Dagobah

It seems my lack of art knowledge is showing 😅. Thanks for setting the record straight!

That's a nice nostalgic take. I do remember a similar style being used in some flash videos and that didn't bother me at the time. I think maybe it's just become too common and feels lazy. Kind of like how Memphis art style was once unique and fresh but then became very associated with a bland corporate aesthetic.

Did they meet because of you? I hope you told that story at their wedding.

No doubt at all. I'm probably just in the minority who pay it too much attention. It's like visual tinnitus to me.

Stick figures are far less jarring for me, it's when they try to create semi realistic characters that sway repeatedly that it bothers me

I feel like when puppeteers and rubber hose animators have cyclic animation they add to the characters personality. A character like miss piggy flops around dramatically, Kermit crumples awkwardly, Betty Boop bobs around perkily. The animation you see on YouTube are basically - define arms legs and head then sway back and forth every 2 seconds - copy for all characters.

Interesting comparison. I don't mind a sparse animation style, I think what bothers me is the animation used in these YouTube channels feels much more 'procedurally generated' and repetitive.

I could definitely have picked a better example, I just found the first one that popped up. It's most jarring when it's just a static shot of a cartoon toso swaying back and forth for like 10 seconds for no reason.

I mentioned it in another comment but I feel like there's an intentionality and craftsmanship to those animations. The speed and fluidity of the repetition adds character detail. The stuff that annoys me almost feels procedurally animated, like they take the body parts and then just sway them all back and forth with no real thought.

True! You and our other commenter friends all have very valid opinions! I think I may be in a minority who it annoys for whatever reason, a bit like how some people can't stand chewing noises.

I think there's a craftsmanship and intentionality to those animations that's lacking in a lot of cheap pseudo animation.

Ideally it would be an animation of the character that actually moves intentionally. Failing that, just keep it still! I'm happy to stare at a still photograph or cartoon of someone for 30 seconds, I don't need to watch them sway back and forth like a slow flailing tube man to keep me engaged!

I'm afraid I probably would 😅. I don't mind the repeating animations on scenery like waterfalls or clouds moving, it's just the swaying repetitive animations on characters. Come to think of it, I was never annoyed by the repeating static character animations in fighting games but somehow that feels an endearing part of the genre.

But that's the point - why animate a scene that should be completely static? Do we really need the character to lol their head around like a bobble head for no reason? To be clear I'm being hyperbolic here - I realise in the grand scheme of annoying things this falls somewhere between 'that speck of dust under your phone screen protector' and 'the noise grandma makes when she chews'.