Arcane's Emmy Win Shows That Animation Should Be Taken More Seriously
As I and so many others predicted, Arcane walked away with the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Programme at this year’s ceremony. It was an accolade that Netflix and Riot Games were destined to win, even more so given its fellow nominees were the usual collection of animated sitcoms that have made up the category for literal decades now.
This feels like a changing of the guard, and a long-awaited moment of recognition for a medium that is more than capable of telling fascinating stories with complex characters in spite of its outdated reputation as an artform primarily meant for children. We’ve seen the Academy Awards label animation as a distraction for younger audiences as it refuses to acknowledge international efforts and goes for the safe winner each and every time.
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While there have been exceptions with a far more diverse selection of nominees in recent years across film and television, animation continually plays second fiddle to live-action in ways that are painfully outdated.
When the world shut down during the pandemic, animation was there to carry the weight of faltering industries. I’ve spoken to myriad creators across shows like Amphibia, The Owl House, and The Simpsons who were able to adapt to a new working environment without ever missing an air date. It was hard, sometimes immensely so, but the medium’s production pipeline meant it was possible to keep going and support corporations who, at the time, were struggling to stay afloat. They deserve so much credit.
Despite this, HBO Max has been wiping shows from existence without even informing creators, while shows brimming with potential are being cancelled or abandoned
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