Did America Hijack Animation?

In Part Two of Detheaux - Communication and the Anti-Disney Aeshestic, written by Jean Detheaux from Animation World Magazine, Detheaux expresses his saltiness of the United States taking beautiful works of art made in foreign countries and turning them into bland shells of what they were previously created for.

"Why is it that, so often, Hollywood and the "North American popular culture" take something that has depth and complexity, and almost invariably, transform it into something that is so very bland, so full of clichés, based on recipes, so predictable, so tasteless (in all the meanings of that term)? Disney reigns supreme amongst those guilty of borrowing (stealing?) civilization-forming myths, and turning them into entertainment, in effect "de-mythicizing" them, rendering them "harmless" and depriving them of their deep significance and impact, nullifying their formative mission."

Rembrandt, 1600s Dutch Painter

 Using works of art by Rembrandt as an example, Detheaux uses parallels between paintings and animation to discuss how America is essentially ruining the media with cookie-cutter animations used for entertainment rather than cultural expression. One of Detheaux's biggests complaints in the "invasion" of one dimensional, and linear, story tellers that are extremely simplistic. Rather than appreciating the magic of the form, a story is tacked on to keep audiences interested in a coming of age story, or a story of good versus evil. According to the author, Disney is the biggest culprit in doing these acts, and I kind of have to agree with him. Kind of.

Personally, I believe that Disney USED to be that kind of company, that prioritized story with simplistic plots in the animation. However, in recent years, Disney has produced some very clever movies with great meanings behind their storytelling and beautiful animation. Jumping from 2D to 3D, this year, Zootopia by Disney was released. This movie had the best of both worlds. Amazing animation, and a intricate story that was above Disney's standards. So I do agree with Detheaux with his commentary on early Disney projects, but today, Disney is way better at creating combinations of story and art. I for one welcome our new Disney overlords.