Animated feature films often receive similar criticisms for not being “cartoony” enough, lacking the slapstick humor found in classic cartoons, to being pigeonholed as films that are only suitable for children. Contrary to these criticisms, Brad Bird, the director of many critically-acclaimed films such as The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, and Ratatouille, has time and time again crafted animated films that feature complex characters and realistic storytelling.
In an interview with the Animation Art Conservation, Brad Bird discussed why animated feature films should exhibit more believable characters instead of immitating the implausible cartoony characters found in shorts and classic cartoons.
“People criticize feature animation for being too literal or not cartoony enough. But that comes with the territory [when you make a feature film]. If you watch a great Bugs Bunny short, it’s an exhilarating thing. You wouldn’t change it. It’s perfectly calibrated for seven minutes. But if you watch two hours of Bugs Bunny cartoons in a row and you’re not just an animation fanatic, if you’re let’s say a normal person, you get tired after a while. Your eyes get tired. You start to become desensitized to the pace and the chaos and all of that. And, you stop being a good audience for all this amazing stuff.”
While Bird is a fan of the classic cartoons such as Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes, he goes on to explain how animated feature films require more character depth than shorts in order to connect with an audience.
“When you go to a feature length, you have other things you need to give to the audience. They have to start believing in the characters more. There has to be a suggestion of a life outside of what you’ve been seeing. Outside of the setup for a gag. Now, I would never say “never.” There is probably some perfect Airplane-type animation movie that has not been made where it never gets serious. It never gets emotional. Look at how many live action comedies have come out and how many of them fail. There are only a handful of films like Airplane that manage to sustain their comedy and their sincerity for an hour and a half and keep the audience with them. It’s a very tough thing to pull off.”
What do you think about Brad Bird’s comments about feature film characters? Is it impossible to combine serious storytelling with cartoony comedy? Let us know in the comments below!