Apprentice
Posted:
Dec 9, 2007, 5:41 PM
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What happened to the "animated drama"?
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Being an adult AND a fan of animated films, I think it's sad that many people still consider this form of expression as something simply "for kids". Perhaps the animation scene itself is partly to blame, as many major western animation studios attempts to make movies that can appeal to kids and adults alike, which inevitably narrows down the story possibilities. However, the animation medium didn't start out as an attempt to make harmless films for kids. For instance, the early Disney features tends to be darker and feature more content intended for a mature audience than the recent Disney productions. I am not saying that children films can't be deep and interesting for adults, but the current trend seems to be that these projects are often somewhat dumbed-down because the filmmakers strive to make harmless, politically correct movies. Of course, the reasons why things are how they are are much more complex than what I have described, but I only wanted to suggest that I think the animation medium has far more potential for telling complex, mature stories and I think it is important to support those filmmakers who got the skills to take this particular medium in a new direction and make far more nuanced films. The big-budget "animated comedy" formula has proved quite successful, but I hope in the future there will also be room for the "animated drama" (For instance, look at the brilliant Japanese production "Grave of the Fireflies"). <br>
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Wisedom comes suddenly
(This post was edited by Alcazam on Dec 9, 2007, 6:06 PM)
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Inbetweener
Posted:
Dec 11, 2007, 6:10 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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You've raised an interesting point. Some of the best
animated films that I've seen in recent years (in my
opinion) were dramas (e.g., "Spirit: Stallion of the
Cimarron," "The Prince of Egypt," "Joseph: King of
Dreams"). But none of these movies received the
kind of promotion or media attention that they
deserved (with the possible exception of "The Prince
of Egypt"). And I think that's the reason. The media
seems to think that laughs are all the public wants
from cartoons, and they're overlooking a fact that we
diehard animation fans have known for years:
animation is not a genre but a tool that can be used
to tell any kind of story.
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Supervising Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Dec 11, 2007, 6:22 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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Could there be an animated movie that's a straight forward drama? Of course there could. However, the question is, how well would such a film be received by the general public?
Here in the U.S., the prevailing attitude is still the false belief that "cartoons are mostly for kids". Also, part of what makes a good drama is the acting, but acting is difficult to draw. Most cartoon characters don't do it. They have stock expressions. One only has to remember the poor reception that Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within received at the box office to see how well an animated drama would do in the here and now. Plus, the whole point of making a film animated is to tell a story that would only work in animation. If there aren't going to be any "fantastic" elements to the movie, no distortions of reality, you may as well be working with live actors.
Someone could make an animated drama, but it would probably fail miserably, because as was mentioned earlier, laughs are all that most folks seem to want from animation.
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I love humanity, it's people that I have issues with.
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Research Guru
Posted:
Dec 11, 2007, 9:23 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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The animated drama is still alive and well, but you have to look outside the U.S. for someone to make it.
Besides the longtime appearance of such films in Japan, there's now France's Persepolis, which is essentially a drama, based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel.
As my posts in Cartoon News will attest, Persepolis has drawn applause from critics in the United States, and not just awards for animation!
This much-praised film will get a much larger release in North America in mid-January. But will it be seen -- or even promoted -- beyond the art-house circuit? Only time will tell. Stay "tooned," folks.
Oh, yes... would, or even could, a studio be persuaded to bankroll the production of a "Persepolis" in the United States? Sure... when pigs fly. 
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"Oh boy." -- Allan Sherman
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Inbetweener
Posted:
Dec 11, 2007, 4:32 PM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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Or when a U.S. animated drama banks over 800 Mill.
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Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Dec 26, 2007, 10:19 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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One hundred percent agreement, Alcazam: animation can tell deep, dramatic stories.
HBToonFan mentioned The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002).
Let me add Once Upon a Forest (1993), The Lion King (1994), and Ice Age (2002).
Except for The Lion King, none of these were blockbusters.
The ROI on animated features is rarely gigantic, so Hollywood treats it as second-rate media.
Perhaps, since The Lion King is based loosely on Shakespeare's Hamlet,
an animated Romeo and Juliet would be dramatic and could draw an audience.
But ... who'd bring children to see Act V? Y'know, in the Capulet catacombs?
> [Juliet points Romeo's dagger at her heart.]
> "Oh happy dagger!
> "This is thy sheath;
> "There rest, and let me die."
High drama indeed. Leave the kids home with Bugs Bunny.
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Directing Animator
Posted:
Dec 27, 2007, 8:13 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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"Ice Age" is a dramatic story? I thought it was broad comedy? I've never actually seen it... it's airing on FOX tonight at 8:00 PM, EST... I'll have to try and catch it.
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"Sit, Ubu, sit... good dog!" ("Arf"!)
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Inbetweener
Posted:
Dec 27, 2007, 3:36 PM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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"Ice Age" is a dramatic story? I thought it was broad comedy? I've never actually seen it... it's airing on FOX tonight at 8:00 PM, EST... I'll have to try and catch it.
"Ice Age" is definitely a comedy. In fact, comedian
Ray Romano supplies the voice of the mastodon.
(By the way, I recommend it. It is very funny.)
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Animator / Contributor
Posted:
Dec 28, 2007, 12:33 AM
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Re: What happened to the "animated drama"?
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Permit me to dispute the categorizing of Ice Age as a comedy, HBToonFan.
No disrespect intended.
Certainly, there are very many comical moments in the course of the film: Scrat's shenanigans, Sid's ineptitude, and the hopeless do-dos are insanely funny.
But these are mere asides to the main story, which is a drama; namely, a sloth (Sid, voiced by John Leguizamo), a mammoth (Manfred, voiced by Ray Romano), and a saber-tooth tiger (Diego, voiced by Denis Leary) attempt to return a human infant to his father. Diego, however, has an ulterior agenda.
Suppose, due to time constraints or budget limits, the director, Chris Wedge, had to shorten the film by excising scenes.
Could he skip the comic scenes and still have a coherent storyline? I say "yes."
Otherwise, could he omit the dramatic scenes and retain a coherent storyline? I say "no."
This, then, is my submission for proof that Ice Age is rightfully a drama.
With oodles of comedy blended in. My compliments to Michael Wilson, the principal writer.
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