Cartoons vs Reality

Jessi corrects some persistent cartoon animal mistakes. Bugs bunny, parrot feet, mice, bulls, and more!

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[nyxredfern]

Two cartoon animal things that bother me are cats drinking milk or cream, and birds being housed in tiny cages with few things to rest on (take Tweety Bird and his little swing for example).

[scoobert]

Fish (especially goldfish) being kept in round glass bowles with nothing but a little gravel at the bottom. It just makes me so sad cus most people really do think that you can house fish that way. To anyone who wants fish: they need filtration, heat (usually), water conditioning depending o where in the world you live and a bunch of more stuff that just cant fit within a bowl, not to mention that some fishes eyes get seriously damaged from the curving of the glass.

[swegbruh]

Myth: chameleons change color upon surroundings to blend in
Often seen in movies and cartoons

[Yahriel]

I think at least the first 2 are aesthetic choices. For Bug Bunny, seems like smoking a cigar was popular around that time (correct me if I'm wrong). Now, smoking was allowed in cartoons for a while (as was drinking), so it's not like the carrot was a substitute for a cigar, but it is a comical replacement for one.
For the bird feet, I think it was a design choice. Most people think of bird feet as 2 or 3 in front, 1 in back, because that's what we see often in snow, on ducks, and small backyard birds. 2 and 2 I think would be weird to most people, even if it's correct for his species. I'm sure there's some preliminary drawings and character sketches where he has all his toes.

Here's another big one:
Cats love milk/cream.
It's been in cartoons since before I was born, and I still hear people talking about it today - even self-proclaimed cat lovers.
After being weaned from their mother, cats can't properly digest milk. It will get them digestive issues - not something you want to deal with.

[thegardenofeatin]

I'm okay with Bart Simpson having only four fingers, I'm okay with a cartoon bird having only three toes. Especially since it shouldn't cause people to hurt their birds the way feeding carrots to rabbits will.
Bugs is quite the trend setter; in addition to the carrot thing (This was a reference to a then-popular live-action movie where a human character munched on a carrot during dialog, which has fallen into obscurity since. Fun fact: Munching on carrots is perfectly healthy for humans), Bugs also made "nimrod" mean idiot. Nimrod is a biblical figure, a great hunter. Bugs sarcastically called Elmer Fudd "Nimrod" in much the same way you'd say "Nice job, Einstein." The allusion was lost on many.

[annailles]

As a mouse owner, I can attest to the fact that they don't really like cheese. My mice actually prefer spinach and bell peppers.

[Animalconferece]

The snake winking at Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone has bugged me ever since I found out snakes don't actually have eyelids. Because apparently i'm fine with imagining a world with wizards and magic, but damn it if snakes are allowed to wink. Idk, I kind of tell myself that each movie and book is it's own world and doesn't HAVE to reflect the one we live in. I agree that misrepresentation of animals in books and movies can have really harmful consequences and I wish it didn't happen. We just have to keep correcting these myths and informing people about these animals!

[DuluthTW]

This is a very necessary video. Perhaps someone making cartoons will see it and choose not to make the same mistakes. Thanks for sharing!

[hc]

When I volunteered at a rabbit shelter, we asked for vegetable donations from the public. Despite being VERY specific not to donate carrots, we would get tons of donations we had to throw out. Wish those people read up before spending their money.

[Ravenzpeak]

In my mind I think the worst portrayed animal in movies, cartoon, books, is the horse. People have this romantic idea that a horse has the same characteristics as a well trained loyal dog. They're herbivores and herd animals which is entirely different from a carnivorous pack animal. Their brains are just not wired to be your pet dog. Also, all the westerns show the riders hanging on the reins/bit until the horses' head is way up in the air where they cannot see the ground in front of them and they are rolling their eyes and gaping their mouths trying to get out from under the pain of the bit. The also spur the heck out of them for fast and exciting action on the screen. Way to absolutely ruin a good horse! They also love those scenes where the brave cowboy takes a horse straight down a steep hill to show what a great rider they are....like I said - way to ruin a good horse.

[Usulcardo]

Another stereotype that I despise in cartoons *today* is that pigeons and chickens are always portrayed as being dumb (a recent film with that stereotype was Moana for example) when in fact they have really high cognitive and social abilities and a great memory. Recent studies shown that chicken (chicks in fact) can even do basic algebra so that's definetely not a dumb animal far from it.

[IstasPumaNevada]

Simple answer on "why not realistic toes": More toes means more complex, and therefore more expensive to animate and render. One of the reasons why so many human cartoon characters don't have five fingers.
Another reason to not have four toes on the birds; people who don't realize some birds have more than one toe facing backwards, will think it looks weird and find it distracting for the film.

[elisewalters]

Interesting video! I'm trying to get into character design for animation, especially for animals, and I think it's always important to remember the impact our seemingly simple drawings have on the real world animals and environments! I know artists generally try to do their research, especially nowadays, so videos like yours help inform us on how to approach portraying these animals properly and safely! Sometimes things like missing toes from a bird is a stylistic choice based more on human psychology or based on what's easier to animate, but I think it's something we absolutely need to think hard on and research just to make sure it doesn't harm the mass perception of the real world animal!

[JJMac]

That movie Barnyard where the male cows have udders. 🙄

[prysmakitty]

Thank you. :-) It isn't just cartoons: I cringe when I see scenes in novels that portray an entire species as cookie-cutter clones and/or inaccurate cliches. The least of it is treating horses as organic motorbikes that never get tired and need no care and can be left standing in full tack indefinitely. It doesn't take that long these days to do some research on a species and get it right, and if it's fantasy or sci-fi, still not that hard to use a real species as a realistic starting point. (I consider your channel an excellent resource for this, I consider Seraphina one of the models for a fox character, for example.) If you're going to portray an animal in any sort of medium, do it right or don't do it.

BTW, I cannot stand The Lion King, for the sheer disregard of actual lion social systems and the hyenas, and typically stay away from animated movies with animals in them because they get frustrating.

[sourisdebibliotheque]

Myth: whale don't push water out of their blowhole, but air. I'm looking at you, Nemo.

[neutralnarwhal]

What irks me is when cartoons display animals in poor conditions as okay. Elmo keeping his goldfish Dorothy in a fishbowl. Tweety (Sweety) having that tiny cage as his home with no enrichment or sense of security.

[reginabedgood]

Finally someone who understands! Thank you for dispelling myths!!! Animals are so amazing and they deserve accurate representation!

[ScrodngrsCat]

That abundance of Katherines graphic made me so happy.

[Age]

Give them all their toes!!! #toesforeveryone