Video: Animation is not a genre. Director Brad Bird will punch you in the face if you say that. That’s because animation isn’t just light humour, fluffy songs and dance numbers; animation is an art form that can be used to tell any story in any genre. This video, edited by Kees van Dijkhuizen Jr., illustrates Bird’s points about what makes animation great using his audio commentaries for scenes in The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille.
Bird doesn’t like the simple instant action animation; he likes to sneak around, to take in the moment and to slow down. He enjoys showing the problems and isn’t afraid of reality, and all of that definitely shows in his animated movies. Watch and listen to Bird discuss animation in the video below: