Explanation: In this meme, I compare 4 major animation studios: SPA, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Illumination. Unlike the other 3 studios, which prioritize quality over quantity, Illumination does the exact opposite. As a result, Illumination produces movies that have little to no character development, plots that make people over the age of 12 bored within 10 minutes, and jokes that fall flat on their face. Meanwhile, with the latter 3, they actually take time to create stories with character development and morals that not just stick with kids but people of all ages. Some examples include: K-Pop Demon Hunters (alright, I know a lot of people on this site don't like that movie, which is fine, just wanna get that out there, but PLEASE don't attack me for liking it, okay?), Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs the Machines, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs for Sony; Toy Story, Up, and Hoppers from Pixar, and Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, The Bad Guys, and DreamWorks upcoming movie, Forgotten Island. In addition, the latter 3 aren't afraid of experimenting with things, like for example, art styles, with Sony and DreamWorks leaning into the 2.5D the last decade, with Pixar jumping on to the trend with Gatto, set to release in March 2027. With Illumination, they recycle the same bubbly animation style they've used for over a decade. They came close with the Mario Movies, which I admit, are acceptable flicks from Illumination, but even they fall victim to the studios problems in terms of film-making.
Honestly, I used to be a believer in Illumination and not understand why people disliked them until recently, where I saw Migration a few months ago and Despicable Me 4 a few weeks ago, and what everyone is saying about them became very clear to me. Dare I say, Illumination is...a kids studio. Whereas the other 3 make movies to please all ages, Illumination films only appeal to kids (besides the Mario movies). If Illumination wants to change, they need to listen to what people are saying to them, make films that doesn't just appeal to kids, but to everyone. Then just maybe, I'll give them another shot. But until then, I'm skipping every Illumination film going forward besides the Mario related movies.
