Animation is super interesting to me because it’s such a creative way to tell stories and bring things to life that you can’t always do with regular film. What really caught my attention was learning how Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, based the character Stan off one of their professors. I thought that was so cool, like they literally turned their teacher into a cartoon kid because he was always the voice of reason in their lives. It’s kind of funny but also makes a lot of sense. Teachers are often the ones trying to make you think and learn stuff, and Stan always feels like the most grounded character in all the chaos of that show. That kind of real-life inspiration is what makes animation feel so personal, even when it’s wild or over-the-top.
Another interesting thing was learning about how Cindy Sherman made her own kind of animation. She didn’t use fancy tech or anything; she just took pictures of herself, cut them out, and then re-shot everything frame by frame to make it move. That must’ve taken forever, but it’s also super creative. I love how she used herself as the subject and made something totally weird and original. It shows that animation isn’t just cartoons or big productions, it can be super DIY and still have a strong impact. Stuff like that makes me look at animation differently, like it’s not just entertainment, but a really cool way to express yourself.