Sadly, this is the problem with animation. Its immediately lumped into the category of "family film", which basically means "film for kids but everyone will have to sit through it."
However this assumption is hardly surprising, when it comes to Dreamworks Animations, I can understand why.
I wasn't too impressed with Megamind, the only thing going for Shark Tale is the overwhelming amount of pop-culture references and... Robert De Niro the mobster shark.
Shrek was a good original film, soon to be spoiled by sequel after sequel after sequel after spin-off. Please dear god let Puss in Boots be the last of it. The big cute cat eyes make me want to...... well, nothing. This is the problem: its not even provoking a response any more. The joke's a broken record. Just like a lot of Shrek's jokes, they were funny at first... then... just... really... really.... weren't.
And fine; Dreamworks don't make films for me, I'm in no way their target audience. Kids love repetition like the big kitty-cat eyes.
Fine. Just stop caring about the entertainment for the paying adults. Help them stifle the little brats by showing a loud, colourful, explosive, overly animated mess of which they'll quietly sit, drool and dumbly stare at. Oh and by overly animated, I mean the constant need for the characters to be making jerky, exaggerated, over-the-top gestures and movements. Megamind was the worst for this, think Jim Carrey's style of over-acting but within animation. Funny sometimes but, too much, and it becomes distracting and very annoying. Please Dreamworks Animation Studios. Please stop this, you're trying to hard to grab our attentions.
I contrast, Pixar Animation Studios does what Dreamworks cannot (at least consistently) do: entertain both the parents and children. Even young adults enjoy these films. Remembering back when I went to see Toy Story 3, the absolutely packed cinema was, I'm fairly sure, filled more with teenagers around 17-18 than any other age group. Regardless of whether it was due to the fact we all grew up with the Toy Story franchise, or they simply wanted a film to watch, the response was the same. It was universally beloved and currently ranks as the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
But the feeling of childishness does grab hold of you. You think that maybe you're a little too old for kiddie cartoon films, maybe you should start growing up and watch Oscar-baity films filled with "real" issues and "real" actors and professional acting. Embrace all that culture and independence of mind, maan. No time for jokes. Films are serious business.
But, really? Can't computer animation be serious too?
Up tells the story of 79-year-old Carl Fredricksen, a recently widowed elderly, and Wilderness Explorer boy scout Russell, who fly to South America in a floating house lifted by... many, many balloons. This, unfortunately, says everything that's needed to be said for older audiences. The realism isn't exactly the film's major selling point, it never has been. And true, the design of Up is utterly gorgeous. The balloon lift-off scene is perfect example of the beauty of computer animation.
But I don't wish to gush about how pretty the animation is- its a no-brainer.
No, what truly impressed me about Up is the effect of said animation. Its not just pretty, there's a remarkable skill behind the development of the characters within. Though stylized, the characters of Up are still human, and I mean that in every sense of the word: these characters are human. They're believable, their situations relatable and the emotions the animation team has made them convey beats even the most skilled and professional actors.
Whether you've heard about the opening montage of Up, which has even the most hardened of critics and movie-goers sobbing into their popcorn, or the "Stuff We Did" scene (my personal favourite, the animation of Carl's facial emotion is superb and heart-breaking), both scenes are done so brilliantly, that you'd be forgiven for forgetting its supposed to be for kids. I certainly didn't feel childish watching this film, especially with these scenes and their ability to grab my emotions with just a simple, animated gesture or expression that even the most heart-wrenching films cannot do to me.
The amazing thing is the most memorable scenes contain no dialogue whatsoever. This is the potential of animation: a story without the interruption of words or exposition being thrown in your face.
And I wish more animated films were like this. I'd have thought of Up as a daring and insightful tale dealing with: loneliness in old age, the loss of your life-long companion and eventually moving on to fulfill your life's ambitions. This is what Up could have been; but with the inclusion of talking dogs, hammy villains and exotic giant birds called Kevin, the realism presented in the characters and the silliness clash. The silliness wins over unfortunately and I was left with a sense of "what could have been..."
But, despite this, Pixar hasn't got it wrong, they still made Up a child-friendly film and I'm glad they did. You have to hand it to them, not everyone has the ability to include into kids films: relatively serious, adult issues like:
Mid-Life Crisis!
And yet, somehow, even the most berserk and crazy protective parents can't fault the charm and tactfulness in which Pixar tells a story, making even the most daunting of subjects watchable for children. Even enjoyable. Animation is very effective storytelling and has the potential for more than family fun.
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