Animation has come a long way since the early days of hand-drawn cartoons, and over the years, Hollywood has delivered a number of animation movies that have performed consistently well at worldwide box office.
Disney films have enjoyed lucrative re-releases prior to the home video era, and also enjoyed later success following the acquisition of Pixar in 2006, of which the Toy Story films, Finding Nemo films, and Inside Out have been the best performers. Beyond Pixar animation, the Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar and Despicable Me series have met with the most success.
Animation Movies Success – Worldwide:
Animation Movies Success – Middle East:
So, what’s the draw to animated movies? It can’t just be the kids’ attraction – is it the parents’ attraction too? Or is it because with a fair amount of violence and nefarious activity in our modern world, it’s nice to occasionally escape with a family-friendly movie that warms our adult hearts and gives us hope?
Animation movies are clever at weaving parts of the adult and children’s’ worlds together. They are cute and funny – which is why they appeal to kids, but also depict deeper meaning and complex visual stories – appreciated and enjoyed by older audiences as well.
It’s a genre similar to that of fine wine – it gets better with age!
Here are 4 reasons why adults enjoy animated films as much as kids:
1. They remind us of our childhood
Remember the good old days when ‘nap time’ was a requirement, rent and bills were non-existent, and a trip to the cinema meant watching a movie on a giant screen, with lots of giggles and plenty of popcorn. Who doesn’t like reminiscing on the glory days of being a child?
Animation movies give us adults a taste of our youth while simultaneously warming our cold and bitter grown-up hearts. As the saying goes, age is nothing but a number, and childlike wonder is attractive at any age.
2.They universally speak to all generations
Animated movie characters speak to the importance of close relationships found in family and friends and encourage bravery, open-mindedness, kindness and loyalty. Then there is the appeal of happy endings – whilst most of characters experience some challenges and make mistakes along the way, they always end up where they belong and alongside the people they belong with. They are movies about overcoming obstacles, forming friendships and growing up, and they offer valuable life lessons to all audiences regardless of age or experience.
3.We finally get all of the jokes
While the jokes never fail to enrapture children in laughter, there is also a layer of more discreet, mature humor that you only understand once you watch the film as an older viewer. In fact, mature audiences take away a whole different message from many of the films than do young viewers.
For instance, Disney/Pixar’s most popular and profitable properties Toy Story featured more than just a few adult jokes – which possibly flew above our heads as kids:
When Buster needs to get out of the room, Jessie hops on a toy car and rides it like a skateboard, launching herself on the door handle to help Buster escape. A wide-eyed Buzz is clearly awestruck and his wings shoot up – fully ‘perpendicular’.
When the Barbies at Al’s Toy Barn draw a lot of attention from the other toys, who are obviously attracted to them. When Mr. Potato Head later finds himself next to Tour Guide Barbie, he repeats to himself, “I’m a married spud, I’m a married spud…”
And If you’ve seen the original Madagascar, remember Marty the zebra who occasionally exclaimed ‘Sugar Honey Iced Tea!’. As kids, this meant nothing to us, but as adults we can distinguish that the first letter of each word spells out a somewhat frequently used ‘not-so-kid-friendly’ term – and that knowledge alone is simply remarkable!
4.The morals hit far closer to home now than they did when we were kids
Remember that time that Andy from Toy Story had to move away to college and decided to give away his beloved toys?
Or being able to identify with Nemo’s need for independence as he grows and understanding Marlin’s difficultly with accepting his son’s growth, as our own parents have had to learn to accept?
There’s no denying that animated movies are awesome!
As per research conducted by IPSOS in the UAE, 68.5% of cinemagoers enjoy watching animation movies – of which 71.6% are aged between 25-34 and 67.2% are aged 35+.
With appeal across multiple age groups and having continued to deliver extraordinary results (in terms of box office earning and admissions) over the last couple of years, animation movies provide advertisers with a platform to target larger audiences.
Upcoming blockbuster animation movies in 2019 include:
*Movie release dates are subject to change.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities alongside upcoming animation movies.
Sources: Cult Critic, The Bottom Line, The Artifice, The Odyssey Online, Ranker, BBC Magazine, Mic Network Inc, The Numbers, Wikipedia, MVM-IPSOS Report and MVM Analysis.
