I once asked a professor what his thoughts were on the writing of Beauty and the Beast (1991). He thought for a moment, and told me, “For an animated movie, it was good.” It was difficult to set aside my initial offense at this response. He was saying it was a well-written movie, but only when compared against a lower standard than that of live-action writing. Part of me assumes this lower standard must have to do with the PG rating of the film. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture. Not Best Animated Picture; Best Picture. I had hoped for a little more in response than a single lukewarm sentence.

If I tell my classes that I’d like to write screenplays for animation, the response is generally either, “Oh, I don’t have experience with that” or “So, you want to write kids’ movies.” These two sentiments go hand-in-hand to me. Yes, I do enjoy a good family movie, but animation has far more to offer than just family friendly stories. It’s a medium capable of handling every genre imaginable, not just the ‘kids movies’ that a cynical reviewer puts down. These animated films are generally more tightly written and well-made than a lot of live-action blockbusters because of the amount of thought and care necessary to create an animated movie. Generally, people don’t pay much attention to animated films. Many times I have asked peers, friends, and family to give me their thoughts on an animated movie, and all I’ve gotten in response is some variation of either “I wasn’t bored” or “it was pretty.” Why is it that when I ask these same people how they feel about a live-action movie, they suddenly have the ability to create a five-page essay’s worth of thoughts on writing, shot composition, direction, and performance?

When I was in high school, I got unreasonably upset with my advanced history teacher for her ignorance of the medium. She spent a lecture discussing animated film’s lack of historical accuracy, and committed the heinous crime of citing Anastasia (1997), a Don Bluth film, as a Disney movie. I didn’t even raise my hand, I just shouted out in the middle of her lecture “ACTUALLY THAT’S DON BLUTH.” She ignored me and continued her lecture, but I spent those remaining 45 minutes seething at what felt like a personal slight against me. Very well adjusted of my 16 year-old self, I know. While I certainly don’t expect someone like my old history teacher to know the ins-and-outs of every animated film, I would like to see some level of consideration for more than just the visual aspect of animation from others on campus. I want to see discussions about heavier topics depicted using animation, as my own projects focus on mature themes, leaning PG-13 at best.

The personal work I do for animated storytelling isn’t limited by a young or family-oriented target audience; rather, I like to utilize the visual aspect of the medium to create abstract environments that push the emotional aspect of the storytelling forward. I am currently working on a proof of concept for a sci-fi animated series that deals with themes of fascism, villainization through propaganda, and queer romance. This story is not particularly kid-friendly, and it has been a hurdle to explain this to other individuals who are only well- versed with animated media such as the Disney Princess franchise. When it comes to pursuing animation and writing, Southern Maine Community College does have classes to offer that can aid in this track. Comics and Sequential Art (ARTS 185) is a great course for understanding visual storytelling. I cannot say enough about how helpful Screenwriting (CNMS 140) was for the development of my skills as a writer. There’s a character animation class, CNMS 225, as well as a 3D animation course (CNMS 235). There is also a 2D animation course (CNMS 291) that teaches motion graphics. All in all, if animation is going to get more respect from the public, more people need to put their weird and personal animation work out there. I hope to see others’ work out there as I continue to post my own.