My Luck

I told my mum that I was really lucky this term.
She said that people make their own luck.
I am really lucky to have gotten this internship with the archive. Not only does it look great on my resume, but it has also taught me quite a lot about animation history. When I say animation history, I don't mean dates of when certain animators or studios were doing certain things and I also don't mean events that impacted the animation industry. While I do know some new dates and events that I did not know of before, what I really mean by animation history is the style, the way cartoons used to be made. Comparing them to today's cartoons is somewhat depressing. What happened to all the care and love that went into making cartoons in the first half of the 20th century? Now so many of the cartoons are shipped overseas to be animated. I would be very reluctant to send my child overseas to get the life put into her. That basically is what is missing in some of today’s cartoons: life.
Yes, the Simpsons and Family Guy characters walk, talk, and breathe ink but they lack the qualities possessed by animated characters of the past. Today's characters have predictable and drab movements. They are one-dimensional and wanting in true character. They are without life; they are lifeless. So what is this great standard I am comparing these to, you might wonder? Well, most older cartoons really. But one brilliant example is Popeye.
Now, for those of you who have seen some Popeye but maybe not a lot or not recently, you might be thinking, "Gemma, how is Popeye anything but one-dimensional?" He is a long-torsoed sailor who frequents land more than he does the sea and eats spinach in order to beat up a big guy so that he can win the affection of a tall, skinny, and quite odd looking woman every show. It is true, this is the basis for most episodes, but he most certainly is not one-dimensional. How many sailors have you met that sing, dance, ski, hunt, build ships, care for his father, and oh the list goes on! Not many I wager. Popeye may, at first glance, have a harsh exterior, but the more you get to know him (yes, get to know a fictional character) he has many more motivations and sympathies than the animated people of today. In fact I would say Popeye is quite a caring sailor even though the basis seems focused on him physically harming his rivals.
Well, this is not at all where this post was supposed to go, however, now you know how I feel about a sailor with abnormally large forearms. I meant to talk about I was also lucky that I got to meet all the people I did, and how I was lucky to find my job with Revolution Prep. . . but I have found that my writing really has a life and agenda of its own. So I let it run its course and I apologize that this title has very little to do with the content of the post.