Why aren't more realistic and serious animated movies being made?

[Queen Michael]

I POSTULATE A THEORY WHICH CAN NEVER BE DISPROVEN BECAUSE I WILL ARBITRARILY ADD CRITERIA.

What a pointless thread. There's plenty of animation and animated film which are aimed at adults and not suited to children. Most of them have already been mentioned, but the ones off the top of my head were Perfect Blue, Grave of the Fireflies and Wings of Honneamise.

I especially like how you rule out sci-fi. Well I guess all sci-fi movies and comedies are for kids too, right? I next time I babysit an 8 year old, I'll be sure to rent Go, or The Hangover.

Did you read this? It's part of the original post.

PLEASE NOTE: These rules are useless at determining if a movie is good or not, or for kids or not, or mature or not. But if a movie breaks them, it's a sign that it's the kind of film that's almost always made live-action, even though it'd be just as good, if not better, with beautiful animation.

I never SAID these criteria determine whether it's for kids or not. I said that movies that violate them seems to be made live-action 99% of the time for some reason. The only problem here is that you didn't read the post before you replied to it.

 

[Queen Michael]

Animated movies are not all for kids. I don't need to say anything more, as this topic is blatantly unresearched and stupid beyond words. You've clearly never actually gone and looked for the entire genre of animated movies that aren't for children. Unless you want them to grow up as gore fetishests.

And you clearly didn't read the fucking post.

I'd say it's both their faults - this guy and the OP. This guy, because he didn't read the first post, and the OP for making a bullshit misleading title.

It's not misleading once you've read the very first sentence: "M;aybe because they aren't." If you keep on thinking I consider animation to be for kids after that sentence, it's really not my fault.

 

[Queen Michael]

Because they aren't.

OP .. your arguments are so deeply flawed in many aspects it isn't even funny .. and some of your assumptions and so called "criteria" are totally wrong and don't make much sense.

For example .. How does a movie having elements that aren't realistic (like Sci-Fi elements which you mentioned in one of your replies about Akira, Ghost in the Shell) suddenly make it an animated movie for kids ... REALLY !!!! .. so Ghost in the hell isn't serious and is a movie for kids .. REALLY !! .. according to that logic all Sci-Fi and fantasy live-action movies for kids too !!!?
Animation is very well and is taken very seriously by many respected people around the world .. you just have been sleeping in a cave ... go back there XD

/thread

First of all, thanks for the film recommendations. I'll have stuff to watch for a while.
Secondly, sci-fi isn't inherently childish or adult. I never said it was. I quote my original post: Did you read this? It's part of the original post.

PLEASE NOTE: These rules are useless at determining if a movie is good or not, or for kids or not, or mature or not.

That part right there was part of my original post.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

My question is why would you want realistic, animated films? Actual actors are always going to trump you, and you'd be missing out on one of the greatest advantages of animation; the ability to do anything. It's something games can do as well, only that aspect of this medium is ignored in favour of "realism".

 

[Queen Michael]

My question is why would you want realistic, animated films Actual actors are always going to trump you, and you'd be missing out on one of the greatest advantages of animation; the ability to do anything. It's something games can do as well, only that aspect of this medium is ignored in favour of "realism".

Because animated people are so much more beautiful to look at than real people.

 

[Novokane]

dunno if somebody said it but one of my all time favorite animated movies is
''waltz with Baschir'' (it's an animated documentary)

 

[Insanityblues]

you mention "Tokyo Godfather", have you seen "Perfect Blue" by the same director? Its a thriller AND a psychological drama. Also "Grave of the Fireflies", one of the best war films ever, and one of the rare movies that has actually made me cry.

 

[flyingkitty67]

Huh? I don't understand your last sentence.

 

[Pinkamena]

What about Avatar? That was animated.

 

[Baraka444]

I don't really understand your arguement.
So you want an animated film that takes stuff seriously like say, Tales from a Distant Star or Renaissance or the Gotham Knight short films, or the Matrix shorts or any others. So there are no films like these or you want more films like these or what?

 

[Disco110]

Wow, I'm kinda suprised that this troll-thread kept going for 9 pages and that people take him seriously.

I think he's board and wanted about 50-100 animated movies to peruse at his leisure recommended by the good folks of the internet.

First of all, thanks for the film recommendations. I'll have stuff to watch for a while.

Called it

 

[CrazyGirl17]

Frankly, I think the sooner we drop the notion that "Cartoons are for kids only", the better...

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

My question is why would you want realistic, animated films Actual actors are always going to trump you, and you'd be missing out on one of the greatest advantages of animation; the ability to do anything. It's something games can do as well, only that aspect of this medium is ignored in favour of "realism".

Because animated people are so much more beautiful to look at than real people.

That's a bit of a silly reason, but a reason none the less. Point taken.

 

[chadachada123]

snip

Regarding point 1, and the "look" of a character, I would prefer not-so-realistic-looking characters over something like Polar Express, where the characters are so deep in the Uncanny Valley that I'm surprised any children that watched it could sleep after that without waking up screaming. They look creepy as hell, dude.

Besides, I can't think of many (well, any) good live-action movies that don't break at least one of these rules, and the enjoyment or childishness of a cartoon or movie isn't related to these 5 given concepts.

That's not to say that I wouldn't like a good, serious, animated film, only that, for the most part, the live-action equivalent would just be better, if realism is the only concern, in the way that a guy in an alien mask is better by nature than crappy CGI (AHEM Star Wars).

Take Paranoia Agent, for example. It's a pretty deep psychological anime (only 13 episodes long), but it contains elements of the supernatural, in a weird way. It's certainly not aiming for realism, either, and shatters your 5th point. The other 3, though, it fits quite well, and in my opinion, this movie would work almost as well as a live-action movie. It swears where appropriate, and has dark comedy woven in but is not itself a comedy. It certainly doesn't sound childish when described (a kid with a golden baseball bat is putting people in hospitals and some detectives are on the case, though there's something interesting about every "victim"...), though my description surely doesn't give it justice.

It's an adult cartoon that doesn't focus on sex (which is REALLY refreshing for an anime), and would work perfectly fine as animated or live-action, but I don't see how cartoons following rules 1 and 5 of yours would be at all enjoyable compared to the live-action counterpart. Some things just make more sense as live-action and some make more sense as cartoon.

 

[Hyperrhombus]

1. Are completely realistic in plot and look, that is, people have reasonably realistic proportions (animated realistic-looking people have a beauty all its own), and it doesn't contain supernatural or sci-fi concepts. No alternate timelines either, since that's a sci-fi genre. Of course, neither sf or fantasy are inherently childish. But live-action directors can create masterpieces without fantasy elements or sf elements. I'm just asking animation to do the same.

Completely realistic in look? there's a good reason people dont make characters too "life-like" and that is the uncanny valley.

 

[Queen Michael]

Besides, I can't think of many (well, any) good live-action movies that don't break at least one of these rules, and the enjoyment or childishness of a cartoon or movie isn't related to these 5 given concepts.

I said in my original post that my rules don't determine how mature or good a work is. Concerning your earlier comment, well, a few movies that fit the bill are Three Colors: Red; Match Point; Manhattan; Romeo & Juliet; Melancholia (which I personally wouldn't qualify as sf), The Wrestler, and Matchstick Men.

 

[liveslowdiefast]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235830/ chico and rita, amazing film. animated and in no way for kids.