Animation Bullshit

In this section of the article, I will discuss and explain the various ways that animation is used in children’s animation using examples from the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

The show itself is animated for a young female audience, so the characters are animated with bright and attention grabbing colours in order to keep them engaged. Being a show primarily focused on delivering a comedic motif, the animation is highly exaggerated on the characters in order to exemplify this humorous vibe. Most of the characters frequently defy the laws of physics and nature for this very reason, although due to the fantasy setting, this can be argued to be the norm within the show’ universe.

Of particular note is the character named Pinkie Pie, who frequently performs actions that are considered odd even by the standards of the show and can be considered memorable for how out of place it may be or for the reactions of the other characters.

Also of note is how the animation improved over the various seasons of the show. The details have improved, animation errors are less frequent and the use of shadows has improved dramatically.

Being an animated show about magical talking horses, the walk cycle of the characters is surprisingly smooth and consistent, making the show that much more immersive due to how the characters’ walk cycle replicates the walk cycle of an actual horse.

The general purpose of the animation is to have the characters look alive, so even when they’re not the main focus of the camera, they still are animated. The backgrounds are also animated with this living world aesthetic in mind, especially the more crowd filled scenes, as well as the more action packed segments of the show.

Another example is the use of facial animations. The characters in the show are animated for more human-like than a horse would be and the facial animations are the biggest example of this. They are animated very memorably, using very memorable expressions when they need to convey a particular emotion, though it is usually used for comedic effect, it is sometimes used for serious moments as well. As it is a show primarily aimed at a young audience, this is a required component in order to keep their attention throughout the episode.