I always thought animation looks more real and belivable and live action. I think this is because animation depecits the “feeling” or “emotion” of the character than the character itself. Animation just feels right!
A smile on screen is just a few centimeters more than “default”. But in animation u can have a smile that literally goes from ear to ear! It LOOKS like how you feel and so the viewer just believes it.
Are you depressed? So depression feels like you are limp and flat on the ground. A live actor may try to do something to approximate that more so in pantomime or vaudeville than in drama. But in animation the character is limp! He is FLAT!
Getting hit on the head feels like it became flat. In animation it looks flat!
Animation speaks directly to the heart. It doesnt rely on the eye as much as live action. Its the animation language.
