Animation Critique

I admire most forms of animation. When Flash-styled animation first began getting popular with cartoons like the Power Puff Girls, it got me annoyed that this choppy, cookie cutter styled animation was paving over old types of cell animation. It really impresses me that Hiyao Miyazaki still uses cells. Then there is computer animation which has come a long way with the rendering of fur, hair, water, etc. in films like Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo. Of course, this isn’t to say I don’t like any Flash animation. There is a series of Flash animations called Xiao Xiao which captivates me.

The series is basically just stick-figure kung-fu fighting. What I enjoy most about this series is the simplicity and fluidity of the animation. The action has great flow and captures the viewers’ attention even with a rather bland background. In this day of short attention spans, this animation grabs hold of the viewer quickly and maintains the audience throughout.


Xiao Xiao #3