Another Rory animation where I'm spared half the pain because I can't hear shit.
There's not a lot of critique that hasn't been well hashed over here, but I think what she ate could have easily been made more interesting from an emotional standpoint too, beyond the lacking technique. It's not just her being a thankless, possibly friendless weirdo. Even an aloof asshole can have a charming sense of humor that makes their work likeable and not...flat. If their story is cool and they tell it well we might dig it in spite of ourselves.
First off, sensory ambience to the food. Was it delicious? Was it gross? How are we supposed to feel about a fish hot dog? Where her animation fluidity is stiff she could have told a story in other ways. A fish hot dog is kind of interesting. It could be a punch line if you weren't expecting it. Maybe your friend ordered it and you just got what they got. You could make a bigger element of surprise. Like when it breaks open, a cartoon "smell cloud" in the shape of fish bones comes out. Even bad animation can have quirky and memorable sight gags that give it personality.
Secondly, the "interesting" note, context can go a long way. Cool, you ate this, but where the hell did you eat it? NOLA = usually New Orleans (fish would make sense as a trendy spin on new orleans soul food) or maybe some weird abbreviation for a place in LA (?). Is it southern catfish or a Vietnamese immigrant chef in LAs spin on American food? Even tiny details like a logo on the coke cup or on a napkin with the hotdog. adding minor "scenery" details like a stylised patch of table...that stuff wouldnt be time consuming as the food was because it doesn't have to move at all. It could complement the scant written narrative and make it engaging.
The other student animations posted really went to show what she's lacking, especially as far as the second point goes. Little details make or break 2D animation.
