Animated Arguments
Charles Solomon hit the nail right on the head (with a big cartoon mallet) when he lamented that good stories and character are lacking in some of today’s animated films (“For Good Animation, It’s Always a Question of Character,” May 31).
As an animator in this business for more than 20 years, I have gradually seen our focus steer away from great, simple stories to emphasize dazzling, impressive visuals. With today’s digital technology, and CGI’s ever-growing sophistication, we seem to have forgotten what really turns an audience on. Hopefully, we will begin to get back to the beauty and simplicity of a puppet who wants to be a real boy, and an elephant who can fly. Great stories with real characters are what really live in people’s hearts.
RICK FARMILOE
Valencia
Solomon is quite right: Many recent animated features (and live-action ones, for that matter) have suffered from “‘weak plots and trite dialogue.” In part, it’s because so often the studios don’t start with a strong story, but instead begin with a vague concept or colorful location and then try to cobble a story around it. Rarely a good way to go.
I must take exception to Solomon’s statement that “maybe studio executives should trust their directors and story artists to follow their passions and tell new stories in new ways.” Executives should trust in the passions and the storytelling abilities of the directors and storyboard artists. They are most definitely deeply involved in the creation of stories for animated features. But they aren’t the only ones.
It’s the people Solomon left off his list: the writers who write the scripts. They craft the dialogue and work with the directors and storyboard artists, incorporating their visions and suggestions into the script, to create the screenplay that finally becomes the movie. The executives should trust in their passions and abilities as well. And their contributions should not be forgotten.
CRAIG MILLER
Los Angeles
Miller is chairman of the animation writers caucus of the Writers Guild of America, West.
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