How the Familiar Comfort of Animation Provides the Perfect Medium to Express Satirical Commentary

In a fascinating video essay, filmmaker Will Schoder explains how the familiar and comforting memories of childhood cartoons makes animation the perfect medium to express satirical commentary. The freedom of animation allows for exaggerated worlds with unique characters who possess any variety of features and personalities, providing the perfect vehicle to express what the animator wants to say.

So why do animated cartoons excel in satire ever since ‘The Simpsons’ premiered in 1989 any long-held belief that animated cartoons were solely for children were shattered and now in 2017 animated satires are some of the most critically acclaimed television. A lot of it has to do with the medium itself one of the satirist central tools has always been exaggeration. And visual exaggeration is a staple of animation.