Why Do People Like These?!?!?!?!

It's going to seem pretty contradictory that I'm dedicating this blog to knocking down animation, but hear me out. John Lasseter, director of the Toy Story trilogy (and soon to be quadrilogy), once said:

"If you're sitting in your minivan, playing your computer animated films for your children in the back seat, is it the animation that's entertaining you as you drive and listen? No, it's the storytelling. That's why we put so much importance on story. No amount of great animation will save a bad story."

What I want to talk about in this post is that no matter how good your animation is, it's NOTHING without a great story behind it. I think that's why some of these YouTube channels are so popular.

For instance, Joe, the YouTube channel that created Dog of Wisdom and this gem of a fan film for Monster's Inc, receives millions of views. Let me say that again...THIS video got 1.2 MILLION views.

Another channel that has received such success is my new favorite channel (which may or may not be NSFW), GradeAUnderA. This guy animates like THIS...and I keep coming back for more. I don't watch this guy rant for the animation, though at times it can be quite comedic, I watch for his points and jokes.

So I guess what you should take away from this post is, sure, you can be the best animator in the world, but if your design or story are lackluster, no one will want to watch your stuff.