Animation and the visualization of subjective experiences in Ninjababy

This article explores how animation has unique abilities to portray the emotional lives of characters in concise, accurate, reflective and engaging ways. It does so through a close reading of the experimental Norwegian film Ninjababy (), about Rakel, a young woman who, discovering that she is six-and-a-half-months pregnant after casual sex, decides to put her baby up for adoption. In Ninjababy , animation is combined with live-action footage and used to illustrate interior states of mind that live-action film cannot show. The article also discusses how the use of animation makes Ninjababy particularly fit to address sensitive topics like sexuality and mental health in secondary education.