Blog Post 9: The Downside of Increased Access

As discussed in Stephen Cavalier’s World History of Animation, the 90s saw ever increasing use of the computer as an animation tool. The computer expanded access to effective animation tools. This exposure resulted in an increase of animation. With drastic increase, there was of course an influx of “a lot of terrible films.”(Cavalier, p.263) Quite noticeably I’ve noticed a trend of a whole host of blockbuster-animation clones pervading digital media sources such as Redbox and Netflix. This trend is an example of the bad side of increased access computer technology has provided.

The 2000s have brought forward a whole host of missed-by-a-mile Pixar and Disney clones. Trying to find Kung-fu Panda at Redbox with two screaming toddlers at your side? Well there’s always Kung-fu Rabbit. Have you been waiting for that next Finding Nemo? Well there’s always The Reef to hold you over. Of course, the marketing becomes even more sophisticated, forcing you to sort between Puss N’ Boots and The True Story of Puss N’ Boots. Of course, William Shatner lends his credibility to the latter making the choice perfectly clear. I am sure that most of you can guess which films each of these examples resemble.

Is this intentional copying from the artists or clever marketing from whichever company imports these largely foreign produced knockoffs? I have been unable and honestly unwilling to fully watch many of these examples. The small amount of time invested in these films has revealed that, despite the packaging, the content does not match. The stories are not similar. The quality, as you would expect, differs drastically. The dubbing, if it is even dubbed, is often second rate. Sitting my own children in front of these titles has proven to me that they most certainly can tell the difference between a Pixar film and a Harold and Family production.