They don’t make’em like they used to.

For the sake of the Critters, whom I have heard deemed boring by today’s society, I am arguing that I don’t feel they make them like they used to. It seems the new age brand characters just lack that ‘certain something’ that makes them spark and makes them memorable and able to break through the clutter. When I think of Mr. Clean, I feel like he belongs in my home, almost like he is a part of the family. But, when I think of Geico the Gecko, although cute and witty, he is only an acquaintance and I’m not sure he will ever surpass a casual friend status. Unlike Mr. Clean, I don’t want him hanging around my home. I understand the need to be fair in my assessment, taking into consideration that Mr. Clean is old enough to be Gecko’s grandfather. He has years of history over the lizard, but either way, I don’t think he will go down in history the same way Mr. Clean will. When I look back in fifty years, I would put my money on Mr. Clean as the one I remember and possibly the one that’s still around. This has nothing to do with favouring Mr. Clean either, I just find his simplicity appealing and trustworthy, he gives me a good feeling.

To argue my point further, I will use Disney as my example. I understand that Disney characters are not brand mascots, (arguably they could be, especially Mickey), but they are not used for the same purposes as a brand character. For the sake of this argument, they can still be used in the same context as critters, because they have been created from the imagination for people’s enjoyment. Having said that, I believe that Disney characters no longer have that special magic they once had, that makes them memorable either. Don’t think that I don’t love Pixar and the stuff they are coming out with now, the company absolutely fascinates me. I like almost all their movies; they are smart, adorable and witty. But, no matter how much I laughed at the genius of the penguins in Madagascar, I still feel they are lacking that same certain something that today’s critters lack to make them forever memorable. I will raise the same question as I did with the critters: Will you remember Cinderella in fifty years, or will you remember Nemo? No matter how many times you hear the Cinderella story, you’re enchanted, it never grows old. Its not just the Cinderella stories either, there is Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo, Fox & the Hound, The Lion King, I could go on. Like jeans, they are timeless and will never go out of style, but The Incredibles?

I am only speaking for myself…but this is my theory for why I don’t think in the future we will remember Nemo and friends the same way we will remember Cinderella and hers: We now live in a world that is capable of, (and is) changing at a pace that can be rivaled to lightening speed. We are getting used to the fact that we can now get everything we want within arms reach, customized to our personal tastes. We are addicted to a life of fast pace and change, the excitement we used to get from the ‘little things’ has worn off and no longer satisfies us like it used to. We are always on the hunt for the next best thing before we realize what we already have sitting right in front of us. Maybe that is what happened to our Critters and Disney characters. Time has changed so much since Walt first picked up his pencil and drew Mickey. The innocence and simplicity of his characters no longer appeal to our lives now, so dependent on change. The enchantment we felt when prince charming found his princess has grown tired. The hours and patience that I cannot begin to fathom, that went into creating the hand drawn animation has been replaced by the glitzy and complex characters of computer animation. Now, it seems that one hour is no longer enough for a movie. Disney makes movies that run over two hours, and not to mention, they can never stop after just one. Now there is always a trilogy, or what is it called when there is like seven of them? Sometimes, I can’t wrap my head around the intelligence of the characters in the Shreck movies either. They reel off jokes that I’m not even sure I would have understood as a kid.

The point is, our new Disney characters and Critters reflect the society we live in today. They are fast paced, complex and most importantly, they change. I think they have to be made this way now because we have changed so much and become so much smarter, the Critters and Disney characters became smarter too, to appeal to the audience. It is these characteristics of today’s Disney characters and Critters that no longer make them memorable or easy to identify with. The whole idea behind a brand character is so that people can instantly identify them with a product. Just the familiar picture of Tony the Tiger is an advertisement in itself for frosted flakes. Do today’s critters still have the ability to do that or is the message getting lost in all those jokes and fancy exteriors? Dave Ogilvy said, “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create.” With that in mind, when looking at today’s slick Critters like the Bell Beavers, you have to ask, are they drawing more attention to themselves as a character, then actually selling the product? Furthermore, do they have the ability to break through the clutter in the future? Maybe that answer is yes, but I would still say Betty Crocker is still going to be doing her job better then the beavers.

One could argue that I am biased, having been born in an era when all the classic movies were made. To be fair, I would have to ask today’s children in fifty years who they remember…Geico the Gecko or Mr. Clean? Cinderella or Nemo? Or, perhaps I am old fashioned and my rebellion is the result of not yet letting go of my old world due to all this change, I am mourning the old times. In the end, its all a personal opinion, and what I just wrote I am sure has its holes, but to every movie, music and book lover out there, I ask this: Do they still make them like they used to?