College changes people. Freshman year is the time at which many students shed the cocoons of high school in order to seek out their identities as adults.
I am no exception to this rule. I’m no longer the same person I was in high school. One thing that hasn’t left me since going to college, however, is my love for cartoons and animated films. I’m often seen around campus wearing a vibrant T-shirt advertising my love for Adventure Time or gushing over the latest Disney movie.
While I’ve made many friends who share in my affinity for cartoons, it is not uncommon for some, when witnessing my enthusiasm for animated shows, to look down on me as childish and immature.
People seem to think that, because I still love cartoons, I must not have evolved as a person since my early childhood. It is rarely taken into account that perhaps I have an appreciation for the artistic aspect of cartoons and animation. What completely baffles me is that animation is the only art form that I can think of that is stigmatized.
If a person admits a profound interest in literature, architecture or painting, that person will probably come across as refined and cultured to the general public. Anyone who professes a love for Dickens is probably not going to be viewed as immature. But animation can be just as beautifully representative of the human experience as any Dostoevsky passage.
The Disney movie “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is one of my favorites because of its eloquence in conveying the vast spectrum of human emotion. The artwork is beautiful, the music is enchanting, the song lyrics are powerful and the characters deal with the pain of loss, loneliness, guilt, lust and death. Quite intense for a “children’s” movie, eh?
Even the sillier cartoons are notable in their own right. Comedy has long been considered a form of art. The average person probably does not look down upon anyone who enjoys comedy films. It’s when the humor is emitted from a cartoon animal that adults tend to view it as childish entertainment.
In my opinion, animation adds an extra layer of expression to a work of art. Would shows like “Invader Zim” have come across the same way if real people replaced the dark, yet comical cartoon figures of the show? Probably not.
I am 19 years old, and I love cartoons. It’s not because I’m a woman-child. It’s because I know enough about the creative world to realize that art doesn’t have to be pretentious in order to be brilliant.