Gareth Bradwick, guest article: Finding Nostalgia in Animation

laurenormefilms
May 2
3 min read

Whether it’s sticking on a Disney classic on a Sunday afternoon, or marvelling at how accurate X-Men ’97 felt to the original series, animation has a way of taking us back to a simpler time.

In an ever changing, complex world, revisiting the films and cartoons that made our childhood vibrant and magical offers a great source of comfort for many. Through animation, we can recall long lost memories, revisit stories or connect with our own children - who were born long after we sat in front of the TV all those years ago.

Where nostalgia has occasionally been given a bad rap, our earliest film memories may genuinely help us process the world around us. When the term was first coined in the mid-1600’s it was derived from the Greek nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain). It was seen as an ailment that could disturb your sleep and even create mental health challenges.

But over the last half a century our understanding of nostalgia has flipped. Today it is understood to be an emotion that does us good. It can help reduce anxiety, allow us to connect with others, and enable us to find a sense of meaning in life. In fact, there is research to suggest that although nostalgia demands we look back, the positive effect it can have may actually boost our outlook on the future. We are looking back in order to look forward!

Some of the highlights from the Cardiff Animation Weekender 2025 programme. From L-R:

The Land Before Time (Dir Don Bluth); Y Dywysoges a’r Bwgan | The Princess and the Goblin (Dir József Gémes,; Celebrating 25 years of Courage the Cowardly Dog: Stay Courageous with John R. Dilworth.

Nostalgia on Screen

There seem to be three ways that the animation industry is tapping into our need for comfort these days.

Remakes & IP

The least favourable to us cinephiles are the remakes of the classic movies we love. Every Disney classic seems to be being remade anew, every Marvel character is coming back into its multiverse, and the characters from our childhoods (lovingly titled, Intellectual Property) are getting put through the washer and repainted for a CGI makeover.

When our beloved characters are treated well, however, it can be sublime (we’re looking at you, Wallace & Gromit).

2D animation styles

With the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, alternative animation styles have been popularised by large production companies. The search for realism by the likes of Disney and Dreamworks have given way to exploring what computer animation can be, while also harking back to pulpy comic book stylisation or hand drawn animation.

The latest Puss in Boots is a good example of this, as well as The Wild Robot and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. All big studios trying new things and taking us back to a time when nearly all of our animation was 2D.

A surprising development in cinema culture has been the popularity of re-releasing older films. On a weekly basis indie cinemas and multiplexes alike are stocked with older titles as part of their lineup.

Beyond nostalgia, there is a trend by younger generations of taking the opportunity to see these classics on the big screen for the first time. Even those of us who have been around a little longer may have missed out the first time around. The shared experience of watching animation among strangers is a breath of fresh air after streaming movies at home. Where Netflix was the “wow” of entertainment ten years ago, we are coming to realise that the experience isn’t perfect. Today, cinema can be the “wow” again, bringing fresh perspectives to older movies.

In the cinema new jokes reveal themselves, fresh tensions are felt among the crowd and sequences you had forgotten, come alive again without the distractions of your living room.

Aardman workshop; CAF audience at a our festival.

Get your nostalgia fix at CAF Weekender

So now we know that nostalgia is good for us! It’s a chance for us to reset, to reflect and help us move forward. It’s visual comfort food for the soul.

Looking ahead to this year’s animation weekender, it’s great to see that there will be a screening of A Land Before Time as well as The Princess and The Goblin. Watching the retro animation and classic storytelling on the big screen will be a new experience whether you’ve seen the films before or not!

Get your tickets and set some time aside to look back. Your future-self will thank you!