Entry one

Hello fellow blogger.

You know, there is nothing I like more than to watch a perfectly great film. It's nice to get out of reality for a minute and watch a film that creates a whole different world, and engulfs you into it. Whether it be a galaxy far, far away, a futuristic world where robots are officers, a love story set in War World II, or a corrupt city with a masked vigilante, movies are amazing in how they captivate the mind and imagination.

But of all the many forms and techniques of film making,the one that personally fascinates me the most is animation. An art form I find horribly underrated, animation is a media of entertainment that I feel has a way of doing story telling that live-action can't do. Because it IS an art form, animation can be used for anything and anyway. In recent years, the form of animation that has become extraordinarily popular is that of computer generated. But there is also hand drawn, stop-motion,etc. Animation has many forms, making it a very useful tool for special effects, and creativity. 

However, as I stated before, animation is extremely underrated. Yes, it is used in tons of media, especially the film making industry. Outside as everyday use for certain special effects, animation is incorrectly referred to as a genre. To which I say, wrong, wrong, wrong....

Being an art form, animation has the advantage of being many genre's. It can be a love story, action-adventure flick, a comedy, or biography. It's not limited to one type of story, which unfortunately, many Hollywood producers seem to assume it is. What is that assumption? That animation is meant for children films only.

And you maybe asking yourself, "but what about areas in Europe or Japan? Don't they have lots of animated films that are not directed specifically for kids?"

To which, I would say, you are correct. Outside of the United States animation is treated more as an art form, and has been used to tell engaging and provoking films, many of them not suitable for younger viewers. But in the United States, the majority of animated films are targeted to children, or for the whole family. Yes, there are television shows, like the Simpson's, that are targeted for an older audiences and it's done in animation. But the majority of these shows result in extremely juvenile humor, which once again, attracts younger audiences.

And before I go any further, I want to make something very clear: I do not despise animated films that are made for children and/or family's. One of the reasons I love animation so much is from the memories I have of watching the films of Walt Disney, or Don Bluth. These were films that fascinated me, that helped develop my imagination. What I dislike, is the belief that animation is only capable of being a genre of children films, and being limited to one type of story telling, when it clearly is a masterful tool to create any type of story.

Through the years, I've learned about the influence of animation, and how it can either be used to inspire, or be flaunted as a crash grabber. Unfortunately, the latter has become more apparent throughout the years, and not just in animated films. But my goal in making this blog is not to whine uncontrollably about the things that upset me. I want to share my opinions about a subject that I love.

So in this blog, I will review on the latest animated films that are being released in theaters. Every once in awhile I will take the time to give my thoughts on some oldies. But I feel it is important to talk about the ones that are coming out, because these are the ones that represent what animation is at the moment for many, and how it has evolved. I will do my very best to be open-minded and unbiased about my reviews. Everyone has different opinions, so please do not feel bad if you disagree on some of my thoughts. You can always share your opinions by commenting. But I please, be considerate, and refrain from bad mouthing. Constructed criticism is welcome, but harsh and rude remarks are unacceptable. 

Thank you for taking the time to read. See you all later.