Animation serves hope and faith: 'Abominable' director Jill Culton

In the era of dystopian dramas which bring audiences face-to-face with their anxieties and insecurities, animation films inspire hope, says "Abominable" director Jill Culton.

The filmmaker, who at a young age realised her love for animation and its power to spread positivity, says as a storyteller it is her "responsibility to show people a healthy outlook towards life".

"Animation serves hope and faith. I believe it is important for a story to have an element of hope. As somebody working in the field of animation, we are not here to just entertain. As filmmakers, we are here to challenge the negativity and serve positivity," Culton told PTI in an exclusive interview.

Animation is often tagged as just a source of entertainment or a "babysitting tool" for children but this categorisation bothers the director.

She says the fact that these films derive the maximum viewership from children and teenagers, makes their job even more challenging.

"Parents consider animation films a way to keep their children busy while they do their own work. But it is so important to give some message in these films. It is more important because kids are watching these films in their formative years. It is hard to provide content which is tough, fun and hopeful at the same time," she adds.

Culton started her journey in animation as a storyboard artiste on "Toy Story" and with DreamWorks Animations' "Abominable", she has become the first female to helm an animation film.

The director says the message of "never giving up" has always remained an important theme in her work and is also the crux of her debut feature.

"'Abominable' is important because the family we show is a bit distant and fractured. Sometimes the families are fractured for whatever reason.

"I have put my own heart in this film because my parents got divorced when I was small... And you have to redefine the family. Your celebrations are different. But we should not forget that everyone needs a family. And amid all this, there is joy and hope that everything will be fine one day.

A Universal Pictures project, "Abominable" is co-directed by Todd Wilderman and is slated for a release in India on September 27.

The voice cast features Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin and Michelle Wong.