Why Do Adults Love Animated Movies?为何成人爱看动画电影？

蔡天航　马士奎

You go home from work. You are tired， you want to sit in front of the TV， and watch something fun. Your children want the same. What better than an animated film？

Both children and （most） adults love animation. Of course， there are animated movies that are directed specifically to adults （like Anomalisa by Charlie Kaufman）. And there is also the chance that adults will love a kids movie more （for example The Incredibles）.

So， why do adults like cartoons so much？

They have well-written characters

Well there， are plenty of reasons. First and foremost， because a lot of them are really good. Plenty of talent works in producing animated films like Toy Story and Ice Age. Screenwriters， designers， programmers， musicians are all working together in order to bring the best outcome to the big screen. And usually， they succeed.

Animated films have well-written characters facing complicated situations. Like when Woody has to deal with the fact that he may not be Andys favorite toy after all （Toy Story）. Or when Mufasa sees his brother killing him （Lion King）.

Sometimes the scripts are even better than those in adult films. So， it comes as no surprise that animated films appeal to grown-ups as well.

They bring out the child in us

Remember the time when you were a child， it was Saturday morning and you used to sit in front of the TV and enjoy cartoons？ Well， animated films bring out that specific feeling， that nostalgia for our childhood.

Moreover， they reveal our inner child. By watching an animated movie， we forget the monotony of everyday life and we leave our problems behind.

Who wouldnt love to have his/her own personal Baymax （Big Hero 6） who wouldnt hesitate to share a hug every time there was sadness or problems？ If only our lives could be full of good-natured monsters， talking animals and brave children！

We love heroes

Almost every cartoon has to do with the journey of a character. A journey towards adulthood， or towards finding oneself， or succeeding in a quest. And who doesnt love a hero like that？ A hero that overcomes all obstacles trying to find true meaning and happiness in his/her existence？ Plenty of times， the characters in animated films are bigger-than-life and thats what we need in order to believe to humans （or animals） again.

Anything can happen

Well， when a director wants to make something extremely ambitious， something that would be difficult to shoot， there will be lots of people who would advise him/her to turn the film into an animated feature.

Thats because there are no limits to animation. A house can fly with balloons （Up）， or we can find elephants with huge ears ready to go to the air （Dumbo）. Our imagination is the only limit to what can be done. And usually， there are whole worlds out there， ready for us to discover.

Archetypes and their subversion

Every good bedtime story has its archetypes1： the innocent character （like Snow White for example） and the evil one （like her stepmother）.

Sometimes they blend， giving us interesting characters （like Gru who is supposed to be a super-villain， but in fact has a heart of gold）. We root for those characters because they remind us of ourselves. Our strengths and weaknesses.

Furthermore， animated movies deal with core elements of human existence： the idea of family， friendship， the fear of being alone.

A little treat for adults

Animated films are made for children， but sometimes filmmakers decide to put a little something for adults as well： Shrek， for example， has scenes with a sense of humor that is addressed mainly to grown-ups.

Its a treat that aims to help parents enjoy their time in the movies as well. And its a really successful practice.

A feast for the eyes

Colorful and vibrant， animated movies are a feast for the eyes. The viewers enter fantastic worlds and cartoons have become works of art.

Just remember the first scene in the Lion King. The sun comes up and animals from all over the jungle come to meet the new lion cub.

In recent years， animation uses photo-realistic environments in order to make the spectacle bigger and better （remember films like The Adventures of Tintin and Dinosaur）.

下班回家之后，你身心疲憊，想要坐在电视机前，看好玩儿的节目。你的孩子也有同样的想法。还有比动画电影更好的选择吗？

儿童和（多数）成人都爱动画电影。当然，有专为成年人拍摄的动画电影（比如查理·考夫曼导演的《失常》），但有些成年人可能也会喜爱儿童电影（例如《超人总动员》）。

那么，为何成年人如此喜爱动画电影呢？

悉心打磨的角色

个中原因是多方面的。首先，它们大多制作精良。众多人才参与到动画电影的制作当中，造就了像《玩具总动员》和《冰川时代》这样的电影。为了在大银幕上呈现最佳效果，编剧、设计、程序员和作曲家们通力合作，往往使电影大获成功。

动画电影中的角色都经过悉心打磨。他们都面临着复杂的境遇，例如胡迪发现他已不是安迪最喜欢的玩具（《玩具总动员》），木法沙亲眼目睹弟弟谋害自己（《狮子王》）。

有时动画电影的剧本甚至胜过其他电影。如此一来，动画电影赢得成年人喜爱便不足为怪。

动画唤醒童心

还记得你的孩提时光吗？周六早晨，你常常坐在电视机前享受动画带来的欢乐。动画电影唤起了那份特殊感受，让我们怀恋童年时光。

而且，动画电影展现我们内心的童真，使我们忘却每天的单调生活，将烦恼抛诸脑后。

谁不梦想拥有一个自己的专属大白呢（《超能陆战队6》）？不论何时陷入悲伤还是遇到麻烦，他都会毫不犹豫地将你拥入怀中。只愿现实生活中随处都有生性善良的怪物、会说话的动物和勇敢无畏的小孩！

心怀英雄情结

动画电影里总有一个角色会经历一段旅程，或走向成年，或追寻自我，抑或在探险时所向披靡。这样的英雄谁不喜欢？谁不喜欢会克服重重障碍、寻找生命的真正意义与幸福的英雄？很多时候，动画电影里的角色通常高于生活，而这是为了让人类再次相信自己（或其他动物）。

一切皆有可能

如果有导演想拍摄一部高难度的精彩大片，很多人会建议他/她考虑动画电影。

因为动画电影无所不能。一栋房屋绑上气球就能翱翔天迹（《飞屋环游记》），或者我们还能看到大耳小象准备直冲云霄（《小飞象》）。限制动画电影的唯有想象力。在此之外总有万千世界等待我们去探索。

塑造并颠覆原型

每个精彩的睡前故事都有其原型：有的天真无邪（如白雪公主），有的无恶不作（如公主的继母）。

有时，将这两种原型融合会产生有趣的角色（比如，格鲁本应是个超级大坏蛋，实际上却有一颗金子般的心）。我们为这些角色叫好，因为我们从他们身上看到了自己，看到了自己的坚强与脆弱。

此外，动画电影还讲述人类生活中的核心要素：亲情、友情和对孤单一人的恐惧。

特制成人笑点

动画电影通常为孩童而作，但有时制作人也会为成人加点作料：例如《怪物史莱克》中一些场景就含有主要针对成年人制造的笑点。

特制笑点是为了让父母们也能在动画电影中享受时光，这种做法确实卓有成效。

一场视觉盛宴

色彩丰富、充满活力的动画电影令人大饱眼福。观影者走进美妙的世界，动画电影成为一件件艺术品。

不妨回想一下《狮子王》中的第一个场景。太阳升起，丛林各处的动物赶来迎接新生的幼狮。

近年来，动画电影通过制造逼真的环境使画面更为宏大精致（比如电影《丁丁历险记》和《恐龙世纪》）。

（译者单位：中央民族大学）