Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

[DisneyJedi]

Please excuse my constant griping, but it just isn't fair. Why should the suits decide how a movie be animated instead of the animators/directors doing what they want to do? It's pretty obvious that we're just getting stupid CGI movies forever from now on and I clearly don't like the thought of it.

[Sotiris]

Hayao Miyazaki talks about the future of Studio Ghibli and 2D animation. Hint: it's bleak!

We will continue to make short films for the Ghibli Museum with a small staff of animators. But I think gradually it will quietly disappear in the future.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/g ... ara-745725

Q: The Tokyo Festival is screening a Hideaki Anno retro this year. Not long ago your producer, Toshio Suzuki, said Anno would be the leader of the Japanese animation industry for the next ten years. Do you agree?

Hayao Miyazaki: Anno is a friend of mine so I wish him the best of luck. It will be hard work though. The kind of animation he loves, made with paper and pencils, is dying. I still plan on doing small projects with paper and pencils, but no more feature films.

Q: Goro has teamed up with the digital animation studio Polygon to make “Ronia the Robber’s Daughter” for television. He made use of 3-D computer graphics, though the program has the look of traditional Japanese animation. What do you think of that trend?

Hayao Miyazaki: I think talent decides everything. More than the method, what’s important is the talent using it. There’s nothing inherently wrong or right about a method, whether it be pencil drawings or 3-D CG. Pencil drawings don’t have to go away, but those who continue to use the medium lack talent. So sadly, it will fade away.

Source: http://variety.com/2014/film/news/hayao ... 201347826/

Q: Earlier this year some people got the impression that Studio Ghibli was going to stop making new movies. Is that the case?

Hayao Miyazaki: At this point, we're not making a new film. I think we will not be making any feature films to be shown in theaters. That was not my intention, though. All I did was announce that I would be retiring and not making any more features.

Q: Do you think the medium of hand-drawn animation will continue, if not at Studio Ghibli then somewhere else?

Hayao Miyazaki: If creators have the intent to do hand-drawn animation, there certainly will be opportunities for them to do that. But what might be a difficulty will be the financial considerations. I do think the era of pencil, paper and film is coming to an end.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/en ... story.html

[estefan]

In regards to Miyazaki's comments, I don't think the art of drawing with pencil and paper will go away. There will always be those who grow up watching the classic animated films and wanting to use the technique. There's a reason the likes of Glen Keane, Ron Clements, John Musker and Eric Goldberg can still fill halls when they give talks. Even in the arena of television animation where they mostly use Cintiq and computers to animate 2D, you have series like Regular Show which use pencil and paper.

I highly doubt a hybrid could ever successfully replicate the real deal.

It's not necessarily a hybrid since it's entirely CG, but Peanuts?

[Warm Regards]

There's a reason the likes of Glen Keane, Ron Clements, John Musker and Eric Goldberg can still fill halls when they give talks.

Here's the thing: those seats are being filled mostly by wannabe artists and wide eyed animators. They hold little care for what makes money or what is popular. I say this in self acknowledgment that I myself am among them.

But I'll be damned if any of the major studios have higher ups (i.e., stock holders) who care about artistic integrity. Maybe a smaller studio like Laika and ReelFX do, but right now they sit at the kiddie table while Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, and so on sit at the adult table.

I personally think animated miniseries like Over the Garden Wall are a step in the right direction to convince higher ups, "Hey, there's a market for hand drawn animation/ sophisticated plot lines." Because it's come to a point where, I as much as it frustrates me, big studios want to see the capital worth of artistic ideas.

And by Lasseter's many Hawaiian shirts, hand drawn has so much untapped potential.

[unprincess]

The reason the films are 3D is because that is what makes money. It has nothing to do with the medium's merits, or lack thereof.

what bugs me more is why Disney cant just admit this and insist on pushing this bs "we still love 2d animation" garbage that gets regurgitated over and over in every interview, as Sotiris has shown us several posts back. Why cant they admit what everybody already knows? are they scared theyll suddenly come off as a greedy artless company that Walt would be ashamed of? oops, too late! all the purist 2d fans already know this, and the majority of folks who flocked to Frozen and their other recent cgi films dont care anyway. Its just so condesending...

also I really wish someone would ask them(Lasseter and Catmull specifically) about what they think of Hullabaloo...

[dollover]

Has anyone heard the rumor that the Frozen short will be 2D animated?

http://www.hallels.com/articles/11257/2 ... 3-s-3d.htm

[disneyprincess11]

Wow, if this is true, this is great! Maybe a test for Giants or Moana?

[DisneyJedi]

Has anyone heard the rumor that the Frozen short will be 2D animated?

http://www.hallels.com/articles/11257/2 ... 3-s-3d.htm

I'd love to believe that, but il, take this rumor with a grain of salt.

[estefan]

There's a reason the likes of Glen Keane, Ron Clements, John Musker and Eric Goldberg can still fill halls when they give talks.

Here's the thing: those seats are being filled mostly by wannabe artists and wide eyed animators. They hold little care for what makes money or what is popular.

Well, that's my point. There'll always be those influenced by the hand-drawn artform and will want to continue to use it. Like my example of Regular Show. JG Quintel is a young guy who probably could have gone the high tech route, but chose to animate the show with pencil and paper instead.

[unprincess]

Id love for a 2d Frozen short to be true, but I just cant see them doing that when its much easier for them to just reuse the cgi models and backgrounds from the original film. And we know Disney will always prefer the easiest and cheapest option.

[blackcauldron85]

Unless it's stylized, a la "Almost There," or the HOtR short from the DVD...?

(I know those are both hand-drawn films, but they had the specialized look that, if this new short is hand-drawn, maybe it's to look stylized...)

[unprincess]

well, that stylized look, which I like to call "faux-retro" could be acheived with flash, so maybe its a flash 2d short.

I just dont see them going back to pure hand drawn. Theyd have to rehire 2d animators and buy new equipment just to make it...and thats not gonna happen...

[Sotiris]

Ruben Aquino and other former Disney animators are in negotiations with an indie studio to produce a hand-drawn feature.

He and a handful of other Disney 2D artists are in negotiations with an independent studio to make a 2D animated film. “If it happens it’s going to have to be different than anything we've ever seen.” I loved hearing this, of course. I hope all comes to fruition but even if his current opportunity doesn't work out, it is clear that the irrepressible spirit of 2D is going to lead to great things in the future. [...] Ruben felt right at home and was telling jokes and getting very passionate. In closing I will leave you with his words: “The best part of today is that we have independent studios who can work virtually, together. I’m not giving up on 2D animation at all.” He said to the whole audience, “I think the key to making 2D more relevant is to give them something extra. We definitely have to ‘up the anti’ and do more than what we have done in the past.”

Source: http://www.rotoscopers.com/2014/11/17/t ... endreview/

[Disney's Divinity]

I guess crumbs are nice. I hope, if it does turn into something, it looks like older films. I mean, as far as not having computers creating the majority of the backgrounds like in The Princess and the Frog.

[Warm Regards]

Ruben Aquino and other former Disney animators are in negotiations with an indie studio to produce a hand-drawn feature.

Can I join them? I have too many ideas I'd like to see done...

[DisneyJedi]

Ruben Aquino and other former Disney animators are in negotiations with an indie studio to produce a hand-drawn feature.

He and a handful of other Disney 2D artists are in negotiations with an independent studio to make a 2D animated film. “If it happens it’s going to have to be different than anything we've ever seen.” I loved hearing this, of course. I hope all comes to fruition but even if his current opportunity doesn't work out, it is clear that the irrepressible spirit of 2D is going to lead to great things in the future. [...] Ruben felt right at home and was telling jokes and getting very passionate. In closing I will leave you with his words: “The best part of today is that we have independent studios who can work virtually, together. I’m not giving up on 2D animation at all.” He said to the whole audience, “I think the key to making 2D more relevant is to give them something extra. We definitely have to ‘up the anti’ and do more than what we have done in the past.”

Source: http://www.rotoscopers.com/2014/11/17/t ... endreview/

I'm not going to lie, but all I can hope for in those animators that were laid off from Disney is that they are managing to put food on the table for any families they have.

[unprincess]

That would be so awesome. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[Lady Cluck]

Ruben Aquino and other former Disney animators are in negotiations with an indie studio to produce a hand-drawn feature.
Source: http://www.rotoscopers.com/2014/11/17/t ... endreview/

I'm not going to lie, but all I can hope for in those animators that were laid off from Disney is that they are managing to put food on the table for any families they have.

Ummm they can get jobs doing other things, even jobs that require their artistic skills. Getting to work on major film production for one of the biggest companies in the world isn't something any old person gets to do. I'm sure they'll find a way to at least keep their children from starving to death How dramatic.

[DisneyJedi]

Ummm they can get jobs doing other things, even jobs that require their artistic skills. Getting to work on major film production for one of the biggest companies in the world isn't something any old person gets to do. I'm sure they'll find a way to at least keep their children from starving to death How dramatic.

Well, excuse me for showing concern for those Disney animators that got laid off.

In all seriousness, being without a job or any form of income is clearly no laughing matter.

[Lady Cluck]

After seeing Big Hero 6 and its gorgeous animation, I've finally decided that hand-drawn animation is dead for good at Disney. They could possibly do future films with a unique 2D-esque aesthetic, but it'd be with computers.

The next generation of children isn't demanding hand-drawn films. It's adults who are nostalgic for THEIR childhoods. It's better to enjoy what you have and accept that it's part of the past, rather than forcing it to be a part of the future. Fashion and music trends may go in cycles, but technology rarely moves backwards. And that's not even taking cost and productivity issues into account.

Don't get me wrong, I love hand drawn animation and will always love the Disney films I grew up with, but Disney is in a new era now and it's a really good era too! I've accepted it and look forward to seeing what else they can accomplish creatively and artistically with computer animation. We definitely haven't seen the pinnacle yet.

So stick a fork in hand drawn! It's NEVER coming back.