Diversity in animation storytelling
There are still many issues regarding Diversity in the animation industry. Most animations tell the story of the Western world and most often have non-white characters. The jobs that play crucial roles are producers, writers, directors, and investors, these roles can lack Diversity.
A report by USC Annenberg and Women in Animation shows that in 2018, 31% of animated films had female producers. And only 3% of animated film directors were women. Women held 19% of key roles in top animated films from 2014-2018. Women of color had 7% of those roles.
Domee Shi, director of shorth film Bao (2018) and Pixar’s Turning Red (2022)
Factors to consider when looking at Diversity in animation include the companies and who is in the decision-making roles. How are they representing Diversity and making sure that everyone is included?
“Diversity is so important for anything where creativity is involved. Without Diversity in the people involved in making decisions or coming up with new ideas, we will stagnate. Coming into contact with people from a range of backgrounds gives us inspiration on how we can tackle new problems and keeps us constantly learning and questioning our own thought patterns. There is a good range of Diversity within the industry, although there is still room for improvement,” says Jessica Groom’s CG lead at the Mill, a global creative and production agency.
In an article by Rutgers University Camden, Holly Blackford Humes, professor of English, stated, “A single moment of cultural inconsistency, she said, is enough to alienate viewers.” Indeed, animation, movies, and entertainment often reflect what is happening in society. In the 21st century, many have been bringing forth the importance of inclusion and Diversity in different industries, including animation. There has been some improvement in what animation should look like, from a few more Diverse characters to inclusion in award-winning categories.
Animated series, Young Love (2023), available to stream on Max
Nero Negrón Castrodad is a voice-over and content creator from Charlotte, North Carolina. He was introduced to the world of voice acting through watching anime, playing video games, making impressions of characters, and later on, doing a voice-over project for his friend. Castrodad started honing his skills, which later landed him with a commercial voice-over. Castrodad, who is Puerto Rican, has stated that there was some Diversity in his field of voice acting but not enough to acknowledge that there is always room for growth. Castrodad mentioned that a role he was timid about approaching as an authentic Puerto Rican a few years ago is no longer the same. He remembers working on his accent to sound more like a traditional character instead of a Puerto Rican; today, he is proud that there’s space for authenticity and that there are now roles for the Puerto Rican and more. Castrodad has worked with Zockrates Labs, Zumba, Royal Caribbean, and HBO Latin America and streams on Twitch when he is not working as a voice-over actor.
Puerto Rican voice-over actor Nero Negrón Castrodad
Link to Nero Negrón Castrodad’s work:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1002260/Ruffy_and_the_Riverside/
https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODQyODM0NTE5OTkwNTYy?igsh=MWJsNGN5ZjAyN2xlcg==
Catch up on his next stream by following his work at:
Instagram:@neronegron
X: @neronegron
Twitch: www.twitch.tv/thatneronegron
