Abstract
ABSTRACTThis article explains the affordances of animation to create compelling and emotionally resonant stories for global consumption by analyzing the animated depictions of the tunnel used by Mexican cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to escape prison in 2015. Animation contributed to the international recognition of the tunnel and El Chapo’s escape story by rendering select characteristics from this otherwise illegible structure into easily communicative excerpts across popular culture sites and journalistic outlets. This analysis considers several features of animation as a communication medium that make it appealing for globally resonant stories: lack of linguistic markers, scalability, vividness. Finally, the article concludes with a critique of the obfuscations that may result from centering animated depictions of illicit infrastructures in journalistic and government reports, particularly the erasure of broader political implications in favor of visual spectacle.
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