# Adults - what is the appeal of "cartoon" movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400 "2006-01-24T15:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/1 "2006-01-24T15:54:45Z")
I notice that several people’s myspace profiles from my school have tons of animated movies listed as their favorite movies. Stuff like _Finding Nemo_ and _Little Mermaid_ . It is usually women who like (or admit to) these kind of movies. I liked these kind of movies as a kid, but now as an adult, I cannot relate to the movies at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/2 "2006-01-24T15:59:03Z")
I don’t see any reason _not to_ like them; as long as the animation is engaging, the storyline sufficiently interesting and the thing flows, what does it matter whether you’re watching live actors, computer animated figures, hand-drawn cartoons or glove puppets? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/3 "2006-01-24T15:59:51Z")
Some animated movies are good. It’s just the medium, not the message. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/4 "2006-01-24T16:02:19Z")
I guess I am an overgrown middle-age juvenile. I see most animated films now as I have kids 5 and 8 but even before my kids I still love animated films. I thought \*\*Roger Rabbit \*\* was great, I loved \*\*Aladdin \*\* by Disney. Most had a lot of humor for adults and kids. I love \*\*Fantasia \*\* for the music and the visuals. Now that I am in the Family film mode, I have a higher appreciation for Animated films. The \*\*Incredibles \*\* was one of the best films I saw in the last few years. \*\*Wallace & Gromit and the curse of the Were Rabbit \*\* was as much for adults as kids. For the adults there were little in jokes and references to older classic films. Needing to get out of the house and do something we took the kids to see Hoodwinked 2 weekends back and we all really enjoyed it. A Nice surprise. [See this thread on it I started.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=354202) Jim ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/5 "2006-01-24T16:27:20Z")
Animated films, by nature of the medium, give creative people much more control over the universe they are creating and the story they want to tell. So you get some great, imaginative movies. In addition, they can be appreciated just for the artwork, so can be enjoyable even if the story isn’t all that good. Finally, it seems to me that it’s less likely that a good film can be brought down by poor acting, since the voice work has less of an impact on the final product. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/6 "2006-01-24T16:29:41Z")
Particularly for girls, I would imagine, connecting with an animated character is easier. If you always wanted to be a princess–well there’s always the chance that Julia Roberts will play one in some movie but it will still be Julia Roberts; The Little Mermaid is always going to be preciesly the character she is. And similarly, you might surround the actor with the best CGI effects ever, but they’ll never blend together as much as an all-drawn world. Nor will there be the artistic flavor that was picked for drawing the world–as with real actors, you are restricted to things which look or at least can blend with a real world. And then after that it’s just a matter that, hey it meant something to them. Doesn’t mean you’re bad for not connecting as well, just that you’re a different person. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/7 "2006-01-24T16:32:28Z")
There just happen to be some great animated movies. The best are not made for kids; they’re made for adults, and the animation can make them funnier and smarter than any live action film. There are even some great animated dramas (mostly Japanese) that rate with any live-action film ever made. Movies like **Princess Monomoke, Spirited Away, The Incredibles, The Iron Giant, Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit** (all versions), **Mulan, Toy Story, Toy Story 2,** and **Dumbo** are first-class entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/8 "2006-01-24T16:36:25Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > …snip… And similarly, you might surround the actor with the best CGI effects ever, but they’ll never blend together as much as an all-drawn world. Nor will there be the artistic flavor that was picked for drawing the world–as with real actors, you are restricted to things which look or at least can blend with a real world. > …snip… I like your theory but did LotR and Narnia and even the Harry Potter movies change your equation? I thought these live actions with heavy CGI use did blend together perfectly. Far better in fact than lets say the old Bass-Rankin Hobbit or Last unicorn. Or am I misunderstanding you? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/9 "2006-01-24T16:40:52Z")
The fact that a movie is animated does not really have much to do with its content or entertainment value. Cartoons, just like live action films, run the gamut in quality from deplorable dreck to the towering masterpiece. So _The Little Mermaid_ and _Finding Nemo_ didn’t exactly rock your cinematic world. Well, power to you. You’re certainly free to make your own decisions in matters of personal taste. But one look at the marketing figures at these movies will tell you that plenty of adults (and not just women) have enjoyed them. I’m a big burly 34 year-old guy, and I have all of Pixar’s features in my DVD collection. Plus the _Wallace & Grommit_ shorts, _Shrek 2_, _Chicken Run_, a bunch of old Dr. Seuss TV specials, and a handful of Disney animated fare. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/10 "2006-01-24T16:52:58Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > I like your theory but did LotR and Narnia and even the Harry Potter movies change your equation? > I thought these live actions with heavy CGI use did blend together perfectly. > Far better in fact than lets say the old Bass-Rankin Hobbit or Last unicorn. > Or am I misunderstanding you? I have no issue with the blending. What I was talking about is the choice of how things look. With live-action you have a smaller range of how artsy you can get before things start to look cheesy. If you tried and make the CGI in LoTR look like 3D versions of the Bass-Rankin Hobbit art style, it would not mesh with the actors. But that style was chosen for making the Hobbit, using a parchment-color background and superfluous swirls and such to give everything an old/calligraphy look–which is perfect for the story they were trying to tell. The part that wasn’t was the cheesy songs… ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/11 "2006-01-24T17:33:37Z")
I was going to point out that if you go to the movies at all, you’re watching some form of animation, because most movies these days use CGI for at least a portion of the story – everything from removing Gary Sinise’s legs in Forest Gump to the creation of entire animated sequences and characters in the recent Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings movies. Some animated movies have great power, drama, and meaning. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, competing against four non-animated films. Films like Aladdin and the Toy Story movies are among my favorites, right up there with great non-animated movies that tell moving stories. Animation is just another means of telling a story – you might as well ask why people enjoy stories in book form, or on television, or told through song lyrics. Just like animation, any of these media can be compelling with the right story and the right technique. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/12 "2006-01-24T18:42:19Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > I notice that several people’s myspace profiles from my school have tons of animated movies listed as their favorite movies. Stuff like _Finding Nemo_ and _Little Mermaid_ . It is usually women who like (or admit to) these kind of movies. I liked these kind of movies as a kid, but now as an adult, I cannot relate to the movies at all. You seem to be an example of the “animated movies are for _kids_” mentality that killed [The Prince of Egypt](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0120794/combined). The fact that something is animated does not automatically mean that it’s only for children. As **SV** said, animation is just another means of telling a story. ---
**Author:** ![mrunlucky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7993a0/32.png) [@mrunlucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrunlucky)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/13 "2006-01-24T19:15:46Z")
This sounds like when you were a child, your parents told you that when you grow up, you have to leave “childhood” things behind, like cartoons, toys, games, and so on. There are some great animated films out there without question. Obviously, there’s a world of difference between **Howl’s Moving Castle** and **The Care Bears Movie** – some animated movies are aimed specifically at a much younger audience than others. Eschewing animated films is no different than brushing off any other film genre. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/14 "2006-01-24T19:26:22Z")
2 of my favorites are **Shrek** and **Monsters, Inc.**. They’re seriously funny. There are also subtle adult jokes slipped in, that go over the kiddies heads, but we adults get them. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/15 "2006-01-24T19:28:16Z")
I realize the above are not animated, but they are kids movies. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/16 "2006-01-24T19:49:45Z")
Saying “animated movies are mindless pap for kids” makes as much (little) sense as saying “live-action movies are serious works for adults,” a claim that gets instantly refuted by stuff flike _Soul Plane_ and _Big Daddy._ ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/17 "2006-01-24T20:04:12Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Saying “animated movies are mindless pap for kids” makes as much (little) sense as saying “live-action movies are serious works for adults,” a claim that gets instantly refuted by stuff flike _Soul Plane_ and _Big Daddy._ 😃 How true, how true. ---
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/18 "2006-01-24T21:36:29Z")
I didn’t mean that all animated movies were for kids. I meant that these women enjoyed animated movies that were targeted towards children. Adult Swim are cartoons, but they definately aren’t for kids. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/19 "2006-01-24T21:55:05Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > I meant that these women enjoyed animated movies that were targeted towards children. But movies like _Finding Nemo_ are targeted at everyone, not just kids. Now if they had said _The Care Bears Movie_, you’d have something. _That_ is a kid’s movie. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400/20 "2006-01-24T22:41:07Z")
I agree with those who said I enjoy a good animated movie for all the reasons I enjoy any good movie- interesting characters, an engaging story, jokes that make me laugh. But I’m also fascinated by the animation itself. The makers of animated movies can act like painters, creating a version of the world with its own artistic style in a way that I find astonishing. When it’s done well, it has real artistry, and I love watching the making-of extras on, especially, Pixar movies. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adults-what-is-the-appeal-of-cartoon-movies/341400.md?page=2)