For the Love of Animation

Christopher Wheeler

November 11, 2014

English 101

Causal Analysis

                For the Love of Animation

        For many years, companies like Pixar and DreamWorks Studio have been creating animated film that are meant to bring happiness to children from all over; however, these animated films do not just attract children. Animated films attract older audiences ranging from teenagers to grandparents, not only to distract their younger sibling, children, or grandchildren, but, also, for their own enjoyment. The fun it generates, nostalgia it reminds you of, great humor, catchy music, and bending of reality will attract anyone to these animated masterpieces.  It is easy for any adult to get addicted to these spectacular films.

        While watching these films, you will feel like you are having fun and going on an adventure; even though you are just sitting on your couch or in a movie theatre eating popcorn with an ice, cold beverage. They can give you the excitement of exploring the ocean with Marlin and Dory in search of Nemo in the Pixar film, Finding Nemo, and they let you go along with Hiccup as he learns how to train his dragon in the DreamWorks Animation film, How to Train Your Dragon. Even though you are just sitting around watching movies, you feel like you are going on adventures with the characters in the movies. Everyone loves the thrills of adventures. These films are designed to bring you on journeys and deliver the fun of the adventure through them. Who does not enjoy going on adventure anywhere and anytime you want from the comfort of your home or a movie theatre in your area?

        Nostalgia is another major reason as to why older audiences enjoy these animated masterpieces. Nostalgia is the feeling you get when you play, watch or do something that reminds you of your past and brings back the great memories from it. These films bring you back to when you were younger and remind you of all the fun you had. They connect you with your past self; also, they make you feel like you are a child again with not have to worry about anything in this world. They bring you back to a time when you did not have a care in the world. These masterpieces take you out of the stress of your current everyday life, and they bring you into a film that removes the stress by taking you back to a simpler time in your life. They will fill you from head to toe with the feeling of nostalgia that all older audiences, from teenagers to the elderly, will love. The feeling of nostalgia is a great feeling no matter how old you are.

        These movies are filled with many humorous scenes and hilarious characters that are great for the whole family. These films are typically designed to be funny and that is one of the reasons they are so enjoyable. Who did not at least chuckle when the characters in Finding Nemo were calling the boats butts; or when Lilo had her finger hovering over Stitch’s fur and Stitch was freaking out thinking Lilo was touching him, in the Disney film Lilo and Stitch? These films are filled with humorous scenes for everyone to enjoy; however, these movies are filled with scenes that are designed for only adults to understand. One example of adult humor in these animated films is in the Pixar movie, The Incredibles. There is a scene where the villain’s henchmen are sitting around a screen watching a direct feed from security cameras. One of the henchmen says, “Okay! Every time they run, everyone take a shot!” Most children would not understand this because it is a joke about drinking that is aimed toward adults. Another great example is in the movie Cars. In the movie, the main character, Lightning McQueen, is driving onto the race track at the beginning of the movie. As he does, he passes two female fans in the crowd who flash their lights at him. This is supposed to symbolize the same thing as a woman flashing her breasts. Adults may be able to realize this but children, more than likely, will not. A lot of these films are filled with these types of scenes that are meant for only adults to understand, but they are still filled with jokes that will bring laughter to both younger and older audiences.

        The catchy music is also one of the movie qualities that many older audiences enjoy. These spectacular animated films typically come with equally spectacular soundtracks. These soundtracks are filled with songs that go along with the movie, and they are usually extremely catchy to anyone who listens to them. There are songs like “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid and “Heigh Ho” from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves that are designed to entertain you; meanwhile, they are telling you a part of the story to drive the plot along. Then, there are songs like “I’m a Believer” from Shrek and “You Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, which are set up as background music as the movie moves through a long period of time. Both of these types of songs are designed to be addicting to all viewers, and they are meant to attract the viewer’s attention so they can try to learn all the words. Both types of songs are mostly designed or added in to amuse children; however, they will also bring amusement older audiences that will cause them to want to try to memorize the songs.