The mundane and the fantastic in animation

[pap64]

A few days ago I watched an old Studio Ghibli film called "Only Yesterday". Its about a young woman in her late 20s who years for the countryside and decides to take a vacation to a flower field farm outside of Tokyo. During her journey she recalls childhood events that eventually lead her to become the woman we see in the film.

The most interesting thing about this movie is that, quoting a philosophy by Brad Bird, its the most mundane piece of film ever released by Ghibli. No, I am not talking about overall film quality. I am talking about how the movie takes place in the real world.

While Ghibli is known for creating amazing fantasy epics, and some slice of life films with some fantastic elements "Only Yesterday" takes place in the real world, warts and all. It deals with the growth of a Japanese girl during the years after WWII, her change in physique and love. Save for a few dream sequences its all very mundane.

The reason I bring this up is because this type of film could have easily been done in live action, and a lot of money and time would have been saved, because the topic is one that is considered boring and best reserved for life action films.

But despite the subject still made an animated film about it. And I really admire that.

Going back to Brad Bird, he once said that animation is more than just a genre, its a way to present stories and filmmaking. Long story short, animation can be used to portray any kind of story, whether it is very fantastic or very mundane.. So its a shame that in the US animation is mainly seen as a method to tell fantasy stories towards a young audience. And even adult animation has yet to take advantage of this.

The best thing about animation is that you can bend reality in order to further portray a character's feelings, thoughts and emotions. It can create what I like to call "fantastic realism", moments in which fantasy can invade even a mundane setting and make it magical and enjoyable. Not to mention that the advantages of character design can make for some compelling characters that are deeply rooted in reality.

Take a look at "King of the Hill" for example. Yes, its a silly and stereotypical show, one that could have been a live action series and still be "King of the Hill". But what makes it interesting, outside of its writing, is that the characters are cartoony, but portray realistic physical attributes (like the farmer's tan the male characters sport). It makes the whole show fascinating to watch, despite its mundane setting and concept.

Too bad very few animators have tried doing this and create animated films that blend reality and fantasy in order to benefit the story. I admire Japanese animation because of this. There is no creative boundary to what you can do and what you can tell. "Only Yesterday" is a fine example of this because its a slice of life, dramatic film that could have been just another live action film, but was made into a good animated movie.

What are your thoughts? Should animated films (no matter the style or format) be used more to portray life in a brighter, more enjoyable light?

[Escapay]

Should animated films (no matter the style or format) be used more to portray life in a brighter, more enjoyable light?

No. It needs to be whatever the filmmakers want it to be, and not be shoehorned into some expectations of an audience (and thus lies the fault with Disney's "We're going to return to 2D! We'll bring back the broadway musical style! Please see our movies again!")

I need only point to...

In the town where I was born,
Lived a man who sailed to sea,
And he told us of his life,
In the land of submarines,

So we sailed on to the sun,
Till we found the sea of green,
And we lived beneath the waves,
In our yellow submarine,

We all live in a yellow submarine,
yellow submarine, yellow submarine,
We all live in a yellow submarine,
yellow submarine, yellow submarine,



Was watching it last night and it's something that really could only have been done effectively in animation (as you put it pap, "fantastic realism"). It's a very unique movie that can sometimes overwhelm its viewers and cause some to dislike it simply because of its rather disjointed storytelling (really it's random musical episodes after another, but boy, what an episode...). The animation may also turn away some people because it's not...how can I say this delicately...it's not as careful about details and realism like the puts-fans-in-a-tizzy-if-a-character-is-even-slightly-off-model-for-0.2-seconds Disney Animated Classics. Yellow Submarine is a visual orgasm in animation, perhaps even more so than masterpieces like Fantasia or The Iron Giant.

albert

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Yellow Submarine is a visual orgasm in animation, perhaps even more so than masterpieces like Fantasia or The Iron Giant.

albert

[waves finger in stylish zig-zag pattern]Oh no you didn't! Don't go there![/waves finger in stylish zig-zag pattern]


I do agree that whatever medium the director wants the movie to be in should be in whatever that medium is. I'm sure tons of movies could be live action or animation. Nonetheless, it's director's choice.

[pap64]

Should animated films (no matter the style or format) be used more to portray life in a brighter, more enjoyable light?

No. It needs to be whatever the filmmakers want it to be, and not be shoehorned into some expectations of an audience (and thus lies the fault with Disney's "We're going to return to 2D! We'll bring back the broadway musical style! Please see our movies again!")

Ah, you kind of misunderstood me, Scaps.

What I meant to say was that animated films should portray reality in a way that is still fun and appealing to the audience even if its the most mundane subject ever portrayed on screen while still having its feet grounded on Earth.

Two other examples of this are "Waking Life" and "A scanner darkly". Both are essentially live action films, one deals with the psychological effect of dreams the other deals with conspiracy and drug abuse. Both are subjects that are quite mundane and have already been done countless of times in live action.

But what makes these films unique is that color was placed onto the actors, creating a surreal look for both films, so that even if the subject matter is still realistic the film is given a different light thanks to the power of animation.

Had both of these films been solely live action they would have likely been ignored. But since they were highly experimental in terms of story, filmmaking and animation they have gained a reputation among some fans.

So again, this is what I mean when I ask if animation should be used more often to portray a different kind of reality that still feels like ours but is quite enchanting and memorable.

[Mickeyfan1990]

There's only 1 film that literally defined 2-D animation. A film that took 3 decades to make. That film is the Thief and The Cobbler. That film was outstanding piece of work which suffered a sad fate. While we're very familiar with the Reccobled Cut (Great fan edit btw.). Disney should buy the rights from the Weinstein Company and complete it with some of their brilliant animators, Richard Williams, Garret Gilchrist (the guy behind the Reccobled Cut), and John Lasseter. Then release it to theaters world wide and 6 months later, on DVD and Blu-Ray (with the Miramax and International Cuts). People need to understand that it's not just another animated film, but the fact that it took 30 years to make, made by Richard Williams with some of the greatest animators of our time, scenes that have never attempted before, and in cinemascope is a real accomplishment in 2-D animation and an inspiration to all.

[Escapay]

Yellow Submarine is a visual orgasm in animation, perhaps even more so than masterpieces like Fantasia or The Iron Giant.

albert

[waves finger in stylish zig-zag pattern]Oh no you didn't! Don't go there![/waves finger in stylish zig-zag pattern]

Ah, you kind of misunderstood me, Scaps.

What I meant to say was that animated films should portray reality in a way that is still fun and appealing to the audience even if its the most mundane subject ever portrayed on screen while still having its feet grounded on Earth.

<snip, though you make fine points with Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, though I've only seen the former in its entirety>

So again, this is what I mean when I ask if animation should be used more often to portray a different kind of reality that still feels like ours but is quite enchanting and memorable.

Ah, now I understand.

We could argue though, that animation itself is already a "heightened sense" of reality that will look fun and appealing regardless of what it's portraying, because it's capturing life in a different form than we're used to (random lines drawn together to mimic real life). As to whether or not it *should* be that way, well I guess I still revert to my old answer: it should be whatever the filmmakers want it to be.

Too many people consider animation to be a cartoony look of Saturday Morning or a calculated look of Disney and anime films. The rare times that animation steps out of those boxes (such as aforementioned Yellow Submarine and Waking Life) it confuses people, which is a pity.

People need to understand that it's not just another animated film, but the fact that it took 30 years to make, made by Richard Williams with some of the greatest animators of our time, scenes that have never attempted before, and in cinemascope is a real accomplishment in 2-D animation and a inspiration to all.

Can we really judge the "greatness" of a film based on how long it took them to make, though? I mean it took Disney 15 years to make The Black Cauldron (granted, 11 were spent in development hell) and it's not the most revered film out there. Likewise, Dumbo was a quick little picture that is beloved by millions of people.

Also, there have been CinemaScope animated films and shorts before and after The Thief and the Cobbler, so it's not really that *big* a deal, IMO. It's still animation regardless if it's a 1.37:1 frame matted to 1.75 or a 2.55:1 frame that's projected at 2.35:1. Animators should be able to do well no matter the size of the blank piece of paper.

albert

[pap64]

Ah, now I understand.

We could argue though, that animation itself is already a "heightened sense" of reality that will look fun and appealing regardless of what it's portraying, because it's capturing life in a different form than we're used to (random lines drawn together to mimic real life). As to whether or not it *should* be that way, well I guess I still revert to my old answer: it should be whatever the filmmakers want it to be.

Too many people consider animation to be a cartoony look of Saturday Morning or a calculated look of Disney and anime films. The rare times that animation steps out of those boxes (such as aforementioned Yellow Submarine and Waking Life) it confuses people, which is a pity.

albert

Yes, it definitely confuses. But it can so enjoyable to watch something very different.

In 2005 me and my best friends went to the Canadian premiere of a Japanese/anime film called "Mind Game". The concept and story were mundane and realistic. Its about a young man who wishes to win the heart of his childhood friend and be a famous manga artist. But has a lot of self doubt and lacks determination. It isn't till he is faced with that he realizes that he has great potential and becomes a new man.

But what makes it so memorable is that it really blurs the line between reality and fantasy, confusing both the characters and the audience watching. Nothing is ever portrayed seriously. Characters literally switch between realistic animation and third grade quality design. Their expressions are very exaggerated and they encounter so many surreal events that you start to wonder if there's something in the popcorn.

Its a film that could only be done in animation, but its concept and messages are deeply rooted in the mundane and the atypical. Its about enjoying life without holding anything back and to not let any personal doubt ruin any chances of you pursuing your dreams. It even offers a surreal look at returning rented tapes.

Once more, this is why I admire Japanese animation because there's truly you can't discuss in an animated film. "Only Yesterday" is a chick flick. "Mind Game" is a psychological film. To anyone they would have been better off as live action films. But the creators behind said films knew they could bring this stories to life through animation, even if the topics aren't that exciting to begin with.