Animation deserves more respect

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One form of entertainment I’m sure most people have seen at some point in their lives are animated movies. 

In recent years, animated movies like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish have been released to glowing reception. The latter currently has a 7.9 rating on IMDB and a 94 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. On the same sites, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an 8.8 rating on IMDB and a 94 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Another animated movie that came out earlier this year was The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with a 95 per cent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

There’s also unforgettable classics from our childhoods such as the Shrek movies and the heartwarming Kung Fu Panda trilogy, which was recently announced to get a fourth movie. 

One of the reasons plenty of animated movies have a higher chance of sticking out to audiences is more creativity can be done with animation that live-action movies struggle to replicate, if at all. I also find it slightly disheartening when I hear an animated movie is set for a live-action adaptation since it’s difficult, if not impossible, to capture the same atmosphere and vibes present in the animated form. 

The sequence in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse where Miles Morales is trying to escape out of the Spider Society headquarters is an example of animation that really caught my attention. In the sequence, there’s a lot of action going on throughout the chase where you see gags, banter, and complex actions all happen in a few minutes. While I think it could be possible to achieve in a live-action movie, it would be difficult to replicate and wouldn’t make me feel the same emotions I felt watching it animated. 

Another sequence from this movie is when Miles travels to a party carrying cake. In the scene, he switches out of his Spider-Man suit and into his street clothes while going up the stairs. This sequence is definitely something I’m sure you can’t replicate in a live-action adaptation, even with the most skilled stunt person and camera crew. 

I also find it interesting how animated movies are getting live-action adaptations when animation is only becoming more impressive. For example, in the Disney and Pixar animated movie Elemental, new technology was used by animators to create special effects which otherwise wouldn’t be possible to achieve in the movie. 

Overall, animation should be respected more, for both the form itself and those who help create it. 

I’m sure there’s been at least one time you’ve heard someone say animated movies are for kids, but like other movies, they also cover a range of topics and atmospheres such as Miles Morales wanting to create his own story in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, or Puss learning to get the most out of his life in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. 

On the note of the recent allegations around the “chaotic and brutal” working conditions for animators on the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse set, no one should be suffering to create enjoyable entertainment. I can only hope this was an exception and not a standard practice to be revealed just now. 

I hope to see animation be respected at the same level as other arts and entertainment forms, but it seems it could be on its way there.