Animation Is Cinema For All

Recently at the Oscars, we looked on as the misconception that animation is a medium solely for children, was once again highlighted. Thankfully, creators and viewers alike came together to discuss and uplift incredible examples of animation, showcasing the fact that the medium is truly for anyone. That animation is simply a tool that can be used across any genre in order to tell incredibly compelling stories.

So many of us have had to go through being shamed out of enjoying animation, as this misconception is one that has existed for quite a long time. But if the internet has showcased one thing, it is the ability to bring people together. To help us find entire communities that are passionate about animation and the power behind these incredible feature films, as well as a growing number of fantastic television series.

When the best animated feature category is often referred to as “the Pixar Award”, that should be an indication of the level of trouble the academy has gotten itself into. That is not to say that Pixar is not putting out wonderful films, but when it comes to the pool from which these films are being selected, you have to wonder how they continue to secure these spots without doing much to break the mold when it comes to cinematic storytelling.

Perhaps a good place to start in the downfall of this misunderstood category, would be the change in who nominates said films. Previously, that group consisted of a handful of animation professionals who would know to look beyond simply what is commercially successful in the states when in search of nominees. They would dive deeper, looking beyond our shores to find a seemingly endless well of incredible content to be able to choose from. Once the category was opened to the same general group who nominate across the board, we saw things like Boss Baby being nominated for best animated feature. While it is a fun film, I don’t believe there was anything about the film that warranted a nomination, particularly when you look at the wealth of films released and up for nomination in time for the 2018 Academy Awards. This change meant that many voters who mistakingly subscribe to the belief that animation is just for kids, were now in charge of deciding what would be uplifted and what would go ignored. Is it any wonder that with that mindset, we saw the shift that we did in nominations? When you have voters openly saying they chose to vote for a film simply because their child watched it three times, or because it was made by big studios who had the marketing budget required to bombard kids until they begged their parents to take them to see said film, that’s a big issue.

The Academy has never been shy about admitting that they prefer Hollywood centered productions over anything international. The creation of a “Foreign Language Film” category, which saw a name change in 2020 to Best International Feature Film, in order to seemingly relegate all international film to this tiny corner of appreciation, is another problem with this award show in particular. And so when you compound that with the lack of respect for animation as a whole, is it any wonder we continue to see a slim segment of animated films being nominated, while incredibly rich films that just so happen to be created by Japanese Anime studios continue to go unrecognized? The one great exception being the films from Studio Ghibli, who have garnered a handful of nominations and just so happen to be distributed stateside by you guessed it, Disney. Disney takes these works and they cast for the English dub by packing the roster with what they consider to be “powerhouse actors” who will help them market the films to American audiences. They assume these audiences will not want to see these films without names they recognize attached to the dub, rather than casting based on who is the best voice actor for the role. We could at this point dive into the lack of respect and understanding of the skillset required for compelling voice acting, but perhaps it is best to wrap things up here so as not to dilute the focus. They are “just” awards after all. The problem comes in the fact that being nominated alone can drum up a lot of support and viewership itself, and so the playing field not being level can have dire effects on the perception of the medium itself.

As with all things, the nomination and winning of awards has always been a subjective process. Outside of the scope of award shows, we have to talk about the way in which animation is perceived as a medium in a cultural setting. If we have Hollywood telling audiences that animation really is just for kids and families, to the point that people are being bullied out of enjoying what they love, then I think it is safe to say we have a deeply rooted issue that needs airing out.

Animation as a medium, in my opinion, has the ability to create opportunities for stories that bring us that deep sense of magic. With animation, the skilled professionals who create incredible worlds for their characters to explore, deserve the same recognition we give other mediums. The thousands upon thousands of hours that go into creating an animated feature or series should not be looked down upon as somehow being less than, simply because the stars of said productions are voiced rather than live actors seen on screen.

One of the beautiful things that has come from all this adversity and lack of recognition, are the artists and creators who refuse to allow this misclassification of the art form they adore, to slow them down. They refuse to be counted out and the audiences who enjoy animation, the adults who are passionate about supporting this incredible art form which requires an almost harrowing level of dedication, will continue to show up and speak out for a genre that is truly for everyone.