Role Models or Just Models?

There is a major difference between “inspiring” and “captivating.” The first  contributes to a purpose that is new and hopefully just as inspiring; the latter is just the basic equivalent of “eye candy.”

  Nowadays, it seems pretty easy to make a character that is absolutely captivating. The characters are a huge element in creating a story with that desired pizazz; after all, who doesn’t love a queen with ice powers or a teen with magical glowing hair?

  However, sometimes the messages being sent are not always the messages intended. In every movie, the characters are the messengers of the story and in the end, it displays the true meaning of the film for everyone to see.

  What strikes the audience as captivating is the “favored characters” physical aspects, such as his or her significant powers or their unique appearance. It is what makes them pleasant to look at, but what about depth or detail? What about the things that make them people rather than just specialized beings in a movie?

  “It would be nice for art to imitate life and not the other way around,” comments high school instructor Mr. Larssen, emphasizing that creativity in art adds an essential purpose in everything we do. Ultimately, it is important to not to allow yourself to live in a fantasy and  not to standardize your life with fantasy either.

  Therefore, when characters are created on a foundation of alluring beauty, it misplaces the focus of why they were made to fit the story. Keeping in mind that characters are fictional, they will also be displayed in a way that is appealing to the audience. However, they need to have an air of depth and perception as well; after all, beauty comes from the inside and makes its way out.

  CGI movie characters are created to represent realistic people. However, sometimes animation studios fall short of this when they produce something seeming to be all shine and no depth, such as Disney’s Elsa from “Frozen.”

  This is the manner in which modern society is commonly represented. For too long, our culture is defined by unrealistic models of men and women, fictional or real. Because of this, individual personality is constantly overlooked while outward appeals are sought for and praised.

  For that matter, people constantly emphasize finding their own individuality, while still creating films with characters that completely contradict everything they claim to support. Animated films are a massive part of our modern culture, however, their influence is stronger than we think.

  CGI characters are fictional; people are not. This is simply the reality of it and it is what we all need to realize. After all, there is no individuality without inspiration and without inspiration there is no change.