Representation in Animation and it’s Importance

Representation in Animation and it’s Importance 

Shows and film media are a great source of entertainment to get your daily fill of content by streaming your favorite shows, movies, or any substance you would so crave, whether at home or out and about somewhere. Nearly everyone has access to a device that can stream whatever you choose, whether from a major company and their streaming platform to Internet personalities. As kids and even as adults, one can find themselves having seen or still currently views animation. It is already common knowledge that there is a severe lack of range in casting despite advances in film productions. The same sadly can be applied in shows within the animation film industry. Animation, no matter who it is directed towards, can bring about a message anybody and everybody should hear. It can have its moments and be silly and goofy, but it can convey things in no way that words alone could do.

When raising a child, parents or guardians will always want to raise their kids to the best of their capabilities. Children at any age should be aware of their society; of course, the gruesome and gory details of life shouldn't be tossed in their faces, but they should get a general understanding of how the world works. We know children to be young and influenced by the things around them. If certain portrayals are given to specific groups and are mishandled to show them as villains, one would assume people of that background are all villains or vice versa. In April 2019, Animation Examination wrote that "Misrepresentation of ethnic groups in media can cause confusion and self-doubt among children of these groups, hence the importance of positive portrayals of all groups in animation. As Laura Scott stated in her article The Importance of Representation in Kids' Cartoons, "cartoons can be an extremely influential and important form of media if handled correctly.'" The influences that media makes can make an enormous impact on kids. Not only in the sense of who to trust on the screen, but who is around. Suppose a show excludes minorities or people from an LGBTQA+ background. In that case, children will be oblivious and not understand that there are a variety of families that make up the world or not see themselves reflected in the shows they see. Children of color or who come from LGBTQA+ households will see themselves as different, weird, or even out of the norm. What arises from this could be internalized and make themselves feel inferior; the exclusivity weighs on them. They wouldn't have a role model or an idol to look at and see themselves written within their time. To see yourself or someone who reflects in those you see on the screen. The Hollywood Reporter conducted interviews with animation representatives, one being the former Sony Executive Cree Summer states, "You know, you want to see yourself in cartoons. Maybe people will start to realize what a big deal animation is. That's the first time you start to dream about being more than yourself, that's the first time in your childhood life. It becomes the tangible fantastic." This further emphasized that animation should be held to be used to push a message across to younger viewers. Lessons are taught through the medium, so why not bring about change and show tolerance and love for your fellow person? And what better way to do it than to start with the medium kids enjoy and love to see.

The need for diversity is readily apparent, no matter in what sort of film is shown. There have been great strides made when pushing for more inclusion, but there needs to be more movies and films that push the boundaries and go above and beyond in representing the people behind the screens, showcasing the voices that are often never heard. Animation can bring about voicing opinions that have been silenced. Art  can allow for communities to discuss the heavy topics it can be afraid to admit to itself. The taboo, the nitty gritty, or overall the underrepresented can be discussed. It can open up conversations no one thought to discuss. People who are discovering something new about themselves can watch animations that are open and willing to share these stories and realize these feelings are normal, to feel different about one thing or the other. Discovering something about yourself and realizing that it’s alright to feel this way, or to act a certain way and have it explain can help educate people about themselves or about the people around them. They will not be ignorant or left in the dark and realize there are more people out there like them and be a reminder that they are not alone.

Generally, it is assumed that animation tends to be used for storytelling and conveying children's shows and cartoons. It is the usual medium for children cartoon's and shows. It can be colorful and lively, helping bring about a world that doesn't need to be limited by live-action or the constraints of reality. It's a beautiful way of going above and beyond the physical limits of human capability and going above and beyond exploring worlds untold to anyone. Although this is true, one shouldn't limit animation to children. Animation in any medium, whether 2D, 3D, or stop motion, is for any and all audiences. Younger audiences and an older demographic are both welcome to enjoy the medium. Some shows may have a target demographic, but that shouldn't limit which audiences animation can or cannot reach. We can easily see this in shows such as Family Guy, The Simpsons, and other shows we can see on Adult Swim. Animation geared to an older audience can not only be viewed on TV channels but can also be found on streaming networks. BoJack Horseman, Inside Job, Midnight Gospel, Big Mouth, and Disenchantment can all be found on Netflix. Shows like BoJack Horseman carry tough topics of mental health, alcoholism,  everlasting trauma, and the impacts on someone's psyche. Just as animation for kid shows can unleash one's wildest imagination, it can also be used to describe situations that need an abstract view that can be achieved through animation. 

LGBTQA+ community members already see themselves tossed to the side when it comes to media. On a statistics documentation done by GLAAD in a study for 2019 it was found that, “ Of the 118 films GLAAD counted from the major studios in 2019, 22 (18.6 percent) contained characters identified as LGBTQ. This is a slight improvement of 0.4 percent, an increase of two films from the previous year’s 18.2 percent (20 of 110 films).When looking at the statistics, white men continued to dominate the overall view, even when coming from findings of LGBTQA+ representations, white LGBTQA members totaled 66 percent, 22 percent being black, leaving latinos with 8 percent and Asian/Pacific Islander with 4 percent. Again, despite more inclusivity, we find this written as well, “ This year showed a decrease in lesbian and bisexual representation. Gay men appear in 68 percent (15) of inclusive films, an increase from last year’s 55 percent. Lesbian representation has decreased significantly, down to 36 percent (8) of inclusive films from 55 percent in 2018. Bisexual representation slightly decreased to 14 percent, a one-percentage point drop but an equal number of films (three). There were zero films with transgender characters from the major studios in 2019, a disappointing finding consistent with the last two years.…GLAAD tallied 50 total LGBTQ characters among all mainstream releases in 2019, an increase from 45 in 2018. Men continue to outnumber women characters, by an even greater margin than last year. In 2019, of the LGBTQ characters, there were 34 men and 16 women, compared to the 26 men and 19 women of 2018’s major studio films. There were zero transgender or non-binary characters counted in mainstream releases this year.” All this goes to show, more needs to be done. There shouldn’t be any excuse for a lack of inclusivity. It’s hard to break the mold and to be made into a cookie cutter program, but to leave behind those within our community is outrageous. So many films and shows get produced, there is always a chance to be open and willing for your narrative to hold identities that represent the community the world has to offer.

When it comes to people of color, we already see from the stats sheet, that there is the skewed results of whites once again dominating the film industry. Having representation for all should be the goal ultimately. With that though, some things should be respected and considered. It should be crucial to have voices of minority groups be able to share and voice those who represent them. Going back to the conversation with Cree Summer, “ I have two little girls — Brave is 9 and Hero is 7 — and they’re dying to see themselves. My dear friend, creator Chris Nee, who brought us Doc McStuffins — that’s a white woman bringing us Doc McStuffins [a Black girl character] — I love Chris for that, but wouldn’t it be nice if we were bringing our content too?” The same could even be said for BoJack Horseman, Diane Nguyen was a Vietnamese-American character who was played by a white character. The show did a fantastic job of showing the main character BoJack his struggle, but when looking at Diane Nguyen, it can fall flat. Diane at one point tries to get in touch with her Vietnamese identity, which wasn’t called out before the episode had aired. The episode made a great introspective message but her identity wasn’t incorporated within her as she grew in the series. Even with the best of intentions, more can be done and people should represent the roles they play. 

Although it seems silly to be wrapped up in animation and may wonder why this matters, but as an animator myself, I hope I can help spread voices and the call and demand for rights and rise up where people may falter. It’s importance is great to me, for I do not want to fall victim to having anyone underrepresented, the time for slacking off is over. Torches should be lit and there should be a stand for representation, not just in live action movie industries but in animation as well. Again, animation, just like art, doesn’t need a specific target audience and can be viewed upon anyone willing to see it. There are conversations that can be started, lives that can be touched through the medium. There should be consideration to everyone and all. The time for staying silent should end. It’s hard to fight against a large company that has its own internalized homophobia but it just be fought from within and continued to ne fought for. 

Work Cited: 

Giardina, Carolyn. “‘You Want to See Yourself in Cartoons’: Animation Pros Talk Inclusivity, Recasting Roles and What Still Needs to Be Done.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2021, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/you-want-to-see-yourself-in-cartoons-animation-pros-talk-inclusivity-recasting-roles-and-what-still-needs-to-be-done-4101827/. 

“Overview of Findings (2020).” GLAAD, 16 July 2020, https://www.glaad.org/sri/2020/overview. 

“Why Representation Is Crucial in Modern Animation.” Animation Examination, 18 Apr. 2019, https://animationexamination.wordpress.com/2019/04/18/why-representation-is-crucial-in-modern-animation/.