This essay will explore “fictious animation” as the unique territory where animation ceases trying to mimic reality and instead celebrates the lie that gives it life.
The most potent tool of fictious animation is . In live-action, a person turning into a bug is a special effect requiring justification (magic, science). In fictious animation (e.g., Tex Avery ’s Red Hot Riding Hood ), a wolf’s eyes can literally explode out of his head on springs, his tongue can roll out like a red carpet, and his body can shatter into stars—all to express desire . fictiousanimation
Contemporary media has embraced fictious animation through the lens of postmodernism. Shows like Rick and Morty or SpongeBob SquarePants frequently break their own visual grammar. A character might hold up the storyboard of the scene they are in, or SpongeBob will literally unfold his own square body to use as a blanket. This essay will explore “fictious animation” as the
Traditional animation often strives for verisimilitude—making a cartoon mouse look fluffy or rain look wet. However, “fictious animation” does the opposite. It flaunts its fabrication. Consider the in classic Looney Tunes: when the Roadrunner sprints, his body stretches into a horizontal blur of disconnected lines. No living creature looks like that. It is a fictious representation of speed—a visual lie the audience agrees to believe for the sake of a joke or a thrill. In fictious animation (e