One of my passions is consuming animated media. That could be anything from animated shorts, films, shows and everything in between. Today I’m going to talk about why I believe animation should be taken as seriously as live action media along with its benefits and advantages.
When watching an animation one can expect the viewers to suspend their beliefs to some degree. This allows for bizarre and abstract ideas to be taken seriously. Concepts like the laws of physics can be removed to create anything from comedic to emotional moments. In contrast this would be jarring to see in live action as even if we know what is on screen is not real, when seeing a real person our brains will automatically try to make sense of what we are seeing. Personally my brain goes into over analyzing mode and the enjoyment of whatever I am watching is hindered.
Another example is Disney/Pixar animated movies. Most protagonists in their movies are not human, but we can still relate to them because of the way animation can convey emotions just as realistically as an actor acting.
Another benefit of animation is that it is especially useful in conveying hard to grasp ideas. This is probably why in science class the teachers often play animated videos to help us better understand the concepts.
Animation also has a timeless feel to it. With live action special effects and camera quality changes a lot even in one year, however changes in the animation industry are less evident and don’t happen as often.
In the end perhaps the greatest thing about animation is that it is only restricted by the animator’s imagination, which means there are endless possibilities for this medium.
Resources:
A.O, S., n.d. Ignoring Laws of Physics As They Run Across Roofs.. [online] Web-s-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org. Available at: <https://web-s-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=39&sid=94b4de7f-3ae8-4336-83d9-b486eb33f507%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=76267816&db=f5h> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
Duan, R., Crosswell, L. and Barber, K., 2021. Animation in Environmental Journalism: Effects on News Perception and Information Seeking. [online] Web-s-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org. Available at: <https://web-s-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=13&sid=94b4de7f-3ae8-4336-83d9-b486eb33f507%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#AN=152059184&db=f5h> [Accessed 23 February 2022].
Niazi, A., 2021. A mighty video, powered by the art of illustration. [online] Web-p-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org. Available at: <https://web-p-ebscohost-com.bc.idm.oclc.org/ehost/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=78f4aaf7-7229-4d06-9595-96d911cb11c9%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=152181630&db=aph> [Accessed 24 February 2022].
Website used to create citations – https://www.citethisforme.com/citation-generator/apa