Animation has existed for a long time, and it is no surprise that a myriad of myths have arisen which you might have heard at one point or another. Unfortunately, they create a false reputation that can limit understanding of animation’s versatility and value. However, that’s what we are here for! We’re going to address these commonly held misconceptions and try to dispel them.
The most common (and sometimes irritating) belief that we come across is that – Animation is just for children. Certainly, we understand the reason that formulated this opinion. Animation is the art form of creating magic, portraying something not ordinary for our world, and it’s no wonder that at first sight it might look juvenile. Also, most of the people with such beliefs have never been exposed to animated films that discuss serious matters. Let’s look at the examples –
Rick and Morty – One of the recurring themes in the series is that nothing really matters in life. It’s a radical take on freedom and science. It embraces fearlessly the limitless potential of knowledge, exploring both the dark and the bright sides of it. It shows how the power science grants us creates dangerous ethical dilemmas and how our moral standards can evolve to avoid being corrupted.
BoJack Horseman –is a beautiful, philosophical take on the meaning of happiness. Bojack generally is drunk, confused, vulnerable, and lost in the quest for finding his share of happiness. The show represents depression in a respectful and funny way, and the primary message it conveys is that in times of hardships, life still goes on.
Animation gives an opportunity to mix visual artistry with interesting stories. It is no question that the medium of animation is just as sophisticated as other cinematic forms. Although, it has one important advantage – anything can be conceptualised and brought to life, no matter how improbable or impossible at first it might seem. Animation is and will always be mature enough for adults, and there’s no doubt in that.
The second misconception we are going to address is that- Animation is just about a few clicks on the computer.
“Could we add 30 more seconds to it?” you will hear this type of request very frequently in our industry. What clients do not know is that everything is planned not to the second, but to the frame. Every frame needs to be animated, so per 30 seconds you’re looking at 720 frames. Some changes will require animators to go back to the sketching and illustrating stages. In motion design we don’t have to draw each frame like in 2D Disney movies, but we still need to take care of each keyframe and believe us – there can be plenty of them in a few seconds of animation:
The creative team has to construct a narrative, produce a storyboard, design characters, backgrounds, and so on. Which ultimately takes a lot of time. The belief that animation is a few clicks on a computer couldn’t be far from the truth. It certainly takes more than Tony Stark pressing a few buttons and constructing an entire product.
The hard work is done by the animators themselves; the computer, tablet and software are all just tools. Dealing with corrupted files, hardware limitations, time-consuming transitions and effects, illustration changes that force you to animate scenes from scratch again, is far more challenging than it sounds.
Hopefully, we have managed to clear up some lingering doubts you may have had about animation. But this is not the end, there are plenty more misbeliefs floating in the air, so stay tuned to seek the truth with us !
