A pet peeve of mine is whenever I hear that animation is just for kids and there’s nothing special about it. Well, there are animated shows/movies aimed solely for kids, but there are tons of other animations aimed for adults too. Just because something is animated doesn’t mean that it's always for kids. Look at "Watership Down" for example, this is an animated movie that appears kid friendly because it has bunnies, but some of those bunnies turn out to be cold-blooded killers.
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Ironically, I saw this movie when I was six or seven, and yet I'm still sane.
The point is, not all animation should be taken for granted. There are different kinds of animated shows/movies aimed at different age groups,. Of course, there are shows/movies that both children and adults can enjoy. Take "Avatar the Last Airbender" for instance. The story of a boy who can control the elements has tons of silly moments, but it also takes risks that other Nickelodeon shows don't, such as dealing with death as a vital one. The show's animation is heavily influenced by Japanese animation, which also makes it unique from other Nickelodeon shows.
In speaking of western animation, my favorite movie is "Spirited Away," a film about a girl working her way to save her parents. The film's made by Hayao Miyazaki who's practically the Japanese equivalent of Walt Disney.
"Spirited Away" is definitely well received in the states, it even won Best Animated Feature back in 2001. But I think it's a shame that the Oscars only give animated movies one type of reward. There should be awards to recognize the talents of the animators and voice actors too, not just the animated movie in general. Animated movies are just as important as live action and I feel like the Oscars don't give them too much credit. However, I do thank them for acknowledging unknown films like "Secret of Kells"back in 2009.
The film—based around the famous Book of Kells—was made by Cartoon Saloon, an Irish animated studio that has only made a couple of films. They have a simple but unique animation style, but unfortunately, their films are barely shown in US theaters. Due to this, many people wouldn't have known of their existence without the Oscars. But I still won't forgive the Oscars for giving "Rango" the award instead of "Kung Fu Panda 2" back in 2012. "Rango" was an okay movie, but "Kung Fu Panda 2" was much better due to its strong themes of identity, family and having a surprisingly dark tone.
For a movie called "Kung Fu Panda," you wouldn't think it would get dark, but it does. Though it's not too dark that it would scar kids, it's definitely different from other DreamWorks films like "Madagascar" which has a much more childish tone. But another DreamWorks film that does take risks is "Prince of Egypt," which tells the story of Moses.
DreamWorks should go back to hand drawn animation, same goes for Disney. I love Disney, but i don't like the fact that they're now turning their classic animated films into live action. Though, I am excited about the "Beauty and the Beast" remake, that one looks promising. But upcoming films like "Dumbo," "Maleficent 2" and "The Little Mermaid," definitely don't hold a candle for me. I understand that the live action films are for the new generation, but the generation should know the magic of animation, too.
Yes it's much harder to make animation than live action, but animation has this beauty and style that can't be expressed through live action.
Animation is an important part of TV and movies because it's a wonderfully stylized form of entertainment that pulls viewers from reality. Whether it's hand-drawn,
CGI
Stop Motion
Or any other kind of animation. Each one has a different story to tell, and a style that mesmerizes the eyes. There's animation aimed just for kids who like Spongebob, but adults can like them too. There's animation aimed only for adults like "Watership Down," and hopefully no other parent or babysitter makes the mistake of showing kids that. There's various animation styles and choices for people of all ages, but I think what's important is that animation should be cherished because so much work and dedication is put into them.
