It's Time for Some Cartoons!

Many older movie viewers tend to shy away from cartoons because they think animation is “kids’ stuff” or even “immature.” However, it takes a lot of manpower to make a cartoon: today’s animation is far from simple, and the storylines are far from naïve and whimsical. Cartoons have evolved to cater to a much wider audience than before, and they are no more fairytales than they are stories simply translated to non-human form.

Your job is to review a cartoon. You can go old school and pick something like Fantasia or Bambi; or take newer, more animation and technology-heavy fare, such as Up or Cars. Which cartoon you pick is your choice, as long as you take on a full-length animation film. By reviewing a cartoon, you also wake up a critical part of your brain; you need to answer the question: Why was this filmed as a cartoon and not with live characters?

If you recall, some of the entries in this site recommend that you ask yourself: is my setting appropriate to my story? Would my story have happened anywhere else? Think of those questions as you evaluate the cartoon. You may also want to evaluate the plot of the cartoon itself. Is it too thin, or is it rich and full of insight? Is the movie all about showing off animation, or is the animation secondary to the movie’s ability to tell a story?

Be as balanced as you can, whether you like animated movies or not. Happy watching and happy reviewing!