Good stories are powerful, no matter how they are presented

Photo courtesy of www.ufunk.net
 "Thought of You" a two minute animated short created by Ryan J. Woodward. 

As a kid, my favorite activity I shared with my parents was when we would read books together. Growing up with dyslexia made reading a constant challenge but I would become so invested in the story that I would push through to the end. I have always kept this passion for stories and reading, particularly sci-fi and fantasy literature. However, as a kid of the 90’s there was another form of entertainment that I enjoyed just as much, animated television.

I can’t tell you how many Saturday mornings I spent sitting on the couch watching some of my favorite programs, such as Batman: The Animated Series, Animaniacs, Looney Tunes, SWAT Kats, and Voltron to name a few. While the medium was moving pictures instead of written words, these shows still presented stories and characters, some simplistic, others complex. This medium had a big impact on me as a child and it still does today. I never would have made the connection between stories from a book to television if I had not spent my earlier years learning to love reading. Now that I am a adult, and pursuing a career in media education, I wish to take a better look at animated media and which stories stand out above the rest, in terms of quality and have more to offer kids in both learning and entertainment.

Since this is a blog, my analysis may be biased at times but I will attempt to look at the pros and cons of each subject. This can range from animated TV, video games, comics, anime or graphic novels that I have had the chance to look at. If there is anything in particular that anyone would like me to look at to review, let me know. I’m always looking for new material, so please email me or leave a comment on this blog and I will do my best to look into it. Each piece of animated fiction I looked at will be based on how it holds up as good quality fiction, much like how you would examine a book. As such, my posts on any item will be separated into three categories:

1)    Writing Quality: This accounts for the plot, characters and dialogue of the item. Are the characters relatable? Creative? Entertaining? Is the material suited to kids but also to parents watching the show as well? Does each episode or story arc have a beginning, middle and end?

2)    Animation: Quality or attention to detail is very important for animated fiction. The quality can determine how much a scene or moment sticks out in your mind and makes the story memorable. While a show like Looney Tunes may have a more simplistic animation style compared to the anime Casshern Sins (I can’t believe I just put those two shows in the same sentence.) the style is unique enough that it serves the purpose that the writers are creating for a story.

3)    Timeless qualities: What is it about the show that makes it rewatchable? There are plenty of shows that I watched in my youth that even years after, I can see the show again and still enjoy it. These qualities can include: memorable moments in the plot, iconic characters, or important messages that you feel are necessary in your everyday life (Believe it or not, animated TV and even video games can sometimes have these.) This can go hand in hand with writing at times since shows with good writing tend to be memorable. However, there are those rare exceptions where a show may not have the best writing but has traits that make the show stick out in your memory.

I should also mention when it comes to big franchises such as, Transformers, GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony and so on, I will focus on a show based on those franchises that does a better job at telling a story. However, I will also discuss my opinion on other shows from those franchises that I’ve seen. Most of these franchises are huge in scope and I will do my best to give them equal amount of respect.

While the focus of TV has been mostly in entertainment, its ability to reach a large amount of people also makes it a perfect tool to provide information that can improve lives. However, much like the Internet, most people haven’t thought to use the medium in this way. Educators are beginning to getting a grasp on this concept now, but it will still take a lot of support in order to introduce more media education into schools. Groups like Common Sense Media are making the first steps in spreading easy-to-access information about popular media and their potential to educate as well as entertain. In my opinion, more potential to educate can be found if we take a look at what visual media has added to storytelling. The main purpose of this blog will be to take this mission and spread the idea that we need to be better media consumers and have better criteria when it comes to what we watch and play.

I’d like to close with a quote from one of my heroes, Edward R Murrow.

“This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful."