Though live-action has “ruled” and animation “drooled,” 2024 may change the traditional equation, with animation dominating the box office charts this year. Why is this happening? What makes animation so appealing? In the wake of numerous remakes and reboots of live-action films, people wonder: where’s the creativity? The nuance? The appeal? Why should we watch something that we’ve seen before?
Now, I’m not here to drag live-action. Live-action brings the same emotional intensity and flawless visuals as animation. Still, when it comes to animation, many underrated films go unrecognized simply because we view animation as a “children’s genre.” There’s an abundance of underrated gems in the animated movie world — from adult animated films to Studio Ghibli.
I’m here to paint animation in a new light and give it its (long overdue) flowers. Here’s why your 2024 top pick may be an animated movie.
Why Animation?
Throughout the years, animation has been dismissed for its lack of quality, evolving storylines, lack of nuanced characters, and intent to appeal more to the child demographic. However, those are sweeping generalizations. Throughout the years, we’ve had iconic animated films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Inside Out, and Inside Out 2, Kung-Fu Panda, Frozen, Wish, Coraline, and myriad other moving works. Today, I’m here to talk about the animated movies of 2024.
In 2024, we find that more animated films appeal to the older age demographic, such as older Gen Z, Millennials, and even Gen X. Films like Inside Out 2, Kung-Fu Panda 4, Despicable Me 4, and The Garfield Movie explore relatable themes through diverse, complex characters and mature storylines for adult audience members to enjoy, as well as comedy for children. Animation is anything but a kids’ demographic.
Now That’s Impressive!
What draws in an audience are the outstanding visuals. The colors, cinematography, and overall environment make or break a film. A live-action film can easily achieve these things, but an animated film has complete creative control.
The visual stylings of an animated film can essentially transport you into the universe of the film. Kung-Fu Panda 4 took inspiration from anime to make the animation feel more authentic to Asian culture, and the colors of the film reflect the emotions of the characters, specifically Po. The painting style during the fight scenes is reminiscent of ancient storytelling.
With audiences having already been introduced to five of the characters in Inside Out, Inside Out 2 introduces four more new characters whose color palette accurately depicts what we would predict the color of the emotion to look like. The colors in the sequel film convey the intensity and overall angst that we now observe in Riley’s teenage world. Overall, the colors contribute to the overwhelming sensation of having new emotions. The same way that size played into Envy and Embarrassment, newer characters help the audience visually and mentally understand the plight of these emotions — something that we often forget. There were also enjoyable moments at the beginning of the film when we experience Riley going through puberty: Everything looks and feels wrong, nothing fits, you hate your body, and life feels like it’s all or nothing. Ahh, the memories.
Reviews are In!
There are countless things to praise about animated films, such as their ability to distill nuanced themes so that all audiences can understand them. Sure, you may see similar efforts in a live-action film, but there’s so much beauty in an animated film that draws you in, especially in contrast to today’s live-action that pays more attention to fulfilling a quota rather than making films an art form. Themes draw audiences from each age demographic. The author of one article discusses how her seven-year-old daughter enjoyed Inside Out 2 because “they [characters] learn things.” Simply put, she knows that characters will grow when they learn. The author agreed that the film was outstanding because Riley is controlling her emotions instead of letting them take over — but she is also learning from her mistakes along the way.
Sometimes, a movie doesn’t need a big theme or lesson. You can go see a movie for a laugh and to feel good. A lot of moviegoers who saw Despicable Me 4 enjoyed the humor as well as the nostalgia if they had followed the franchise from the very beginning.
Does Anyone Have a… Tissue?
People drag animated films because the humor is “corny,” or because they don’t think they can take anything away from a kids’ film. Like the seven-year-old girl who observed the depth in Inside Out 2, recently released animated films foster the same watch-worthy, emotional intensity. The Garfield Movie addresses issues of abandonment by a parent and the realization that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Orion and the Dark touches on overcoming your fears — something that we can all relate to, even in adulthood. With such complex themes, we shouldn’t dismiss animated films as “kids’ films” — there are still aspects of these films that we should revisit as adults.
Conclusion
What’s the takeaway here? Live-action has all the same things that animated films do. Again, I’m not nit-picking live-action films. It’s just that repetitive reboots and remakes lack creativity. Frankly, animated films provide more spunk and entertainment than live-action films do in 2024. There aren’t a lot of animated films provided, but the ones listed throughout the article are spectacular. Don’t knock it until you try it!
