Annecy 2024: ‘Women In Animation’ Reveals New Data About The Changing Animation Landscape
by Tito W. James
The eighth annual Women In Animation World Summit took place at the 2024 Annecy Animation Festival. WIA President Marge Dean opened the symposium with a heartfelt letter that can be read in full on the organization’s website.
There were several interesting points made, as well as a few misconceptions I’d like to address:
Researchers have found that the #1 form of entertainment for Gen Z (the treasured demographic of 18-34 year-olds) is animation. Anime is exploding in popularity to the point where it overshadows the metrics of all the other forms of entertainment and is leading the way for an explosion of adult, genre animation like Invincible, Arcane, Scavenger’s Reign and Blue Eye-Samurai.
I’m pleased that the likes of Invincible, Arcane, Scavenger’s Reign and Blue Eye-Samurai are becoming the poster-children for adult animation’s potential. The fact that narratively-driven, gorgeously animated entertainment with mature themes appeals to new adults should surprise no one. In fact, linear network TV could be doing a better job at diversifying their programing slate.
We should have animated drama, romance, action, thriller, horror, and history shows in addition to wacky comedies. Stand-alone 11-minute comedy cartoons are better suited for web-content. If I’m watching TV, I expect an animated series to take itself as seriously as a live-action show. That’s something anime has done for decades that American shows are just beginning to explore.
How people get their entertainment is evolving as well. Gen Z and younger folks are not watching big screens as much. Their preferred sources of content are YouTube and TikTok. This opens the door for independent creators who are savvy with using social media to build an audience or community around their stories. Look at Hazbin Hotel or The Amazing Digital Circus. Their respective audience numbers are in the millions and revenue is being generated through ancillary endeavors like merchandise.
I think it’s important not to confuse format with content. TikTok is not an ideal platform for story-driven animation and stories are, in fact, what young people are responding to in animation. Millennials and Gen Z are too often stereotyped as being tech-obsessed with low-attention spans. I would caution seasoned animation professionals against getting caught up in technological trends. Instead of trying to create viral sensations we should aspire to build enduring narratives.
Hazbin Hotel wasn’t a smash-hit just because the creators use social media — it is a rare show created by a female showrunner, featuring openly queer characters, that’s accessible to anyone. And it’s wickedly inappropriate. How many animated shows are “inclusive” yet also provide illicit escapism?
People responded to The Amazing Digital Circus because of the hint at a larger mystery. Young people really want more character growth, deeper lore, life-and-death consequences, and long-form serialized storytelling within animated shows.
The current anime, indie, and adult animation booms are evidence that animation can express sophisticated ideas as well as painting, sculpture, cinema, or literature. We shouldn’t treat cartoons like a TV babysitter, a meaningless doomscroll distraction, or a didactic soapbox. Let story take center stage and all other breakthroughs will follow.
