In the past year, animation has emerged as a boon for the entertainment industry, some live-action productions going so far as to complete their seasons with animated episodes, like NBC’s The Blacklist. HBO Max recently announced three new adult animated shows to be produced for the platform and is expanding their partnership with Cartoon Network to create more content. Netflix is committing to releasing six animated films a year in an effort to compete with other studios. Film and television demand more animation, and I am all for it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the workplace immensely, and even a year later, many traditionally in-person industries are still using remote frameworks to abide by local guidelines. One thing that the pandemic has proven in the past year is that office workspaces are not a necessity, but rather a matter of convenience, often easing communication. But, for many industries, remote work has shown itself to be just as, if not more, productive. Amidst the shortage of live-action productions, animation has shown itself to be one such industry.
There are definitely positive consequences to remote work, including heightened flexibility and the ability to work outside of a specific mile radius. However, there are also drawbacks that I think susceptible artists could find their way falling into, especially when it comes to separating work and life.
Within the animation industry, there are many accounts of overworked young artists with a desire to prove themselves and meet their deadlines, who sacrifice their time and health to do so. I think with the increase in remote work, for some the line separating work and leisure may become blurred because the physical barriers of a studio separated from the home are no longer present. The animation industry is also rife with accounts of unpaid overtime, less than ideal sleep schedules, and a lack of work-life balance for entry-level artists. However, with remote work, there is even less of a separation of work and life.
While remote animation may open up doors for many artists and can be a more flexible, and in some cases safer way to work, I think artists must stay extra vigilant in discerning their work patterns and habits, so as not to blur the lines between work and leisure. There needs to be more emphasis placed on taking care of oneself in approaching work, but for studios who care only for bottom lines, junior artists must be attentive ones, especially if the push for remote work continues.
Media conglomerates that are as large as Disney care about appealing to as many people as they can, thus making as much money as they can. Disney will even try to lure in more viewers by announcing “our first gay character!” for what seems like the tenth time. These “first gay characters” are hardly what the LGBTQ+ community would consider representation. From two female characters walking next to each other in Finding Dory to the cyclops cop in Onward, it’s not only frustrating but insulting to members of the LGBTQ+ community (myself included), who wish to see themselves represented in a positive light.
In fact, according to a study by GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), in 2018, there were only 45 LGBTQ+ characters in mainstream media releases, and only 19 of those characters were queer women. The US population is about 325 million, with an estimated population of LGBTQ+ women at 5.1%. This amount may not seem like a lot, but it’s over 16 million women who identify as part of the community. Meanwhile, Disney’s feature films put these “blink-and-you-miss-it” nods to the LGBTQ+ community. Disney does this to make it easy for other countries to easily cut out the scenes without changing the story. Not only does this quick edit allow Disney to still make millions overseas, but also continues the cycle of announcing a gay character, and leaving queer audiences once again disappointed. A few examples of Disney’s “first openly gay character” are the two women who kissed in the background in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, a gay man mentioning a date in a scene of Avengers: Endgame, and of course the cyclops police officer who mentions “her girlfriend” in Onward.
Yes, these examples are disappointing and insulting, and believe it or not, there was still backlash over these background characters. While it is disappointing to see a company like Disney not take representation seriously, queer women in animated TV have made a positive impact over these recent years. It is essential to acknowledge Steven Universe, a show that wouldn’t have made the impact it did if it weren’t for its queer creator, Rebecca Sugar. She pushed for inclusivity in her show, especially for queer stories. It was groundbreaking for its wedding episode between two female-identifying characters that aired before same-sex marriage was legalized by the Supreme Court. The Legend of Korra showed two young women who loved each other in a positive light onscreen. The creators fought for more but still ended up with the characters holding hands and the creators confirmed the two being in a romantic relationship. Adventure Time also surprised fans with an on-screen kiss between two of the show’s main female characters. While their relationship did not get a lot of screen time, it was still a good relationship to show to audiences. Most recently, queer creator Noelle Stevenson made history with her inclusive show She-Ra and the Princess of Power that featured multiple queer characters and couples who were developed and shown in a positive light. The two main women in the show, both complex and strong have an on-screen kiss, creating more positive content for queer women.
Above: Steven Universe (2013-2020)
Parents concerned that their children are being “indoctrinated” or that gay characters are “too sexual” for children is heartbreaking. The representation we have for queer women in animation is something I wish I had growing up. As a queer woman myself, growing up only seeing heterosexual couples was difficult. There was no kid-friendly content featuring positive LGBTQ+ representation that I could look up to. In my opinion, it sometimes forces queer children to grow up too fast, since starving for queer content means turning to media that is geared toward adults. It also feels invalidating to not see yourself on screen. It’s interesting that parents who are against LGBTQ+ content in animation say “it will turn my kid gay”, while most queer kids grew up with heteronormativity and, obviously, stayed queer.
Seeing this recent rise of queer content in animation, especially of queer women who are complex, strong, intelligent, and role models gives me hope. Young queer girls will have their self-discovery journeys early in life and be able to see themselves onscreen at a young age. While Disney isn’t doing much to help the queer community, animated television is breaking grounds for inclusivity. I am looking forward to what animated television will look like in terms of LGBTQ+ representation 10 years from now.
The Golden Globes are approaching this month and the nominees for Best Animated Picture have been announced: Soul, Wolfwalkers, Over The Moon, Onward, and The Croods: A New Age. Article author Ramin Zahed mentions that Soul, Wolfwalkers, and Over The Moon seem to be the nominations that are gaining the most attention, but there have been other popular movies that have been snubbed for nominations. I’d be happy if any of these top three nominees won and each of these wins would mean something special to the people the films represent. Out of all of the nominees, Soul’s message of finding life’s purpose is more universal and widely relatable.
I haven’t really found much criticism about the Best Animated Feature nominees, but I thought I would respond to these two comments from users of Cartoon Brew: “Other than Wolfwalkers, that’s all CGI American stuff. Where’s the anime? Where’s the French and Eastern European animation?”
“The only real nominees are Soul and Wolfwalkers; the rest is just filler they remembered existed.”
If we look at the history of the Golden Globe nominees, most of them have been 3D projects from major animation studios such as Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky Studios, and so forth and most of the projects are made for younger audiences. A lot of the nominees have been underwhelming, but I agree that it would be great if there was more of a range of films. If we look at animation around the world, there’s so much content that has been created with a range of materials which show many unique perspectives. There are so many films for the public to discover, but I think that how the Hollywood Foreign Press operates is a reason for the lack of variety in the animation nominees.
According to Vox, the voters of the Hollywood Foreign Press consist of around 90 Journalists that write pieces for global publications, but there are specific qualifications to be a member of the HFP. With the small number of voters, it’s almost unpredictable who will win, but members of the HFP have been accused of voting for stars that they favor and that have also interviewed with them. I think that the quality of the content should be judged over connections to huge celebrities. I believe that certain films should be suggested by the public via pole or forum and then the members of the HFP could review the most popular requests. If people are exposed to animation around the world, then there’s a better chance of having more of a variety of animated nominees in the Golden Globes.
On the subject of Wolfwalkers, I adore Cartoon Saloon and I loved the movie with its developed story, brave lead female characters, and beautifully crafted animation. I think it’s a strong contender for the Golden Globes, but I agree with the criticism from Escapist Movies that it does borrow story conventions from American animated features and even themes from previous Cartoon Saloon movies. Tropes like the misunderstood character that others are against (like in Iron Giant, How to Train Your Dragon, ParaNorman, and Brave) and situations where a child’s voice isn’t heard by adults like in previous Cartoon Saloon films (but that problem does make sense in a kid’s world, so I acknowledge my contradiction). I think it’s a movie that is great for female audiences and an award for it would validate Cartoon Saloon’s work and increase their credibility in the mainstream.
With Over the Moon, I will be honest that I wasn’t into the story that much. I think it falls into conventions of movies such as a dead mother, cute pets as sidekicks that don’t do much for the story, and the plot points and conflicts felt convenient. However, while working with a Chinese studio, there was a lot of research and effort put into utilizing Chinese tales and culture in the story and world of the movie. Behind the scenes, Glenn Keane worked closely with many female and Asian staff members as well to create their story about a young girl and her wish to prove to her father that love is eternal. Even though I thought that the story could have been stronger and I didn’t relate to it that much, this movie is important for Chinese and female representation and serve as an inspiration for many young kids and validate their culture.
I think an award for Soul is well deserved in terms of story, but I have heard some complaints about its representation of the black community and plot points from Youtuber Brandee Anderson, so let’s question if Soul really does deserve an award. I understand some of Brandee’s opinions, but I disagree with many of them. Like Princess in the Frog, there was a black character who was not in their physical form for the majority of the film, and this decision is questionable, but Joe maintains his identity. Sure, his mother and Dorothea Williams are rude, but their attitude towards Joe does change. He’s underestimated by Dorothea, but she recognizes his talent. Joe’s mother understands his desire to make himself feel worthy, they come to a sense of agreement, and she helps Joe in the end. When it comes to the body switching, the thing with Pixar is that if you look at their videos about storytelling on Khan Academy, a Pixar film is based around conflict (and this is the case for narrative in general). If Joe was to accomplish something extraordinary in the beginning with everything fine, then the movie would be cut short and there wouldn’t be a lot to explore. Also, Joe does sacrifice himself for 22, but it’s Joe in the end who has to confront his conflicts. He confronts his complicated relationship with his mother, his feelings, and he also learns from 22 and 22 learns from him. It’s not teaching that’s Joe’s spark, the film is about how you approach life that creates it’s meaning for the individual.
Sure, some things could have been better in the movie, but I agree with Youtuber Savage Books/A.K. Savage, that really, Soul just treats Joe as a person and doesn’t really subject his race. Movies about black history and conflict are great to have and help reflect on our world, but I agree that treating Joe as anyone else is something surprisingly different and works for the film. The movie does question what happens once we find some sort of success and I agree that Soul’s meant to reflect on the voids that we feel even if we’ve accomplished something. Life isn’t supposed to be dictated by our achievements, it’s about our approach to life that makes us successful and that we enjoy it in moments. It’s not a situation for one community, it’s something that every human being can relate to.
I’ll reiterate that I would be happy for any of these three leading nominees to win, but I do agree as well that there needs to be more of a variety of types of movies in the Best Animated Feature category. The directors of Soul, Wolfwalkers, and Over the Moon are aware that change needs to happen in their industries. None of these films are perfect, but it is up to us to share our voices and say what we would like to be considered for nominations. Progress in animation will take a long time, but maybe our own content can one day inspire and our own advocacy could help Hollywood progress. The more people share their voices, we can change the way Hollywood has functioned and provide more of a variety of films and award nominees for the mass public. I want to state that this post is just my perspective based on the information I found. If you disagree with me, feel free to tell me why so that we can expand the conversation on my topic. Let’s open the discussion even further.
