empower communities, allowing them to tell their own stories on their own terms. Through animation, marginalized communities can assert their identities and challenge dominant narratives. This empowerment not only celebrates diversity but also contributes to social change and greater understanding among different cultures.

The Role of Animation in Society

Animation is not limited to entertainment; it plays a vital role in shaping society. By utilizing the power of visual storytelling, animation has the potential to create social awareness, educate, and inspire change. Animated productions can address important social issues, such as environmental conservation, gender equality, and mental health, raising awareness and initiating conversations.

In conclusion, animation has a profound impact on cultural expression and identity, offering a powerful medium for storytelling. Through its ability to transcend language and cultural barriers, animation can amplify voices, preserve heritage, inspire creativity, and empower communities. As the role of animation in society continues to evolve, its potential for shaping cultural narratives and promoting understanding among diverse communities remains significant.

Animation as a Medium to Communicate Social and Political Messages

Animation has evolved from its humble beginnings as a form of entertainment to a powerful tool for communication and expression. Today, animators harness the power of visual storytelling to convey social and political messages, making animation an important medium that reflects and shapes society.

Animation plays a significant role in society, influencing opinions and raising awareness on pressing social and political issues. Through vibrant visuals and engaging narratives, animation captivates audiences and provokes thought, allowing for the exploration of complex topics in a meaningful and accessible way.

Visual storytelling lies at the heart of animated content, allowing creators to convey messages effectively. By combining vivid imagery, compelling characters, and captivating narratives, animators create a sensory experience that resonates with viewers on a deep emotional level.

Animation and Social Messages

Animation has been instrumental in promoting social change by addressing themes such as discrimination, inequality, and environmental issues. By presenting relatable characters and scenarios, animation brings awareness to these problems, encouraging empathy, understanding, and action.

Political Messages Through Animation

Animation has also emerged as a powerful tool for political commentary. Animators harness the medium’s flexibility to critique and question political systems, policies, and figures. Through satire, symbolism, and allegory, animation provides a safe space for creative expression, enabling bold and thought-provoking social and political commentary.

Challenges and Impact

While animation’s potential to communicate social and political messages is evident, it faces certain challenges. Animators must navigate societal norms, censorship, and industry limitations while balancing entertainment and education. However, despite these challenges, animation continues to leave a lasting impact on audiences.

A Timeless Medium

Animation’s ability to convey messages transcends language, cultural barriers, and generations. Its universal appeal ensures that social and political messages reach diverse audiences, fostering discussions, promoting change, and challenging the status quo. Animation’s longevity as a medium ensures that its impact will endure for years to come.

Animation has evolved into a powerful medium for communication, providing a unique platform for social and political messages. Through the art of visual storytelling, animation captures the hearts and minds of audiences, allowing for the exploration of complex issues and the promotion of positive change. As society continues to evolve, animation will remain an essential tool for conveying social and political messages, shaping our understanding of the world and inspiring action.

Evolution of Animation Techniques and Styles in Shaping Public Perception

Animation, an art form that has captivated audiences since its inception, has undergone remarkable evolution over the years. As animation techniques and styles have evolved, they have played a significant role in shaping public perception and influencing society. The power of visual storytelling through animation cannot be underestimated.

One notable animation technique that has played a vital role in shaping public perception is hand-drawn animation. This traditional method involves drawing each frame by hand, resulting in a unique and organic look. Hand-drawn animation has been used to depict characters and stories in a way that resonates deeply with audiences. Its ability to capture emotions and convey complex narratives has helped shape public perception of animation as a serious artistic medium.

Another technique that has had a significant impact on public perception is stop-motion animation. This technique involves manipulating physical objects and capturing them frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. Stop-motion animation has a distinct charm and tactile quality that resonates with viewers. Its use in films like “Coraline” and “Kubo and the Two Strings” has showcased the artistry and creativity of animators, shaping public opinion on the potential of animation as a medium for storytelling.

Computer-generated imagery (CGI) has also revolutionized animation and contributed to the shaping of public perception. CGI allows animators to create realistic and fantastical worlds, immersing audiences in visually stunning narratives. Films like “Toy Story” and “The Incredibles” have demonstrated the power of CGI in capturing the imagination of viewers and pushing the boundaries of what animation can achieve.

In addition to evolving techniques, animation styles have also played a role in shaping public perception. From the whimsical and colorful world of classic Disney animations to the dark and gritty aesthetics of anime, different styles evoke different emotions and resonate with different audiences. The variety of animation styles available has helped broaden the perception of animation as a medium that can cater to diverse tastes and tell a wide range of stories.

Animation, with its evolving techniques and styles, continues to captivate audiences and shape public perception. Whether it is through hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, CGI, or a combination of techniques, animation has the power to visually tell stories that resonate with viewers and leave a lasting impact. As animation continues to push boundaries and explore new possibilities, its role in society as a powerful medium of visual storytelling will only become more prominent.

Psychological and Emotional Effects of Animated Films on Audiences

Animated films have long captivated audiences around the world with their visually enticing storytelling. These cinematic marvels have a profound impact on viewers, both psychologically and emotionally, influencing the way they think and feel. Through the power of animation, filmmakers have the ability to transport audiences into fantastical realms, evoke deep emotions, and convey complex messages in a visually compelling manner.

Evoking Empathy and Connection

Animated films possess a unique ability to tap into the viewer’s emotions and foster a sense of empathy. By using vivid visuals and relatable characters, these films bring the narrative to life, enabling audiences to become deeply engrossed in the story. This emotional connection allows viewers to experience the triumphs, sorrows, and growth of the characters, ultimately forging a bond that transcends the screen.

Fostering Imagination and Creativity

One of the most significant impacts of animated films is their ability to stimulate imagination and foster creativity. The visually captivating nature of animation, coupled with imaginative storytelling, allows audiences to explore limitless possibilities. Viewers are encouraged to think outside the box, embrace their inner child, and imagine a world without borders or constraints. This freedom of thought encourages innovative thinking and opens the door to new ideas and perspectives.

Addressing Complex Themes in a Palatable Manner

Animation serves as a powerful medium to tackle complex themes and societal issues. By presenting these topics in an animated format, filmmakers can make them more approachable and less overwhelming for audiences. Through the clever use of metaphors, allegories, and symbolic imagery, animated films can convey profound messages without alienating viewers. This unique approach enables filmmakers to address sensitive subjects, such as social inequality, environmental conservation, and mental health, in a thought-provoking yet digestible manner.

Escape from Reality and Stress

One of the primary appeals of animated films lies in their ability to provide an escape from the pressures of reality. Amidst the daily hustle and bustle of life, these films offer a refuge, transporting viewers into a world of wonder and magic. This temporary reprieve from stress and responsibilities can have a positive impact on mental well-being, allowing individuals to recharge and rejuvenate.

Animated films hold incredible power as a form of visual storytelling. They have the potential to evoke deep emotions, inspire creativity, tackle complex themes, and provide a well-deserved break from reality. These psychological and emotional effects make animation a vital and cherished aspect of society, captivating audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

In conclusion, animation plays a vital role in society by harnessing the power of visual storytelling. Through its ability to captivate audiences, evoke emotions, and communicate complex ideas, animation has proven to be a powerful tool for entertainment, education, and social change. Whether it is through the magical worlds of fantasy or the reflection of our own reality, animated stories have the ability to shape our perceptions, challenge our beliefs, and inspire us to create a better future. As technology continues to advance and animation evolves, its impact on society is only set to grow, making it an ever more important medium for shaping the world we live in.

The Simple Guide to Writing Animated Screenplays

Writing feature screenplays and pursuing a career as a feature screenwriter is a pretty straightforward journey when you break it down. But writing animated screenplays and pursuing a career in animation adds additional elements to the journey. The scripts need to be slightly different, and the career approach has additional nuances that you need to be aware of.

Here we offer a simple guide to becoming informed and understanding those nuances.

How to Get Your Start in Animation

Consider becoming an animator.

There's an inescapable truth that trying to sell animation screenplays on spec (writing them under spec ulation that you'll sell them to someone) can be much more difficult than trying to sell a spec script intended to be a live-action feature.

Animation houses usually develop animated projects from within. And those projects are usually developed by animators. Animation is an animator's medium. There's no escaping that.

So, before you begin to pursue a career in writing for animation, consider trying to become an animator yourself. That's the easiest and most direct way into animation writing.

• You can pursue a degree in animation or computer graphics.
• Disney offers college students internship programs and offers entry-level growth opportunities for recent grads and those new to the animation industry.
• And there are many other opportunities online as well.

But don't worry, non-animators have succeeded in animation writing as well.

Aphton Corbin, Story Artist at Pixar

Jumping From Live-Action to Animation

Yes, being an animator helps you ten-fold when it comes to writing animated screenplays that get produced. All of the Pixar titans (Unkrich, Lasseter, Docter, Stanton) began in animation before writing Pixar's biggest hits. But that doesn't mean that being an animator is the only route in.

After graduating from college, Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt first started out as a script reader for production companies. He then became the full-time assistant to Hollywood actor Matthew Broderick. In 1999, he decided that he wanted to pursue screenwriting full-time.

Arndt wrote and revised the script for Little Miss Sunshine over the course of a year. He got the script to a producer and ended up selling it for $250,000. The script was then in development for a few years until it was finally produced, leading to critical acclaim, box office success, and an Oscar for Arndt.

Pixar then hired Arndt to write the screenplay for Toy Story 3 , based on Andrew Stanton's treatment. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

If writing for animation is your dream, but you don't want to become an animator to do so, there are options. You can impress an animation house with live-action success or with strong animation and live-action scripts as samples.

'Toy Story 3'

Why Should Your Script Be Animated? 

Too many screenwriters have sent screenplays out to animation studios without the initial intention of creating a story bred for animation. Animation isn't a fallback or secondary option for the marketing of your screenplay.

But maybe you should consider writing for animation .

You need to explore what animation can bring to your screenplays and stories. You need to ask yourself why your script should be animated — and why you should approach animation houses and producers. One of the first things they will ask you is: "Why should this be an animated movie?"

The best genre options for animation include:

• Science Fiction
• Children Book Adaptations
• Comic Adaptations

Animation can bring these types of stories to life in a way that live-action can't, even in this day and age of CGI. The medium allows creative and stylistic visuals and imagery to come to life — visuals and imagery that wouldn't translate as well to live-action. And some that just wouldn't be possible in live-action.

There has to be a reason, though. There needs to be a communicable pitch for why your story is perfect for animation. Animation can't just be a marketing option for your screenplay.

Read More: Why Legends Never Die in 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'

Screenplay Formatting: Live-Action vs. Animation

The initial animation screenplay format is no different from what you would see with a live-action feature script.

You use the same core elements of screenplay format:

• Scene Heading
• Scene Description
• Character Names for Dialogue

Script excerpt from 'Toy Story 3'

And you can expect the same with writing animated TV series episodes as well.

However, there are basic nuances that you should consider adding to your animated screenplays.

Visually-Enhanced Character Description

This harkens back to showing us why your script should be an animated feature. When you introduce your characters within the screenplay, seek out opportunities to add a little visual flair.

Maybe your character has:

• Exaggerated big ears
• An extremely small frame
• Vibrantly colorful clothes

It's good to have just a line or two of description that screams animation. You don't want to overstep your bounds, though. It's an animator's medium. The animators are going to take your script to the animation-level with their own character designs, but you can offer a couple of broad strokes to work from.

Scene Description Free of Bounds

The great thing about writing for animation is that anything is possible. You no longer have to worry about the constraints of live-action features, where you can (and should) worry about having too many exotic locations, unrealistic action sequences, etc.

Go nuts. Explore and create vibrant worlds. Put your characters through hoops and hurdles that live-action wouldn't allow. Create worlds that scream for animation and excite animators. Give them a reason not just to want to accept the challenge of bringing such a unique and original world to life — make them feel the need to do it by creating something so unique and special.

Fantastical Props and Vehicles

Don't be afraid to be weird and strange. Fill your world with things we haven't seen before — or different and exaggerated variations of what we have seen. The animators can create whatever you envision.

A normal live-action script would just say car . You can take that to the next level with an additional line or two of description to capture an enhanced visual.

The LEGO Movie 2

What to Keep in Mind as You Craft Your Story

Read a lot of animation scripts.

If you want to know how to write a great animated script, one of the best ways to learn is to read great animated scripts.

What are your favorite animated films? Find those scripts and read them! Do a lot of them come from the same production company? Find out what that particular company's philosophy is on storytelling, whether it's Pixar, Laika Studios, or Studio Ghibli. ( Quick Note: Pixar is  very  outspoken about its approach to telling stories and Hayao Miyazaki is also incredibly generous with his insight into Studio Ghibli's storytelling method .)

Conversely, though, don't just read great scripts -- read the less-than-great ones, too. Diagnose what these scripts lack. Is the dialogue unnatural? Are the characters flat and one-dimensional? Is the exposition too heavy-handed? Are the plot points unorganized and hard to follow? Understanding how other screenplays miss the mark can really help you avoid missing it yourself.

If you want to read some great animated screenplays, check out The Script Lab where you can download and read them for FREE! Here are a few to get you started.

• Kubo and the Two Strings

Determine Who Your Audience Is

You're not going to pitch an animated series or feature in the line of Family Guy or Sausage Party to Pixar or Disney. And you also need to understand how difficult an adult-oriented animation project will be to get off the ground.

The major animation houses like Pixar , Disney , and Dreamworks have a brand. They're not going to suddenly roll with adult-oriented animation.

So, whether you want to create four-quadrant family movies, animated children series, anime-level action/horror, or adult-oriented animated series, go in knowing what your demographics are and do your best to study them and cater to those audiences.

Explore the Common Themes

A few years back, Vox created a grid to showcase the themes found in most Pixar movies .

Themes are important in any storytelling. They can be developed early on in the writing process and used as a compass to guide the story and characters. They can be inserted during the writing process to better touch and engage an audience.

These above principle themes found in Pixar films prove that because they are so widely used throughout their catalog of films, and because Pixar has been so successful as a result, screenwriters should take note and consider exploring such themes within their own animated screenplays.

Disney and Dreamworks have embraced similar themes as well. The best thing that screenwriters can do is know and understand the animation realm. There are common successful themes that exist. And those themes are successful for a reason. Don't be afraid to embrace them.

Read More: Hayao Miyazaki Says 'Ma' is an Essential Storytelling Tool

Feature a World We Haven't Seen Before

We've seen toys coming to life, house pets wreaking havoc, and zoo animals exploring the city.

If you want to succeed in animation writing, you're going to need to give us something new. If you want to entice animation studios to take notice of your writing, you're going to need to go to extremes to stand apart from their own animators and the rest of the screenwriters trying to break through just like you.

The easiest way to engage them is to offer something they haven't seen before. And you do that by exploring worlds that animation hasn't yet.

Before Toy Story , we never experienced the concept of a world where our toys come to life when we're not looking.

Before Shrek , we never thought about a world where all of the fairy tale characters and creatures we grew up with lived in the same realm together.

Before Inside Out , we never imagined a world where our emotions are living and breathing characters.

What's so special about the world in your animated screenplay? Are you giving us more of the same, or are we going to be transported to a world we never thought to imagine? That is the secret sauce to any successful animated movie or series.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries  Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, and the feature thriller  Hunter’s  Creed  starring Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, Wesley Truman Daniel, Mickey O’Sullivan, John Victor Allen, and James Errico. Follow Ken on Twitter  @KenMovies

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Animation and Live Action’ Relationship in Cinema Essay

Introduction, film setting, animation and live action as a repelling pair, quality of production.

Bibliography

Live action and animation have both played significant roles in the film industry. Both live action and animation have a close relationship. Recently, discussions have embarked trying to address their distinct structures, roles, and functioning as well as how their qualities merge or contradict each other. In a bid to understand how animation and live action relate, it is important to first identify whether they are differences existing between the two modes and if they exist how they influence the combination of live action and animation.

Despite the rapid growing significance of the mode, animation is yet to receive critical acknowledgement from academicians as opposed to live action film. 1 Since its early inception, animation has highly been viewed as an entertainment for the young audience. This assumption led to the marginalisation of animation, thus leading to the lack of interest by scholars who have sought to address issues regarding live action films.

With the advent of the digital technology, changes in the relationship between live action and animation have become difficult to comprehend. Digital equipment is very powerful to the extent that animated images can easily be integrated with live action without being noticed. In this regard, animated films have gained increased popularity because they have integrated into the mainstream film industry successfully.

Following the crucial success of the Disney’s Snow White in 1937, animations gradually became a major element of the American filmmaking industry. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between animated and live action films as presented in two films, viz. the Cool World (1992) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Some of the research questions include how a filmmaker establishes and integrates live action and animation elements and how the new digital technology works in the integration of animation and live action cinema.

Animated films have been looked as an art that targets mostly the young audience as opposed to live action, which is seen to focus on adult audience. Even though this assertion looks like a logical assessment, it is unfair given that animation has integrated into live action films successfully and it is attracting a widespread audience. Contemporarily, many artists have tried to disengage the persisting stereotypes trying to suggest that animated films are childish. 2

In 1992, Ralph Bakshi directed the film, Cool World , which is an adult-based animated film with excellent artwork combining both live action and animations. In this film, the scriptwriter provides a piece of work that demonstrates various examples of interlink between animation and live action. Animated films are highly related to the concept of life giving implying that it bases its origin from the idea of live action. Even though this claim is debatable, animation with the help of digital technologies emerged as a hybrid of live action and animation.

With the digital technology, creating moving images or animations has become easy. Therefore, the audiences’ perception about animations has changed from what was experienced in the early 20 th Century. In the early days of animation, the moving images appeared magical, and thus they kept the audience focused for long time.

Within reference to the two films examined in this study, animated images are no longer magical, hence the need for new elements to make them relevant. 3 This one factor forced many scriptwriters to hybridise it and generate formal interruption. There is also the option of extremely exaggerating movements, which is risky because it might receive harsh reception from the adult audience. 4

The setting under which the film is done hugely exploits the tension that may exist between live action and animation. The film, Cool world, provides a combination of live action and animated aspects within the interplay between environment versus character, and character versus character. These conflicting aspects illustrate why it is important to combine live action and animation especially in actions involving very complex human movement. 5

In this film, the animated characters are referred to as Doodles and the live actors referred to as the Noids. When the scriptwriter seeks to make actions that are beyond human capability, it becomes necessary to incorporate animations to make the action appear more lifelike. The Cool World achieves this interplay by making animated doodles appear lifelike. The animators use the new imaging technology, which is referred to as rotoscoping, to make their characters’ engagement with live actors and the real scene appear genuine. 6

Animation films are developed in a relatively similar way as in live action only that animation uses unique visual medium as opposed to live action. In this perspective, live action and animation act as a repelling pair that develops a changing interlink of supplementation. When developing a story in live action, no detailed or special attention is employed while examining what takes place on the screen. For instance, it is easy for the viewer to identify a car chase since everything is depicted clearly and interpreted by the director.

Whereas, this aspect might not apply in the case with animation because it might involve something unknown to the audience, and thus elaborate description is necessary. When this detailed story is provided in a picture, it offers a complete visual image, which easily translates the detailed information that could have been hard to interpret. Despite these underlying differences, live action and animation are more of the same thing since animation presents the imitation of real events/things occurring in real action mode. 7

Animation and live action have come together to develop harmonised perceptual realism. Ever since the creation of animated films, scriptwriters have been looking to interweave the world of technology with that of reality. The film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit , is an example of the various techniques employed by director Robert Zemeckis to make this interlink a possibility. 8 The film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, is a great show displaying how a combination can strike a balance leading to great productions.

The film depicts cartoon characters, which play the role of cartoons in the same manner that human characters used in live action filmmaking. Robert uses animated cartoons in a significant way to represent the physical state of the characters and their surroundings. In the filmmaking industry, keeping the audience focused and interested in either animated or live action for more than an hour is usually difficult. 9 However, using the creative imitation of real events such as talking animals and monsters presents a fantastic production. With the two modes combined, it makes the audience acknowledge that the fantasy world is readily accessible.

In these two films, the action appears to occur against a real environment, viz. within the public transportation for the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit . The hybrid technique depicts a relationship between practice and idea. The animations are used to modify the ideas obtained from prior practice and make them appear achievable in live action.

This animated-led approach is about showing the audiences how some of the complex ideas can happen. Animations are also used to facilitate the generation of ideas among live actors. On the other hand, live actors maintain a genuine sense of emotions that show noticeable human traits, which might be hard in a purely animated film. 10

For instance, Cool World is a bit rugged, and thus hard to identify the story line. Like the film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit , it suggests that animated characters and humans can experience a common reality. The animation is complex and hard to understand the visual information. The cartoon characters are so flexible that they are in a position to change their shapes fast, which gives a desirable affect, but prevents the audience from comprehending what they intend. Therefore, by incorporating live action, it becomes easy for the viewer to register what is happening.

Cool World fails to integrate animation and live action because the mismatch is highly evident when a human character tries to interact with the cartoon characters. On the other hand, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is composed with high precision and keenness to the extent of making the audience believe that the people and cartoons occupy the same space. The two films help to show the differences between reality and imagination. Who Framed Roger Rabbit highlights moral issues such as relationship and social development.

This mixed mode film present a plethora of culturally important issues to the audience, which show relationships that may lead to conflicts at times. 11 This film also evokes issues of gender, sexuality, and race for audiences of the hybrid version. The objection of Jessica Rabbit represents the issues that may encounter the audience in the real world. From a social cultural perspective, Roger Rabbit represents the black race living in the US in the conditions and behaviours of the animated images that symbolically reflect the historical situations of the black Americans. Animated cartoons are often used to create humour. 12

For instance, Roger’s animated form that categorises him as a second-class citizen in the movie enables his ambiguity to avoid sanction from the audience that live action films of black Americans might receive. The animated characters and their live action counterparts interweave in a way that helps the viewers to understand the aforementioned aspects of the film, which could have been hard to comprehend.

By incorporating live action aspects, animators of the film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, aim at drawing fewer images in a bid to cut the costs as well as the time of production. Animation alone is very expensive and time-consuming, and thus incorporating live action is a convenient way of ensuring that both quality and ease of interpretation are maintained while trying to cut on cost. 13

On the other hand, merging live action with animation introduces eye-catching elements that help to keep the audience absorbed for the longest time possible. In this film, both the animated and live action techniques are closely joined to the extent that the audience cannot easily determine the border between the animated and live action sections. Just as the visual demarcations fade away, the same seems to happen for the real and the grotesque environments. 14

The world depicted in this film is not the usual space that individuals live in, but a more optimistic world that enables people to challenge the usual aspects of the contemporary world. For example, the scriptwriter presents a world of challenges such as the dismantling of the public transport system to benefit the private companies that would capitalise on the freeway infrastructure. This form of combination reoccurred years later in the film, Cool World, which worked against the stereotype about animated films being appropriate for children.

Even though this film possessed aspects of both live action and animation, it was highly endorsed amongst the adult audience particularly for its use of animation to relay the intended message to the people. The main idea behind harmonising idealised world is to make audiences come out of the imperfect real world into a fascinating animated environment, which has the potential to change the real world for better. 15 In addition, the interactions with live action episodes reinforce the purpose and effect of the animation.

This paper has examined the relationship between live action and animation in filmmaking. It also explores how the two can merge successfully to produce hybrid films. The two models have been viewed as an opposing pair, but despite having functional and structural differences, they have the potential to combine and produce cohesion in a meaningful manner.

In a bid to cut on costs of production, maintain quality, as well as reach a wider audience, combining animation and live action is highly convenient. As indicated earlier, live actions serve as a guide by suggesting how animation should function in a certain scene. Interactions also ensure that the contents of the film are explored and revoked extensively for the audience to understand.

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Cool World . Directed by Frank Mancuso. Hollywood: Paramount, 1992. Film.

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Glebas, Francis. Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation . Amsterdam: Focal Press, 2009.

Hyejin, Yoon, and Edward Malecki. “Cartoon planet: worlds of production and global production networks in the animation industry.” Industrial & Corporate Change 19, no. 1 (2010): 239-271.

LaMarre, Thomas. The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009.

Mackendrick, Alexander, and Paul Cronin. On Film-Making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director . London: Faber and Faber, 2004.

Marx, Christy. Writing for Animation, Comics & Games . Amsterdam: Focal Press, 2007.

Wells, Paul. The Fundamentals of Animation . Lausanne: AVA, 2006.

Who framed Roger Rabbit . Directed by Robert Zemeckis. South Yarra: Touchstone Home Entertainment, 1988.Film.

Yacov, Freedman. “Is It Real…or Is It Motion Capture? The Battle to Redefine Animation in the Age of Digital Performance.” A Critical Journal of Film & Television 12, no. 69 (2012): 38-49.

Zipes, Jack. The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films . New York: Routledge, 2011.

• Richard Barsam and Dave Monahan, Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film (New York: W.W. Norton, 2010), 21.
• Francis Glebas, Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation (Amsterdam: Focal Press, 2009), 17.
• Yoon Hyejin and Edward Malecki, “Cartoon planet: worlds of production and global production networks in the animation industry,” Industrial & Corporate Change 19, no. 1 (2010): 241.
• Robertson Barbara, “Claim jumpers: Industrial Light & Magic uses techniques and processes honed in visual effects work to create live-action director Gore Verbinski’s first CG feature animation,” Computer Graphics World 34, no. 3 (2011): 9.
• Cool World , directed by Frank Mancuso (Hollywood: Paramount, 1992), Film.
• Freedman Yacov, “Is It Real…or Is It Motion Capture? The Battle to Redefine Animation in the Age of Digital Performance,” A Critical Journal of Film & Television 12, no. 69 (2012): 42.
• Todd Downey, Filmmaking (New York: PowerKids Press, 2010), 52.
• Who framed Roger Rabbit, d irected by Robert Zemeckis (South Yarra: Touchstone Home Entertainment, 1988), Film.
• Jack Zipes, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films (New York: Routledge, 2011), 27.
• Paul Wells, The Fundamentals of Animation (Lausanne: AVA, 2006), 33.
• Christy Marx, Writing for Animation, Comics & Games (Amsterdam: Focal Press, 2007), 64.
• Harvey Deneroff and Victoria Deneroff, “Crossing Boundaries: Big-D Discourse in animation and Live-Action Filmmaking,” Animation Journal 21, no. 19 (2013): 70.
• Thomas LaMarre, The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009), 17.
• Alexander Mackendrick and Paul Cronin, On Filmmaking: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director (London: Faber and Faber, 2004), 41.
• Alex Alvarez, 3D Creature Development Master Class (California: Gnomon Workshop, 2010), 111.
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, May 14). Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animation-and-live-action-relationship-in-cinema/

"Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema." IvyPanda , 14 May 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/animation-and-live-action-relationship-in-cinema/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema'. 14 May.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema." May 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animation-and-live-action-relationship-in-cinema/.

1. IvyPanda . "Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema." May 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animation-and-live-action-relationship-in-cinema/.

IvyPanda . "Animation and Live Action' Relationship in Cinema." May 14, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/animation-and-live-action-relationship-in-cinema/.

• American Animation: The Golden Age Period
• Collage & Animation in Digital Films and New Media
• Western Influences on the Japanese Animation Industry
• Ajyal Film Festival and Youth Empowerment
• Christian Metz's Imaginary Signifier
• Post-Classical Hollywood
• Media Art Film Studies: Avant Garde
• New Ways of Showing/Seeing Violence

TOP ANIMATED MOVIES: 2000-2024

1. Spirited Away

3. Zootopia

4. Inside Out

6. Toy Story 3

7. Toy Story 4

10. Turning Red

11. The Book of Life

12. Encanto

13. The Incredibles

14. Incredibles 2

15. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

16. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

17. The Mitchells vs. the Machines

18. DC League of Super-Pets

19. Ratatouille

21. Raya and the Last Dragon

22. The Boy and the Heron

23. The Wind Rises

24. Howl's Moving Castle

27. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

28. Isle of Dogs

29. Fantastic Mr. Fox

30. Anomalisa

31. Mary and Max

32. I Lost My Body

33. Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

34. Wolfwalkers

35. Song of the Sea

36. The Secret of Kells

38. Tokyo Godfathers

39. Ethel & Ernest

40. Finding Nemo

41. Finding Dory

42. Kubo and the Two Strings

43. How to Train Your Dragon

44. How to Train Your Dragon 2

45. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

47. Wolf Children

48. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

52. Monsters, Inc.

53. Monsters University

54. The First Slam Dunk

55. The Summit of the Gods

57. Persepolis

58. Waltz with Bashir

60. Another Day of Life

61. Ruben Brandt, Collector

62. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

63. Millennium Actress

64. Big Hero 6

66. Shrek 2

67. Puss in Boots

68. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

69. A Town Called Panic

70. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

71. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

73. 5 Centimeters per Second

74. Ernest & Celestine

75. The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily

76. Tangled

78. The Triplets of Belleville

79. In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World

80. April and the Extraordinary World

81. The Peanuts Movie

82. The Lego Movie

83. The Lego Batman Movie

84. My Life as a Zucchini

85. Waking Life

86. Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood

87. The Red Turtle

88. L'arte della felicità

89. When Marnie Was There

90. The Bad Guys

91. Wreck-It Ralph

92. Ralph Breaks the Internet

93. Paprika

94. Sita Sings the Blues

95. Despicable Me

96. Despicable Me 2

97. Coraline

98. The Girl Without Hands

99. The Secret World of Arrietty

100. Robot Dreams

More to explore, recently viewed.

Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movie Review — Shrek 2: An Animated Movie Review

Shrek 2: an Animated Movie Review

• Categories: Movie Review Shrek

About this sample

Words: 895 |

Published: Dec 12, 2018

Words: 895 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

• Carroll, N. (2003). Engaging the Moving Image. Yale University Press.
• DreamWorks Animation. (n.d.). Official Website. Retrieved from [URL]
• Fowles, J. (2004). The Case for Television Violence. In R. J. Rudinow & M. Golding (Eds.), The Subject of Violence: The Song of the Sirens (pp. 48-59). Oxford University Press.
• Greenberg, H. (2010). The Construction of Homosexuality in "Shrek 2". In T. K. Nakayama & J. N. Martin (Eds.), Experiencing Intercultural Communication: An Introduction (4th ed., pp. 189-190). McGraw-Hill.
• Katz, S. (2009). Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look at the Research. Sage Publications.
• Kinder, M. (2005). The Mirror of Our Anguish: A Study of Documentary Cinema. University of Minnesota Press.
• Kline, S., Dyer-Witheford, N., & de Peuter, G. (2003). Digital Play: The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing. McGill-Queen's Press.
• Lang, A., & Geist, E. A. (2006). Debate: "Crimes against our culture". Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50(4), 667-675.
• Shrek 2. (2004). Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon [Film]. DreamWorks Animation.
• Thompson, K. (2007). Television's Second Golden Age: From Hill Street Blues to ER. Syracuse University Press.

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The Popularity of Computer Animated Movies Essay

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Since Pixar’s release of the groundbreaking blockbuster, “Toy Story” (1995), computer animation has become hugely profitable and popular with audiences. The 3 dimensional cartoon platform engages audiences in a variety of ways. At first glance they act as an unworldly ‘kidified’ visual spectacle, however once you dig deeper you understand a true care and precision placed into the filmmaking that attracts audiences through other means. The social commentary that runs throughout these family oriented films encourages audiences to challenge their own moral integrity.

Likewise, an engagement through humor, both slapstick and implicitly adult makes watching such features with children a satisfying experience, rather than a parental endurance. In my essay I will cover potential social, economic and political factors that contributed to the genre’s development and question why audiences continue to respond to these features in such a positive manner. The “Golden Age of Animation” was the ‘remarkable period in the late Thirties and early Forties, when Walt Disney transformed the movie industry with a visionary zeal and unbroken string of [cartoon] hits” (Lee M, 2009).

His artistic creations helped animation thrive, in a way that granted it commercial recognition and popularity from the public. Unfortunately, soon after this booming era, which brought us unforgettable classics such as ‘Bambi’ (1942) and ‘Pinocchio’ (1940) the animated film industry faced a serious downfall in both reputation and sales. Some argue this was caused by ‘Chuck Jones at Warner Brothers [placing of ‘Looney Toons’ (1930-present)] on at children’s hour. (O’Harra H, 2007) Although the movement from cinema to television made cartoons popular with children, it unintentionally created a ‘60’s and 70’s [parental perception that] Saturday morning animation was just for kids. ’ (O’Harra H, 2007) This meant that adults rarely invested money in animated features, especially when their children could watch these comically entertaining ‘distractions’ at home for free. It was debatably not until the 90s that animated features made a profitable come back.

This was arguably because John Lasseter, the creator of the ‘innovative, self-shadowing 3d animated short Luxo Jr’ (Garcia C, 2013) joined Steve Jobs’ pioneering computer Animation Company ‘Pixar’ and created ‘Toy Story’ (1995). The combined forces of Jobs’ ‘PhotoRealistic RenderMan’ (RenderMan, 2013) programming skills and Lasseter’s belief that although ‘art challenges technology, technology inspires art’ (Lasseter, 2012) there was no doubt the first feature length computer animated movie would be a huge success.

A ‘3 Oscar nominated,’ (IMDB, 2013), rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ (2013) and ‘$200 million domestic grossing’ (Box office Mojo, 2013) success, to be precise. The CGI (computer animated images) offered audiences a unique visual spectacle that ‘people got excited about initially because it was generated with a computer. ’ (Garcia C. 2013) This made viewers feel like a privileged insider, and satisfied their ‘self-esteem needs’. (Maslow, 1943) In application to Maslow’s needs theory, audiences felt a sense of trust with the moviemakers as they were provided with a sufficient cinematic experience unlike any other.

Additionally, Pixar, ‘the first and remains the most successful animation company’ (O’Harra H, 2007) continues to retain the trust of its audiences and distribute brilliant movies: 12 out of 14 were Oscar nominated, and a majority of them are on ‘IMDB’s top 250 movies. ’ (IMDB, 2013) The ‘commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing’ (Robert M, 1994) can be applied to Pixar. This is because the well-established production company continues to provide audiences with consistently quality films.

Hence, they maintain their brand identity, cater to consumer demand and sway audiences to watch their films over others. Furthermore, with this new style of film’s success, computer animation has spawned what John Lasseter ‘who is currently Disney’s animation chief creative officer [believes is] a second golden age of animation. ’ (Lee M, 2009) He goes on to say in an interview, after Disney bought Pixar ‘for $7. 4billion’ (La Monica P, 2006) that ‘people began to think for the feature animation business, it is impossible that more could be less. ’ (O’Harra H, 2007)

The backlash of computer animations popularity is that in recent years 2D animation has fallen significantly in Hollywood cinema. As of early 2013, Bob Iger the chief executive of Disney, stated ‘to my knowledge we’re not developing hand drawn animation as it’s largely for television at this point. We’re not necessarily ruling out the possibility [of] a feature but there is not any in development at the company. ’ (Child B. 2013) One would believe that this meant ‘the general consensus [was] that audiences [do] not want to watch hand-drawn animated films. ’ (Child B. 013) Potentially because computer animated features offer more appealing textures, backgrounds and animated physics which although cartoony are generated to look realistic. Warner Brothers’ ‘Happy Feet’ (2006) like many others CGI films use renderings that make every single piece of fur on the penguins move, as if wind was hitting it.

Supporting ‘Blumer and Katz, uses and gratification theory’ (Blumer J, 1974) this natural movement on screen helps audiences identify with the characters on a deeper scale as their ‘appearances has been deliberately altered to provide a cute, wide-eyed look that appeals to humans ideals of beauty. (Grahame J, 2006) Their delightful expression helps audiences relate to characters because they are at awe at the aesthetically pleasing animation. On the other hand, Lasseter believes that blaming the fail of traditional animation solely on visuals ‘is completely ridiculous [and in fact, the true reason was] unfortunately 2D became an excuse for poor storytelling. ’ Todorov’s narrative theory states ‘all stories begin with equilibrium, face disequilibrium, and then end with a resolution. ’ (1978) In order to make animated films follow this narrative structure characters need to be relatable.

This is why most characters within animated films, whether it creatures – ‘Monsters Inc. ’ (2001) or inanimate objects – ‘Cars’ (2006) are personified. Such a personification then allows an emotional bond to form with universal audiences as these characters troubles and triumphs are ‘merely represented as a projection of human desires. ’ (Grahame J, 2006) These narrative arcs also allow writers to lace these films with intertextual-references and adult jokes, which both media literate parents and young children from around the world can enjoy, even though they interpret the humour differently.

On top of this computer animated storytelling also provides more leeway for unique creative storytelling, which perhaps could never be achieved cheaply in live action filming. However, one could oppose this by arguing these methods of film making have always been associated with animation, since the earliest form of 2D animation such as Walt Disney’s’ debut ‘Steamboat Willie’. (1928) Other factors also contribute to the genres popularity. Shark Tale (2004) is a computer-animated movie with a wide range of A-list celebrities ranging from Will Smith to Robert De Niro.

The hiring of famous stars to voice characters helps market films because audiences tend to determine a movies success on the reputation of the cast and company involved in its creation. Additionally, characters being voiced by actors who are typecast in certain ways, helps establish animated personalities. For example audiences immediately associate Smith as being urban and street smart, and understand De Niro’s association with Italian American organised crime, whether or not they are in an animated fishlike shell.

Likewise, directors are as eager to get involved in the production of these features as celebrities are. Spielberg’s film ‘The Adventures of Tin Tin’ (2011) uses computer animation along with in studio motion-capture to give his animation a more realistic feel, yet retain the traditional ‘Tin Tin comic book’ (Remi G, 1929- 1976) look. This way of filming is hugely popular because it mirrors realism, but reminds the audience it is a fictional story made to ‘entertain. ’ (Blumer J, 1974) Raymond Chandler once stated ‘modern film tries too hard to be real.

Its techniques of illusion are so perfect that it requires no contribution from the audience but a mouthful of popcorn. ’ Supporting this, although certain animation looks genuine, Lasseter insists a ‘good animator must not provide films that are realistic; a good animator must tell stories that are believable. ’ (Lee M, 2009) By following this approach to filmmaking audiences are allowed to fully immerse themselves in fictitious worlds, thus catering to their ‘entertainment needs’ and ‘evoking a sense of relaxation and passiveness that only ends when [the film] finishes’. Shrum. L. 2004) However, motion capture movies [similar to Spielberg’s] are sometimes unappealing for child audiences and the blunt realism tends to appeal to more adult demographics. A prime example would be the certificate15 ‘Beowolf’ a CG animated feature that clearly shows the famous cast in their animated form.

The film’s acclaim was that ‘by imagining the distant past so vividly, Zemeckis and his team prove that character capture has a future. (Corliss R, 2007) Unfortunately, this is still the case as there have been under 10 Hollywood produced character capture feature length films to date. Arguably, the only problem with computer animation is that since the constant success of previous CGI films, audiences are more critical of the new. This means that independent animated films seem to be less successful at the box office.

The lowest grossing animated release was ‘Freestyle Realsings – Delgo. ’ The film had a ‘$40 million budget [yet] didn’t even manage to make $1 Million. (Steven N, 2009) Perhaps the film was unsuccessful due to its ‘unoriginal civil war storyline’ or ‘boring battles and flat jokes’ (Horwitz J, 2008) however winning the best picture in the ‘Brazilian film festival Anima Mundi’ (2008) revealed a lack of promotion contributed to its fail. Lasseter states ‘merely being a computer animated movie is no longer enough to ensure bumper box office’ although they were once seen as ‘the safe, flop proof arm of Hollywood toon’s take as much fortitude as the rest of the industry. ’ (O’Harra H, 2007)

Correspondingly, around the years of the global recession, (2007 – 2009) there was a significant downfall in cinema attendance. (Theatrical Market, 1995 – 2013) This meant audience’s began to become more selective of the movies they paid to watch. Walt Disney once said ‘you’re dead if you aim only for kids, adults are only kids grown up anyway. ’ (Lee M. 2009) This could be applied to most modern computer animated films as they are deliberately made so that the whole family can enjoy.

The efficiency of going to see family movies in the cinema appeals to viewers, as it is a cheap way of socializing. Love needs’ (Maslow, 1945) are interpersonal, and this time spent with ones family at the cinema makes individuals feel a sense of belongingness, and feel cared about. The interaction therefore caters to ones ‘self-actualization’ needs, which Maslow states are ‘fundamental to our motivation and personality, hence leads to our happiness. ’ (Maslow, 1945) Cinematic companies such as ‘Vue’ even offer ‘Kids AM’ programs in an attempt to encourage families to watch (CGI) movies at the cinema for discounted prices.

This benefits institutions like Pixar and DreamWorks as even during the financial crisis they unite fragmented audiences, thus gaining higher revenue. Most importantly, as modern computer generated animation has become so reputable and respected, animation is no longer considered to offer audiences a ‘reconstructed world of lines and colours, which subjugates and alters itself at your command. ’ (Grahame J, 2006) They instead capture relevant grounded scenarios, in the hope that global audiences understand the moral messages laced within and apply them to their own lives.

An ideology of filmmaking that was inspired by Walt Disney’s death wish: that his fiction ‘should be something that improved societies not distract them. ’(Simon B, 2010) Most computer-animated narratives tend to take subjects and turn them on their heads. The satirical subject of a robot showing mankind how to live in the ‘postmodern masterpiece’ (Dreher R, 2008) ‘WALL-E’ [taking aside the exaggerated sci-fi storyline] teaches an audience the importance of looking after our world, instead of succumbing to the lazy life technology has made for us.

Such a ‘critique of modernity’ (Dreher R, 2008) allows these seemingly childish movies, to have an influential power that contrasts social preconceived conceptions, and creates political awareness, whilst still being entertaining. There are various theories that ‘film is imploding. ’ (Spielberg, 2013) The film industry as a whole has faced a serious loss of sales to competitors, the games and television industries. Alongside the global recession, which occurred in recent years, now more than ever it is important for filmmakers to generate a unique engaging cinematic experience that is not ‘just TV in public. (Tarantino Q, 2012)

I believe that computer animated and motion capture features ‘have a future that is only just emerging’ (Goodridge M, 2008) and can be the way to bring fragmented audiences back to the cinema. However, although we have advanced in technology, bringing us the wonders of computer animation, what makes global audiences enjoy animated movies is the combination of a well thought out narrative and in depth identifiable characters, not just the visuals employed in front of them.

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Using Disney Movies to Help with Child Development

News & events.

Researchers Say Animated Films Can Benefit Parent-Child Communication

By Sara Tubbs 713-743-4248

October 14, 2021

Worried your children are getting too much screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic? How many times can a person watch “Frozen,” right? Turns out, animated movies can serve as valuable tools for parents and counselors alike to improve communication with children about tough issues.

Disney films, for example, combine entertainment with life lessons about love, friendship, good versus evil, death and loss, and the importance of family. Talking about these important issues together can strengthen a child’s cognitive and behavioral development, according to a study by the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work published in the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal .

Researchers analyzed 155 feature-length animated Disney films released between 1937 and 2020 and found the majority do not focus on the entire family unit – 63% did not mention the main character’s biological parents in the story, perhaps leaving some children to wonder why their parents are not there to help. Parents have become notably more visible in Disney films over the last decade, according to the study.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of the films shared the message about loving yourself and others, and 27% focused on morality and social values.

“Based on examples generated from these movies, parents could hear potential questions kids may ask if they are distressed about a situation faced by child characters,” said Monit Cheung, Mary R. Lewis Endowed Professor in Children and Youth and the study’s lead author. “Disney films can also teach children about unfair situations in society and acceptance of racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and other differences.”

The study even provides a table of the Disney films and their themes to help parents decide which movie is most relevant based on the developmental age of their child or what problems their children are facing.

Cheung was joined on the study by co-authors Yu-Ju Huang, UH doctoral student, and Carol A. Leung, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Azusa Pacific University.

“When we think about social work implications, Disney doesn’t really discuss in-depth about a family member dying such as a parent or a sibling. That leaves room for parents to discuss this with their child,” said Leung, who used the scene between Scar and Mufasa in “The Lion King” as an example to discuss the meanings of conflict, death and grief. “We can also bring these characters as conversation starters into the therapy session to have children understand these concepts. It’s also a way for the children to connect and build rapport with the social worker.”

The researchers point out how Disney movies today illustrate families as more diverse, potentially leading to a better understanding and respect for cultural differences.  The concept of love in Disney movies has also evolved.

“Early Disney films focused on love within romantic relationships, but recent movies like ‘Frozen’ focus on the power of love between families and siblings,” Huang explained.  “It’s a significant change in how love can be very diverse and how people apply love to their social relationships, not only family or parents or siblings but also to their relationships with friends and people in their life. Disney films could be used as materials to open parent-child conversations to nourish children’s minds and broaden their horizons of life.”

The 10 Best Netflix Original Animated Movies

Disney Plus isn't the only place you can watch great original animated movies.

Since the rise of streaming services, Netflix has been among the largest and most successful options available. One reason for this is their decision to focus on creating animated movies and shows as a large part of their exclusive content. Though recent years saw Netflix cancel many highly anticipated projects, they still produce a healthy supply of new animated content.

Netflix has been making a big splash with many of its original films. Through teaming up with many high-quality companies, they've been able to contend with established companies like Disney, and some of their movies have even won or been nominated for major awards.

10 'Wish Dragon'

With sony pictures animation and tencent pictures.

As a child, Din Song ( Jimmy Wong ) loved spending time with his friend Li Na Wang ( Constance Wu ) until she moved away. Years later, Din receives a teapot from an old man claiming to be a god ( Ronny Chieng ) that contains a wish-granting dragon named Long ( John Cho ). Din decides to use this opportunity to reconnect with Li Na, but he must also avoid some goons led by a martial arts expert called Pockets ( Aaron Yoo ), who are also after the teapot.

An underrated gem , Wish Dragon follows many of the same story beats as Disney's Aladdin , but it has more than enough creativity to still be an original product. This is mainly felt through Din and Long's relationship, which is a strong contrast between optimism and cynicism. Long has been a wish dragon for so long that he has lost faith in humanity, while Din challenges him by taking joy in the small things in life over fame and fortune.

Watch on Netflix

9 'Nimona'

With annapurna pictures.

For a thousand years, humanity has been protected from monsters by a powerful institution of knights. Ballister Boldheart ( Riz Ahmed ) is the first commoner to become a knight, but during the knighting ceremony, his sword activates and kills the queen ( Lorraine Toussaint ). Now on the run, Ballister meets a chaotic shapeshifter named Nimona ( Chloë Grace Moretz ), who forcibly becomes his sidekick as he tries to clear his name.

Nimona's themes focus on marginalized people rebelling against an unfair system, which, coupled with Nimona's shapeshifting powers, lends itself to a strong queer narrative. Nimona herself is easily the highlight of the film: her rebellious nature plays well off Ballister's more law-abiding one, and her shapeshifting lends itself to numerous creative situations. The only thing that holds the film back is a weak villain, poor texturing, and some less-than-idealistic writing choices.

When a knight in a futuristic medieval world is framed for a crime he didn't commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona -- a mischievous teen who happens to be a shapeshifting creature he's sworn to destroy.

8 'Wendell & Wild'

With monkeypaw productions and gotham group.

Demon brothers Wendell ( Keegan-Michael Key ) and Wild ( Jordan Peele ) are forced to spend their time restoring the hair of their father, Buffalo Belzer ( Ving Rhames ), after the boys attempt to build a theme park for deceased souls. While hallucinating on their father's hair cream, they have a vision of Kat ( Lyric Ross ), a young girl who blames herself for the death of her parents, who has the power to summon them to the land of the living. The demons trick Kat into doing so by promising to raise her parents from the dead, but their real intention is to gather the funds for their park.

Wendell & Wild is another knockout stop-motion film by director Henry Selick ​​​​​​. It targets an older audience than his previous films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline , allowing for some creative visuals and hard-hitting themes about regret, guilt, and private prison systems . The script can be a little convoluted at times when it comes to the rules of the world, but each of its numerous characters has a memorable and distinct personality, resulting in plenty of fun interactions.

wendell and wild

The 10 best characters in netflix's 'leo,' ranked, 7 'leo', with happy madison productions.

As a new generation of students prepare for fifth grade, class pet Leo ( Adam Sandler ), learns that he is nearing the end of his long life and decides to run away to enjoy what time he has left in the wild. He attempts to do this when the students are tasked by their substitute teacher with taking a pet home every weekend. However, Leo discovers a new purpose when using his decades of wisdom to help the kids through their problems .

Leo is a surprisingly wholesome film that touches on universal themes of growing up. Each child has a different obstacle that they need to overcome which is relatable to everyday audiences, from learning to listen rather than speak to understanding humility. It also showcases how aging can be difficult for adults as well, humanizing the teachers in a way that isn't seen very often in family pictures. Its main downside comes from the music, which isn't very memorable, and the songs are oddly placed throughout the film.

A 74-year-old lizard named Leo and his turtle friend decide to escape from the terrarium of a Florida school classroom where they have been living for decades.

6 'My Father's Dragon'

With cartoon saloon, mockingbird pictures, and parallel films.

Elmer Elevator ( Jacob Tremblay ) and his mother, Dela ( Golshifteh Farahani ), are forced to close down their small shop and move to Nevergreen City, where they struggle to make money. When his mother, in a moment of stress, tells Elmer that their dream is unobtainable, he runs off to the docks. There, a talking cat ( Whoopi Goldberg ) tells him of a dragon that can be found on the nearby Wild Island, which Elmer hopes to use to raise the money he needs for the store.

My Father's Dragon is a wonderfully creative film about the troubles of adjusting to a new stage of life and the dangers of fear. Many characters are motivated by or hindered by fear, which offers children a diverse array of ways that giving into this emotion can negatively affect their lives. While they all stand out in one way or another, the best is easily the leader of Wild Island, the gorilla Saiwa ( Ian McShane ), who offers a complex look at the burden of leadership.

5 'Over The Moon'

With pearl studio, dentsu international, and glen keane productions.

Fei Fei ( Cathy Ang ) is a firm believer in the moon goddess, Chang'e ( Phillipa Soo ), thanks to stories her late mother told her. When she learns that her father plans to marry another woman with an eight-year-old son named Chin ( Robert G. Chiu ), she decides to build a rocketship to the moon, hoping to prove Chang'e is real and remind her father of true love. She and Chin meet Chang'e, who refuses to help Fei Fie until she delivers a gift that can help Chang'E reunite with her lover, Hou Yi ( Conrad Ricamora ).

Over the Moon is the directorial debut of legendary Disney animator Glen Keane , and it's a strong first go. The story tackles strong themes of loss while showing the harm that comes from trying to live in the past instead of moving on. The animation is gorgeous, filled with vibrant colors, expressive faces, and creative designs for the lunar residents, most of which are based on pareidolia images one can see when looking at the moon.

Over the Moon

The 10 best g-rated movies on netflix right now, 4 'the mitchells vs the machines', with sony pictures animation.

Katie Mitchell ( Abbi Jacobson ) is an aspiring filmmaker who can't wait to attend a film school in California. After an argument with her technophobic father, Rick ( Danny McBride ), he decides to take the family on a cross-country road trip to deliver Katie to her school. Unfortunately, this takes place right when a virtual assistant named PAL ( Olivia Colman ) decides to lead a robot uprising to collect all the humans on Earth and fire them into space.

The Mitchells vs The Machines is one of Sony Pictures Animation's best films for a fair few reasons. Its animation is on a whole other level, taking inspiration from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to create a unique blend of old and new techniques. This in turn helps to support the movie's story, which focuses on generational divides and when it's best to use old or new methods to solve a problem.

3 'The Sea Beast'

With sony pictures imageworks.

In a world populated by massive sea beasts, the royal family offers a challenge to the crew of the Inevitable: if they can kill the elusive Red Bluster before the Royal Navy, then the crown will continue to allow private hunters to slay the beasts. As the Inevitable sets sail, they are joined by a stowaway named Maisie Brumble ( Zaris-Angel Hator ), the daughter of two fallen hunters, who idolizes the crew. During the hunt, she and boatswain Jacob Holland ( Karl Urban ) are taken by the Bluster to an elusive island populated by sea beasts.

The Sea Beast has a very similar plot to How to Train Your Dragon , such as a setting that involves humans and creatures at war while hinting that there is more to the conflict than it seems. Much like with Wish Dragon , there's lots of creativity to set them apart, such as the high-seas aesthetic and the camaraderie between the crew of the Inevitable. The animation is some of the best in any Netflix movie, especially the perspective shots from underwater, which capture just how massive the sea beasts are.

2 'Klaus'

With sergio pablos animation studios and atresmedia cine.

Jesper Johansen ( Jason Schwartzman ) is the son of the Postmaster General ( Sam McMurray ) and has grown into a spoiled, selfish, and lazy young man. To teach him some responsibility, his father sends him to the island community of Smeerensburg to deliver 6000 letters before the end of the year or lose his inheritance. This at first seems impossible due to the deadly feud between the island's two major families, but Jesper finds success by teaming up with an elusive woodsman named Klaus ( J. K. Simmons ).

Klaus is one of the most original takes on a Santa Claus origin story out there and should have won the 2020 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature . Klaus and Jesper's friendship is what makes the film: they develop a very strong and believable friendship that sees them learning from the strengths of the other to overcome their faults. The side-characters are also pretty enjoyable, from a disillusioned teacher-turned-fishmonger, and a sarcastic captain played by the late great comedian, Norm Macdonald.

A simple act of kindness always sparks another, even in a frozen, faraway place. When Smeerensburg's new postman, Jesper, befriends toymaker Klaus, their gifts melt an age-old feud and deliver a sleigh full of holiday traditions.

1 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio'

With the jim henson company, sadowmachine, and double dare you productions.

During World War II, a woodcarver named Geppetto ( David Bradley ) chops down a tree planted on the grave of his son and carves a wooden doll in his likeness. A passing Wood Sprite ( Tilda Swinton ) takes pity on Geppetto and brings the puppet, named Pinocchio ( Gregory Mann ), to life. Word soon gets around about the wooden boy, and soon various parties are after him, such as a Podestà ( Ron Perlman ) who wants to make him a soldier, and Count Volpe ( Christoph Waltz ), who wishes to exploit Pinocchio in his circus.

Director Guillermo del Toro said that this film was his passion project for many years, and that shows in the finished product. It keeps true to the core themes of the Pinocchio story regarding morals and life lessons, while also taking liberties with its setting to include more mature ones such as mortality and what it means to truly be human. Everyone delivers stellar performances, but the standout has to be Bradley, especially during the scenes where Geppetto becomes overwhelmed with emotion.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

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