Animation is a
medium that gives the artist’s imagination free range. Any number of vivid
worlds can be realized with the stroke of a pen, brush, or mouse. The audience
of an animated picture may find themselves completely immersed in an unfamiliar
world – the world of the creators’ imagination. Even the most overt
inconsistencies with reality may fall away before the viewer’s eyes, and they
may be submerged in the story and the atmosphere of the piece.
Animation rips the
robes off of the human psyche, delving into those dreams that no-one dares
illustrate without fear. There would be no other way to present the towering,
chimerical Nightwalker from Princess
Mononoke, at least not to the same effect. There is a certain amount of
unreality that is achieved only this way.
Through Walt
Disney’s classic Alice In Wonderland, a
surreal world unfolded from celluloid, ink, paint and paper, leaving an
imperishable imprint on the minds of millions of children. Those settings,
characters, and songs leaped past dimensional restrictions and became real in
that infinite universe of consciousness.
Animation is often
criticized for being too heavily youth-targeted. Indeed, most animation is
geared towards children or adolescents, but this is more a strength than a
weakness. Try naming the most popular and enduring characters you can think of.
Are they not mostly from children’s media? This is the power of the young mind. Young humans are so
alive, so imaginative, so willing believe anything. Of course their loves will
always dominate the culture.
At least somewhat
because of this, cartoons (and I have no shame in calling them as such, seeing
as it comes from the Latin word “carta,” which I find is quite descriptive of
the way they are created) have a constant cultural currency unmatched by any
other art form. Every decade or so, someone may claim that animation is dead,
but again and again that has proven false. Animated features continue to top
box-offices and break demographic barriers. Even more strikingly, animation
merchandise is inescapable in the US and Japan, with whole stores dedicated to
it easily found.
Animation is so
powerful that an entire subculture has formed around it. It’s not novel for a
teenager to declare that they are only attracted to “2D” boys or girls. In
fact, there is an entire neighborhood in Tokyo where various anime-based
businesses can be found.
This culture, in
turn, is a game-changer itself: a young artist can easily garner attention by
drawing fan-art of an animated franchise. In fact, many fan-artists have gained
their own followings online and have become employed by professional studios.
That, to me, is
one of the most wonderful things about animation: its great accessibility. One
only needs drawing ability, a good story, strong characters, and a computer or
even just a camera to make an animated feature. Good voice actors are a plus, and
music helps create a more immersive atmosphere, but really, it ends there.
Animation makes it
possible for anyone, with a little work, to create a dream or a nightmare,
portray a beautiful truth or a harsh fantasy, change a mind or inspire a heart.
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