Disney's CAPS

[Rumpelstiltskin]

When Pixar created CAPS for Disney, it was no longer necessary to color the character by hand or using a camera. As most are aware of, this was first tested in The Little Mermaid and first used though a whole movie in The Rescuers Down Under.

But is it possible that Disney could have used these tools ten years earlier? If not CAPS, then at least a similar system. From an article from 1989:

"For more than a dozen years Alvy Ray Smith and Edwin Catmull, two pioneers in computer graphics, made an annual trek to the Walt Disney Studios to urge that Disney's cartoon animators consider using computers to draw and color the animation frames that have been done by hand since the birth of Mickey Mouse. Each year the Disney people would listen and say, ''not yet.''

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A96F948260

If this is correct, then The Rescuers from 1977 could have been the last Disney movie who used cels, instead of The Little Mermaid. Well, better late than never.

[PixarFan2006]

Don't you mean Cars?

[Luke]

Don't you mean Cars?

I'm pretty sure he doesn't.

[SpringHeelJack]

Don't you mean Cars?

Ah, my daily LOL. Thanks, UD.

[Mr. Toad]

It is the name of their software.

[Mr. Toad]

Here we go Computer Animation Production Software

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_A ... ion_System

Think a Pixar fan would have been relatively aware of this software?

[Jules]

Since CAPS has been dismantled, I believe Disney will be using Toon Boom Harmony for future 2D films. I wonder if there's a visible difference in the final product (i.e. film). Could we compare the DisneyToon Studios' films to Walt Disney Animation Studios' films, seeing as the former have always used Toon Boom?

[akhenaten]

WHAT KIND OF A STUPID STUDIO WOULD NOT KEEP AT LEAST ONE OR TWO OF THE OLD MACHINE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE OR DISNEY ANIMATION HISTORY MUSEUM AT LEAST??

[Rumpelstiltskin]

At least I hope the Toon Boom Harmony will not result in lower quality of the image. If we are luckey, this is just a temporarly soultion while people at Pixar and Disney are working on a new system they can use in the future. As most are aware of, also the newest Goofy cartoon was made using this program as well as a computer tablet. From what I have heard, it was a lot of problems and child deseases using the new equipment, which is the reason why it was first used on an experimental short so that they could see what worked and what needed improvements. The trial-and-error process is usually a good investment. What new technology we will see in The Princess and the Frog, I don't know, but Disney still has a haddrawn cartoon to make before the feature I think (about Nessie). And since the next feature wan't be released before at least five years from now, whatever movie that is, it should be more than enough time to come up with the right tools.

The reason why Disney got rid of CAPS is according to the rumors because Eisner decided the software system was no longer needed, as they had produced they final handdrawn movie with Home on the Range, and would only do CGI movies in the future. But it is not completley gone. as Wikipedia says; "As of 2005, only one desk system remained (and that was only for the purpose of reading the data for the films that were made with this ground-breaking system)". In other word, just enough to read the data of already existing movies made with this software. To restore it would be too expensive, so it looks like the movies made from The Rescuers Down Under to Home on the Range can be placed in what can be called "The CAPS era" (just as the 12 made before them belongs in the Xerox era).

Still, it would be fun to know what kind of system Catmull and Smith was offering Disney already in the late 70's or early 80's.