The Future of Animation

 Animation in films and television have come a long way from where it started. From black and white silent films to 3D and CGI animated films and TV series, animation continues to grow and progress as technology advances. 

As we grow as a society and become more aware of the importance of diversity and representation in media, other industries like animation come to reflect that in recent productions. In recent times, western media in the United States has started making efforts in including more People of Color (POC) in the production process and creating media centered around other cultures. While this effort is commendable, it is long overdue. For many years, the constant ostracization of foreign media prevented diversifying media in film, television, music and other related industries. Content that is aimed at children, teens, and adults has become more diverse in casting and in the themes presented in comparison to works released decades before. 

Big named studios like Disney have only recently started creating media centering POC casts and other cultures. But they still come short in adding LBGTQ+ representation. Out of the many animated shows and films they've produced, only one series has featured a queer relationship (The Owl House) and one film (Lucas) has a hinted relationship that was revealed months after the film's release and only announced by the writer.

Foreign media has also seen a spike in popularity in media like K-Dramas, C-Dramas, J-Dramas, Thai series, Anime, and other European versions of the same genres. In animation, the increased exposure of animation from oversea countries has been incredibly beneficial in further diversifying the playing field. From my own childhood, I vividly remember only seeing animated series like Winx Club (animated series from Italy) and El Chavo Animado (animated series from Mexico) being some of the few series when I could see people like me being represented in a television series. That being said with this new focus on foreign animation and media, more of the public is able to see other POC casts and content that is representative of them. Without the skewed and manipulated scripts of racial stereotypes of POC roles that was more common in the late 90s and early 2000s.

I feel that this new trend for animation and media will continue onwards and become more commonplace than before. A much appreciated and necessary change as we grow as a society and move towards being more inclusive and mindful of what we portray and create in this digitized world.