“People think of animation only doing things where people are dancing around and doing a lot of histrionics, but animation is not a genre. And people keep saying, ‘The animation genre.’ It’s not a genre! A Western is a genre! Animation is an art form, and it can do any genre. You know, it can do a detective film, a cowboy film, a horror film, an R-rated film or a kids’ fairy tale. But it doesn’t do one thing. And, next time I hear, ‘What’s it like working in the animation genre?’ I’m going to punch that person!” Brad Bird
I know it’s not politics, but it’s a topic near and dear to me. Bird was responding to this piece in the New York Times. Animation has been around for more than a hundred years — almost as long as live action film. You’d think by now people — especially people in the filmmaking and television businesses — would understand the basics of it. I’ve dealt with way too many network and studio executives who look at me like a space alien when animation comes up in conversation. Fuck it. I’m moving to Japan where they get it.
