<\/p>\n
I still remember the feeling. I was but a tiny four-year-old, and I was spending the night away from my parents for the first time. I was sitting on my grandma\u2019s couch, cuddled up in blankets with my siblings, watching Snow White run through a creepy, haunting forest. I was terrified.<\/p>\n
Sixteen years later, not much has changed. My friends still tease me \u2013 I can\u2019t stand gore, pain, evil or blood, so much so that the first time I watched \u201cThe Hunger Games,\u201d I had my best friend tell me when to close my eyes during the killings. (You\u2019re a real one.)<\/p>\n
However, with growth comes intellect, and although I\u2019m still as sensitive as ever to anything that feels wicked (real or imagined) I\u2019m now able to appreciate the work that went into movies like \u201cSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ironically, the very first Disney movie I ever remember watching was also the first of its kind in a different way: it was the very first full-length, traditionally hand-drawn animated feature film produced by Walt Disney. 750 artists spent many painstaking hours laboring over each and every frame until its magic was finally unleashed. It was lauded with praise from the likes of Judy Garland, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Temple and ended up being the highest grossing-film of 1938. It clearly has withstood the test of time, as evidenced by a small child (me) watching it in 2009, more than seventy years after its release.<\/p>\n
OK, history lesson aside, hand-drawn animation has clearly evoked emotions in viewers of every age for decades. There\u2019s just something so romantic and nostalgic about how a human hand formed the faces of such beloved characters, such as Snow White. But recently, the tide has been turning. No longer does this type of animation dominate the industry. The more recent favorites like \u201cFrozen\u201d and \u201cInside Out\u201d are animated almost entirely by computer. At first glance, this seems to be unproblematic. What\u2019s wrong with saving hours of work? <\/em>You may ask. However, the problem is not just an efficiency issue. I argue it is part of a broader cultural shift to value product over process, performance over people and achievement over \u201cstopping to smell the roses.\u201d<\/p>\n Geez, Sasha. It\u2019s not that deep.<\/em><\/p>\n Really?<\/em> Because it\u2019s through every<\/em> trial and error \u2013 mistakes and redos, successes and failures \u2013 that we find first what it means to be human and second how to live a life of fulfillment.<\/p>\n Think with me for a second about these early artists who worked on such lovely Disney classics such as \u201cBambi\u201d, \u201cLady and the Tramp\u201d, and \u201cBeauty and the Beast.\u201d They slaved over something that they didn\u2019t know would work at all. For all they knew, each of those projects could be a flop. And the amount of effort they put in with no guarantee of reward is almost ridiculous. That\u2019s your hand-is-cramping, brain-is-fried, have-nothing-left-to-give kind of work. That\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m ripping up this sheet of paper, Michael Scott-style, I\u2019m so frustrated\u201d kind of work. And it\u2019s this very struggle that endears me to these movies: no one can tell me that Bambi\u2019s face and expressions were that<\/em> adorable on the first try.<\/p>\n Now, please listen to the contrast: someone logs onto their computer. Through a program, they are able to adjust their drawings much more quickly and efficiently. No more starting over! No more paper ripping! Super practical! I get my nights to myself, and my brain cells are intact. <\/em>We are for this, right?<\/p>\n In some instances, I would say yes. But in this case, it is CGI\u2019s very effectiveness that makes it lose its allure. Now, don\u2019t hear me incorrectly. I am not saying that CGI does not require any effort or skill. CGI artists are still artists, nonetheless. But what I am saying is that when we outsource something that could be done by humans to a machine, we lose something important in the process.<\/p>\n First, we lose the value of the experience of being imperfect and trying again. Sure, there may not be half as many mistakes in CGI animation as in hand-drawn, but mistakes are often the only evidence that a real, oxygen-breathing person was there. We\u2019re so afraid of making an error that we don\u2019t ever express our individuality \u2013 the little quirks and touches that truly make us us, <\/em>and therefore no one can truly know us. That is what was so beautiful about hand-drawn animation \u2013 every single frame shows the mark of a unique artist, and you feel like you learn something about each of them with every movie you watch. \u00a0But where, I ask you, does CGI show struggle? The very sleekness of movies such as \u201cFrozen\u201d is part of what makes them feel distant to me. They no longer feel so deeply human.<\/p>\n Secondly, is it not through experience <\/em>of doing something that we find both true satisfaction in our abilities and in life? I mean, I can throw pre-baked cookies in the oven any day. Or, <\/em>I can take the time to measure out ingredients, get flour on my nose, lick the spoon, laugh with whoever is in the kitchen, discover the depth of my patience when those cookies turn out tasteless<\/em> and then, finally, hit upon the right ratios for the perfect, mouthwatering bite.<\/p>\n Which is more satisfying? Deep down, we know the answer. Yet more and more, society is trading in savor for speed. We go at a rip-roaring pace through our lives and wonder why, at the end of the day, we feel a little hollow. Maybe it\u2019s because we don\u2019t take the time to let our work shape us as people, or to truly inhabit our experiences instead of finding ways to make them end.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason why Scripture says to walk <\/em>with God. When you walk, you don\u2019t get to your destination quickly. But was that ever the point?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know about you, but I want to live inside my experiences, not bypass their potential to shape me. And a practical way to do that will be curling up on my couch this Saturday and celebrating those who did by rewatching \u201cSnow White.\u201d<\/p>\nRelated<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n