A Case for Animation: Prologue

-Mukisa Mujulizi

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“Isn’t that show/movie for kids?”

“Why?”

“Its animated. I don’t watch animated things.”

I’ve had the displeasure of having myriads of conversations similar to the one above. Countless folks discount animation as a children’s medium, having rarely encountered, or given the time of day to shows or movies that may dispel this notion. But animation is a medium, not a genre. A conduit of art in a form that can be traced back to cave drawings. It can drive a comedy, just as much as it can drive a horror. It can drive an adult themed story just as it carries children’s themes. Animation is inherently flexible; it’s malleable, and it is within this malleability that we find stories that have captured the imagination of millions for generations. The Lion King, Cinderella, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., A Bug’s life, Shrek, all of these are nominally children’s stories, but I dare you to find an adult that hasn’t formed a genuine connection around at least one of them.

Now, one could argue that these are connections formed around our shared nostalgia, and I wouldn’t disagree. But I think it’s this very nostalgia that leads our collective imagination away from newer animated stories that tackle themes of depression, melancholy, addiction, revolution, hope etc. These are themes that can be found in the aforementioned movies, but, and I’ll speak for myself here, because I’m watching these movies with my inner child still connected to them, I’ll sometimes overlook the messaging of the story, in favour of how it makes feel. This admittedly happens quite passively, and that’s okay. But I believe that consuming art should in most cases be an act of active participation. You should ask yourself why you are watching this particular show, and what is it trying to say? How does this relate to my current life and context and if not, was there ever a time it did? Have I learnt something new from this? These are all questions that have led me to discovering a whole new world of art that, I’d imagine, quite a few people have pulled away from.

So, this series exists as a way to pull you back into something that once demanded your attention at the end of a long school week. Our lives might be busy, and filled with the dreary mundanity that adulthood can often transpose, but animated television can offer a release. This is no promise of an anxiety free experience, in fact it may be the opposite of that. But take it from someone who watched Bojack Horseman and discovered how mental illness can ever so gently seep into your life. Someone who watched ‘Avatar the Last Airbender’ and gained a newer appreciation for friendship, for grief, for longing, and the corrosive nature of revenge. Who watched Kung Fu Panda and learnt the importance of self-love and acceptance, courage, and the will to confront your past, on your journey to self-discovery. Take it from me, animation is more than just slapstick comedy and beautiful love stories. It is also about pain, grief, love in all its forms, and the list could go on. So, let’s go on this journey as we take an impassioned look at some of our favorite animated movies and series, and let’s celebrate animation for what it is; a conduit for the exploration of the human condition.