Interviews with American filmmaker Mark Osborne and producer Jinko Gotoh

“One of the biggest moments that happened with animation was the Spiderverse movie. It was extraordinary in its use of expressionism to tell a story and even help the audiences connect emotionally to tell the story,” says American filmmaker, writer and animator Mark Osborne, who conducted a masterclass at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

The way Osborne sees it, the tools of storytelling through animation have become universal and accessible — giving both auteurs and animators the medium to craft stories that are personally driven and deeply charged with their vision. “In this sense, Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio assumes great significance because it’s a high point for the industry to have someone like him who loves animation to harness its power to tell a personal story with this pre-existing story that we all know about.”

Jinko Gotoh believes that great animation films resonate with everyone, irrespective of their age. And while many successes have become brands and franchises, this also comes with its own disadvantages — as studios have to follow the same design rule across films, there is not much room to experiment.

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