The Intricate Power of The Frame: How Animation is a Medium, Not a Genre

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With deep character developments and darker themes that even foster satirical masterpieces. Animation acts as a versatile canvas for the most human-like stories.

Animation has always been a pinnacle medium in the entertainment industry, yet to this day it is miscategorized as a mere genre. This not only has led to prejudge from audiences, thinking the medium is exclusively for children, but it also has been underestimated by the industry in various ways. Despite the medium’s perceptions narrowing in recent years, this didn’t come without its struggle.

One great example of this can be seen across the 94 years of Academy Awards history where the first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture was ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 1992, the “Best Animated Feature” category not being a thing until the year 2002, and still till this day there we still haven’t seen an Animated Best Picture winner.

Regardless of all the struggles that the medium has faced, it still stands strong to this day. With films like ‘Flow’ and ‘The Wild Robot’ conquering 2024, even surpassing many non-animated films at the box office, showing us once again the masterpieces that this medium can offer.

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The Unseen Pillar

Historically, the animation medium has been undermined by industry and critics alike, but in reality, it may be some of the most important techniques in the Film industry as a whole. Many forget, but the Animation medium was a central pillar and the industry may as just well owe its prolonged success to it.

Although the first fully animated film ‘Fantasmagorie’ came out in 1908, The medium has been around since before the industry was a thing with the first motion picture being 1878’s ‘The Horse in Motion’. Animation quickly became a tool that filmmakers used in their live-action pieces, techniques like stop motion and cell animation have secretary reigned the silent era as seen in films like 1902’s ‘A Trip to the Moon’ and 1927’s ‘Metropolis’.

By The Golden Age of Hollywood, Animation techniques stopped having much protagonism on live-action films. Yet, in that same decade, Animation saw a huge rise in popularity thanks to the first big animation studio Walt Disney Productions which to this day is still considered the biggest animation company. Their 1932 Silly Symphonies cartoon ‘Flowers and Trees’ was the first animated piece to win an Oscar, yet the medium still was not taken seriously as seen just a couple of years later in 1937. Despite Walt Disney making the first American feature-length animated film with ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, the Academy chose to give Walt an Honorary Oscar instead of giving representation to the film itself.

Disney had shown to the world the art of animation, he proved to the world that it can introduce technical advancements using the most immersive and connective storytelling while providing true cooperative unparalleled creative freedom. Thanks to Walt Disney’s work, the legacy of the medium not only has withstood to this day, but it has slowly gained the recognition it deserves. While Disney’s work has made so much for Animation, his legacy unintentionally created a two-bladed sword that has harmed the medium until this day.

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The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question

Another Angle of The Known

The two most common misconceptions of the Animation medium are its categorization as a genre and that they’re exclusively children’s media. This has led audiences to not take it seriously, with many not even considering it as a form of Cinema until recent years. Notwithstanding animation is one of the most diverse mediums of storytelling there is.

Exploring every theme in the book, from coming-of-age and cultural exploration to oppression and even suicide. Animation has not only been able to successfully deliver these themes with a greater impact than normal live-action pieces would but some animated adaptations have even seen more success than their live-action counterparts, making scenes more impactful and complex than their original versions. A perfect example of this is 1992’s ‘Batman: The Animated Series’, while the Batman live-action adaptations have seen their fair share of successes this animated masterpiece is considered to be the most successful adaptation of the character having not only a rich critical acclaim but also a profound impact in animation as a whole.

Although many believe that adult animation is a fairly recent thing in media, it has actually been around since the 70s with 1972 seeing both the release of the first feature-length adult animated film be rated R ‘Fritz the Cat’ and the first adult animation to air on Primetime television ‘Wait Till Your Father Gets Home’. While overshadowed by ‘The Simpsons’ and its successors 15 years later, these acted as a pillar for the medium to escape the stigma.

Legacy of A Crafter

It is well known that significantly more work goes into the creation of Animation, taking up to 2-3 times more work than a live-action piece. Yet, many aren’t aware of the inner workings that happen for these masterpieces to shine.

Working with characters with human characteristics and physicalities is one of the toughest challenges animators still deal with, if not done correctly these are victims of landing on the infamed Uncanny Valley. This is mostly due to the intricacies of muscle movement that come with human-like facial expressions, which a camera can capture from an actor in mere seconds can take up to 16 days to animate.

Teamwork has always been a staple of animation, bringing together crafters from many different departments from character rigging and concept art to sound design and voice acting. A lot of collaborative work comes together to create a single 10-second sequence, since even before the project is greenlit work starts and continues till it’s finished, sometimes causing countless sleepless nights and a rough work-life balance.

Consistency and communication are pivotal keys for any piece of motion picture. But because of unfair and unexpected cuts in budget and staffing tend to force rushness, disrupting that consistency by forcing each department to generate their parts separately and animators to take more than they can handle. When a background artist isn’t able to see a character sequence while being given a mere rough description births cracks the collaborative pavement that keeps the project together.

Regardless of dealing with these and many more struggles during production, the animation world has always been a medium of community and inclusion. Where creative freedom is at the tip of the crafters’ fingers rather than at the hands of executives, allowing each pen to place a part of them into the intricate and gorgeous world that’s been created.

Powers That Call to All

Every creator dreams for their work to transcend far beyond language and borders, while some live-action films have managed this in some way thanks to voice dubbing, they still emit some “off-putting” vibes because of the visuals not matching well with the audio. Animation manages to surpass this blockage, allowing the story to be transmitted across the world.

“The Animation Effect” also known as the “Medium Effect” is a unique phenomenon where animation, amongst other mediums, affects audiences differently than live-action. Thanks to its genre versatility, the ability it has to swiftly play around with a variety of tones, and its eye-captivating visuals animation has the power to deliver a message or lesson with a more profound effect on the audience when needed. A great example can be seen in the music video for System of a Down’s 2020 protest song ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’, here the animation not only comes unexpectedly but it also generates a deeper impact than if the scenes were made in live-action.

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One film that perfectly exemplifies this phenomenon is the 2022’s animated splatter war film ‘Unicorn Wars’, combining the deep topics of war and gruesome gore with a bright and colorful animation that gives for a psychedelic yet striking tale that explores humanity’s darkest impulses. While the film draws inspirations from classic war epics like ‘Apocalypse Now’, it is the fantastical and colorful world that is only possible to represent with animation that makes it stand out.

Animation is a medium unlike any other, blending art, passion and technology to bring unique needing-to-be-told stories to existence, stories that in other mediums would not hold the same effect on audiences. A medium that despite prolonged struggles is finally escaping the misconceptions that were once wrongfully placed upon it, proving to the industry and audiences alike the magnificent film work and craftsmanship that goes behind a single frame. From introducing the world to amazingly relatable characters to fostering an endless amount of creativity, animation has become one of the most human mediums out there while being able to transport us to unimaginable realities.

By Mario Martinez Ignacio

Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.

I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”

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Author

Mario Martinez Ignacio

Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.
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Mario Martinez Ignacio

Mario Martinez Ignacio is a writer from Mexico City. As a child, he spent most of his free time deep-diving into online wikis, which sparked a passion for lore and worldbuilding. Driven by his love for writing, Mario obtained a BFA in Dramatic Writing at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2024. With the objective of inspiring others, he fuses writing and education to create narratives that entertain while igniting curiosity and fostering new perspectives, one word at a time.

Mario Martinez Ignacio

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