ELI5; Why was quicksand such a common film trope when it’s not a problem that people commonly run into in real life?
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Cartoons would latch on to things that were easy to animate, easy to express, and gave a clear plot device. Same as leaning a chair against a door to prevent someone from opening it. That doesn’t work, but it’s easy to animate.
It is a literary “ticking clock”. It is a plot device that creates suspense and a sense of urgency by setting a time limit. So not only do they have to be rescued but they are in a race against time as well. It is one thing to rescue someone who got trapped in a room, it is another to rescue someone who is trapped in a room that is slowly filling up with water!
As a young child I always thought quicksand would be a bigger problem then it turned out to be.
The simplest answer is probably this: It’s cheap as hell as a special effect to show someone drowning in QUIIICKSAAAAAAANNND!
All you do is have an actor stand in the mud, then squat a bit. Much easier than a giant rubbery monster.
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