no hate for u specifically op, b/c ur far from the first person Iāve seen making this argument, but Iām getting sick of ppl failing to grasp that realism isnāt the failure here
one of the most beautiful movies Iāve ever seenā and easily one of the most realistic in terms of CGI animalsā is Guardians of Gaāhoole
now Iām not gonna get into how the movie was adapted or how certain changes may or may not have affected the story/characters, Iām only talking aesthetic and style here
and yāknow what this highly realistic style does?
it delivers scenes like this
realism doesnāt just make this scene look realā it punches you in the goddamn gut with the color, framing, and intense zoom-in
and what about the characters? do they show any real emotion?
look at these expressionsā these microexpressions! I bet you can easily name every expression here w/o even knowing the context of the scenes! and the realism is absolutely critical hereā from the slight pulse of contracting pupils, to a twitch of the cheek. realism shines best in the subtle details
the people animating Gaāhoole clearly had a clear, vibrant vision which they were passionate to deliver. they knew how to bend light and color to grip the audience, they knew how to map gorgeous landscapes and feathered bodies alike, and most importantlyĀ they knew where to emphasize owl body language vs. where to emphasize anthropomorphic body language
realism isnāt failing these storiesā Disney isĀ
Disney doesnāt fucking care about these stories. if they did, then weād be getting more Gaāhoole-esque realismā itās not like they donāt have the budget for it compared to other studios. they rly donāt have any excuse beyond apathy, b/c ppl are gonna shill out to see any movie Disneyās name is attached to, no matter how shit
I have a great respect for both cartoony and realistic styles, and Iām tired of ppl blaming the tool instead of the person wielding it