Animals are the way to go
Animation is a medium that inherently promotes and enables creativity otherwise impossible in a live-action equivalent. It is through this suspension of reality that people are able to immerse themselves into a story and relate to the characters regardless of what life they may lead in the real world.
This is what makes animation a truly unique art form, through the use of anthropomorphized characters animators are able to create fictional characters that are universally relatable. Diversity is a problem in modern media, with a lack of animated films containing BIPOC in significant roles, and while this is getting better with the release of movies like “Soul,” the beauty of anthropomorphized characters is that they do not abide by the same societal standards of race as humans do.
A key example of this in action is Disney’s “Zootopia,” which utilizes its bipedal animal characters to emulate modern day issues about race. While the message the movie is trying to convey is clear, the fact that the characters are animals allows them to be separated from society’s social constructs. It is inherently easier for any person to watch the movie and relate to say, Nick Wilde, than to Tom Hanks.
Another paramount piece of media is the recent Netflix TV show “Beastars,” another medium that utilizes anthropomorphic animals. The use of animals as the titular characters serves as a way to create more universal relatability. The conflicts of the story are driven and characterized by the fact that everyone is an animal. Further, the animals serve as characterization. We stereotype a rat as shrewd and scummy while a fox is charismatic and sly. However, what makes “Beastars” a masterclass in the art of animation is the subversion of these assumed stereotypes. The wolf is a socially awkward loner, the rabbit is strong willed and determined and the deer ambitious and a natural leader.
Animation serves as a testament to how anthropomorphic creatures can enrich a story with thematic messaging and create more universally relatable characters.
