user313856
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- Joined
- Aug 1, 2021
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- 334
I admit I haven't seen yet Luca and Turning Red, though I intend to. I found interesting how those films, based on what a lot of people, seem to mark a new era for Pixar, with more slice-of-life stories. People also have been drawing lots of comparisons with the work of Studio Ghibli in that regard. And the creators of Luca and Turning Red are very proudly open about their Ghibli influence, and japanese animation in general.
One thing that has bothered me about Luca and Turning Red, though I hope I'm wrong about this when I eventually watch them, is that I felt that the magical element might have been shoe-horned in. It can often feel like western animation as a whole is afraid of fully commiting to a grounded slice-of-life story, and risk losing the kids. You need to have a wacky magical element for marketing and merchandise.
That said, we shouldn't be so quick in dismiss the insertion of super-natural elements in what are otherwise very grounded, character-driven and slice-of-life stories with low stakes. There is a whole literary movement centuries old called "magical realism". The authors of magical realism want to make stories that not only feel very grounded and realistic, but also whose magical element feels completely natural, realistic and grounded in the world in which it ia set in. Magical realism generally avoids epic grand fantasy. Instead, they look to make magic feel casual and natural in the world of the story, and for the audience. They want to make rhe magical element feel like something you wouldn't really blink an eye at, something you wouldn't find extraordinary, but mundane instead. Magical realism adds a magical element to a world that is otherwise very similar to ours. Maybe Luca and Turning Red actually succeed at that.
Ghibli has made some "pure" slice-of-life films with no magical element, like Whisper Of The Heart and Only Yesterday. But they also have done magical realism. Kiki's Delivery Service. It's interesting to see the historic fascination that Japan has with slice-of-life in animation. In the West, animation has traditionally always been seen as primarily the medium of the absurd (Looney Tunes) or the fantastic (Disney's classic adaptations of fairy tales). We do what live-action can't. And that's amazing. But Japan has also found an interesting and different appeal to the animated medium, telling stories that could easily be live-action. I find the differences and contrasts of japanese animation with american animation quite fascinating. Same thing whenever we go in-depth in the history of any country's animation really. You always find a different history and evolution that results in animation that is quite unique. Animation is such a vast artform.
One thing that has bothered me about Luca and Turning Red, though I hope I'm wrong about this when I eventually watch them, is that I felt that the magical element might have been shoe-horned in. It can often feel like western animation as a whole is afraid of fully commiting to a grounded slice-of-life story, and risk losing the kids. You need to have a wacky magical element for marketing and merchandise.
That said, we shouldn't be so quick in dismiss the insertion of super-natural elements in what are otherwise very grounded, character-driven and slice-of-life stories with low stakes. There is a whole literary movement centuries old called "magical realism". The authors of magical realism want to make stories that not only feel very grounded and realistic, but also whose magical element feels completely natural, realistic and grounded in the world in which it ia set in. Magical realism generally avoids epic grand fantasy. Instead, they look to make magic feel casual and natural in the world of the story, and for the audience. They want to make rhe magical element feel like something you wouldn't really blink an eye at, something you wouldn't find extraordinary, but mundane instead. Magical realism adds a magical element to a world that is otherwise very similar to ours. Maybe Luca and Turning Red actually succeed at that.
Ghibli has made some "pure" slice-of-life films with no magical element, like Whisper Of The Heart and Only Yesterday. But they also have done magical realism. Kiki's Delivery Service. It's interesting to see the historic fascination that Japan has with slice-of-life in animation. In the West, animation has traditionally always been seen as primarily the medium of the absurd (Looney Tunes) or the fantastic (Disney's classic adaptations of fairy tales). We do what live-action can't. And that's amazing. But Japan has also found an interesting and different appeal to the animated medium, telling stories that could easily be live-action. I find the differences and contrasts of japanese animation with american animation quite fascinating. Same thing whenever we go in-depth in the history of any country's animation really. You always find a different history and evolution that results in animation that is quite unique. Animation is such a vast artform.
