Tuesdays, ANIMATED INSIGHTS BY SHANNON MUIR takes you inside Shannon’s latest reflections on writing, animation, and life in general. To catch up on all posts, check out the Animated Insights portion of the website! This installment shares her thoughts about the lasting impact of animation.
When animated series were made during my childhood years, the market for reselling to the consumer hadn’t even emerged yet. Often, series were seen as being made just for the network for the one time use and then never to be seen again. Care wasn’t taken with preservation as much, except with perhaps specials intended to run every holiday. That kind of respect only extended to the animated movies, and even then, not only from all companies.
However, with the advent of VHS and DVD, things changed. Animation of all types could be put out to the masses. With the ability to play beloved animation over and over again, it allowed animated storytelling to make more of an impact in the marketplace and the world.
That is why we now see significant milestones, and sequel series, for beloved animated properties more often – at least in my opinion. The source material has been able to stay available and accessible to build more of that core following, changing the face – and fate – of animation forever.
Until next time.