Illuminated Cynicism

Okay, I'm going to be rather honest with you all: I'm not a huge fan of Illumination Entertainment's work as a studio. It wasn't until recently, however, that I began to realize exactly why I didn't appreciate the studio's projects.
I discovered an article reviewing the studio's upcoming movie, Sing. While the article's criticisms apply primarily to Sing at first glance, the trend extends to Illumination's other projects as well. The article by A.V. Club also concerns a number of Illumination's other films, either directly or indirectly. The criticisms that stood out as the most accurate to me were the ones concerning the humor of Illumination's films.

As the article summarizes quite well, much of the humor presented in Illumination's films relies on juxtaposition and relatively immature jokes. While they can occasionally warrant a chuckle, it's rarely consistent enough to keep me comedically engaged. There are times when such humor works, but only in smaller amounts. The first Despicable Me knew this fairly well, and blended the studio's style with its signature humor well enough to produce a smash hit.

Where I disagree with the article is on its criticism of the studio's animation style. While the character designs aren't always appealing, given the exaggerated torsos and tiny feet indicative of many characters, it still creates a genuine and appealing appearance.

Despite my own criticism of Illumination's work, I still see the appeal it holds for others. The jokes and character styles are more suitable to a younger audience, and while the article claims that the movie would not likely hold the attention of its target audience, I must disagree. Sing is, for the most part, another fairly generic Illumination film. However, if you're a member of the studio's younger target audience, a generic Illumination film isn't a bad thing.

While I haven't seen Sing, and likely won't bring myself to watch it, I have seen enough trailers and Illumination films to know that this one will likely be more of the same. The article doesn't address this trend as heavily, as it primarily concerns Sing, but it isn't hard to notice the trends emerging with the studio. As an animator, it reminds me of the age old maxim: Know Thy Audience. If you know who you are trying to appeal to, then you're more likely to succeed as an artist. In that regard, Illumination succeeds as a studio, appealing to a younger and less cynical audience, even if that means it doesn't look as great to the rest of us.

In Between, and the Art of Symbolism

So I was browsing short films around the internet and came across In Between. It's a charming and clever short film about a young woman stalked by a blue crocodile, who prevents her from living her life. In my first viewing, I took the film at face value, simply seeing a blue crocodile and remarking to myself, "Wow, that would've taken forever to render". It was only on my second viewing that I caught the symbolism of the creature: the woman's anxiety.

While the actual meaning of the crocodile is actually present in the video's description, I make a habit of not reading the description of short films until after my first viewing, as the synopsis of many such films often spoils the ending. I was more focused on the animation style of the crocodile on my first viewing, so I missed the metaphors. Its movement style is more like that of a snake than the legged reptile it is, frequently displaying insane levels of flexibility and apparent spinelessness. Even its walk is indicated by a pretzel-like appearance.

My only critiques with the film lie in its occasionally messy look. While the majority of the animation looks excellent, there are a few times when the quality has an almost half finished look. Outlines and lighting, while still decent, don't quite look complete, as if this is the final draft before the last set of edits.

Overall, the animation style still looks good, the story is still charming, and the metaphor is well executed, even if the style doesn't hold up perfectly at times. The crocodile is especially well animated, behaving almost like a playful puppy with a snake's flexibility. I appreciate this animation because it finds a way to convey the heavier topic of anxiety in a light-hearted and humorous way through the metaphor of the crocodile.

If anxiety were truly a playful and annoying crocodile, maybe it would be easier to conquer.