Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

[Mooky]

Sotiris, thanks for bringing that funding platform to our attention. It sounds amazing, I'll make sure to make a contribution to the cause.

[TsWade2]

2D animation fans, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. Instead of pointlessly whine about the lack of 2D, why don't you donate to this bold book project in support of traditional animation?

The existence of traditional hand-drawn animation is becoming increasingly threatened by the digital revolution. Today the world’s increasing affection for new technology unfortunately means that there are far less opportunities for traditional animators to gain recognition or funding for their ideas anymore. It is even less possible for talented young students who want to learn traditional 2D animation to find places to study it! There so much real talent out there that its a serious disaster if that talent in not able to learn or express itself in the way it wishes to. So we hope that we can begin to change this situation with the publication of this beautiful new book in support of traditional animation and animators. We just need everyone's help to make it happen!

2DLIB.com has started an initiative where traditional artists and animators from around the world were asked to donate a drawing or illustration to a book - DRAWN TOGETHER ~ Its Time to Draw the Line - that will be published in support of traditional 2D animation. The initial target we set for the book was just 100 donated drawings over a 6-week submission period. But so overwhelming was the support that in the end 222 amazing drawings were finally received – and many of these were from top art & animation talents from around the world. Contributors include Pascal Campion, Paul Chung, Don Crum, Gene Deitch, Paul & Sandra Fierlinger, Michel Gagne, Cedric Hohnstadt, Dattaraj Kamat, Thomas Liera, Dima Malanitchev, Silvia Pompei, Joanna Quinn, Tom Sito, Wouter Tulp and Dean Yeagle.

We believe that - first and foremost - this book will be an incredibly beautiful book to buy and own. But we also hope it will allow us to have our voice heard in the places that matter. We are therefore planning to get a copy of DRAWN TOGETHER ~ Its Time to Draw the Line onto the desks of the 25 top executives in Hollywood - to make them see what huge potential there is in traditional art, as well as the magic that can happen through that traditional art being brought to life through animation. Doing this one thing will allow us to demonstrate to the people who matter that traditional 2D animation has still barely scratched the surface in terms of what it can offer to animation-loving audiences around the world.

Source: http://www.verkami.com/projects/7968-dr ... ok-project

Good idea! Hand drawn fans unite!!!!! I know, it's unnecessary to say that, but I'm glad there's going to be a bring back 2d animation campaign. And I hope it'll be more serious campaign when the time comes for a new CEO or when Laika's hand drawn animated feature comes.

And yes, forget Spongebob. It's going to fail anyways.

[unprincess]

Wow that book sounds like a cool project!

We are therefore planning to get a copy of DRAWN TOGETHER ~ Its Time to Draw the Line onto the desks of the 25 top executives in Hollywood -

well that's a nice idea, but I dont think its gonna work. Theyll probably looks at the title ,snicker and hand it over to their secretery to read.

I quit trying to pitch 2D projects after my first few attempts went terribly bad. Basically, I was looked at as a dinosaur. "You’re still coming to us with 2D projects?", they'd say. They wouldn't even look at them. We tried pitching different kind of stories, we tried doing different things, tried to revolutionize. They didn't care as long it was 2D.

the more I read stuff like this the more Im sure that we wont get 2d back from any of the major studios. It will come back but in a niche arthouse indie front. The studios just dont want to hear about it. And it makes those stupid blurbs from Disney saying "we still beleive in/havent abandoned 2/d animation!" and their refusal to admit the truth even more annoying.

[disneyphilip]

And it makes those stupid blurbs from Disney saying "we still beleive in/havent abandoned 2/d animation!" and their refusal to admit the truth even more annoying.

Sorry, but they ARE telling the truth when they say that!

Also, it's high time that the Moderators finally close this thread down for good. It's useless and has become nothing more than a battleground and infested with whiny spoiled brats.

Please, Escapay, for the love of all humanity, lock this thread already!

[TsWade2]

And it makes those stupid blurbs from Disney saying "we still beleive in/havent abandoned 2/d animation!" and their refusal to admit the truth even more annoying.

Sorry, but they ARE telling the truth when they say that!

Also, it's high time that the Moderators finally close this thread down for good. It's useless and has become nothing more than a battleground and infested with whiny spoiled brats.

Please, Escapay, for the love of all humanity, lock this thread already!

Touchy touchy.

[ProfessorRatigan]

And it makes those stupid blurbs from Disney saying "we still beleive in/havent abandoned 2/d animation!" and their refusal to admit the truth even more annoying.

Sorry, but they ARE telling the truth when they say that!

Also, it's high time that the Moderators finally close this thread down for good. It's useless and has become nothing more than a battleground and infested with whiny spoiled brats.

Please, Escapay, for the love of all humanity, lock this thread already!

Dude, seriously? Every post I see from you is hysterical. And not funny hysterical. Hysterical as in, root of hysteria. (Actually, now that I think about, they're kind of funny hysterical, too.) I'm convinced you must be a troll. If not, then CALM THE HELL DOWN.

[TsWade2]

Sorry, but they ARE telling the truth when they say that!

Also, it's high time that the Moderators finally close this thread down for good. It's useless and has become nothing more than a battleground and infested with whiny spoiled brats.

Please, Escapay, for the love of all humanity, lock this thread already!

Dude, seriously? Every post I see from you is hysterical. And not funny hysterical. Hysterical as in, root of hysteria. (Actually, now that I think about, they're kind of funny hysterical, too.) I'm convinced you must be a troll. If not, then CALM THE HELL DOWN.

Yeah. And I thought I was the one being hysterical. But this time, I'm not. Anyway, I still think hand drawn animation will make eventual return. We just need to wait like a couple years, to let the new CEO know that we like to see Disney bring back hand drawn animation once again.

[unprincess]

seriously cant someone just make an opinion on this site without worrying about being bombarded by some pro-this or anti-that fanatic? yeesh!

[Kyle]

seriously cant someone just make an opinion on this site without worrying about being bombarded by some pro-this or anti-that fanatic? yeesh!

So true. This thread should be mainly two things, updates about Disney's (or former Disney employees) hand drawn projects or stance on the subject, and maybe some fan made hand drawn stuff from time to time. Not this us versus them crap. All mediums have merit.

[Warm Regards]

Wow that book sounds like a cool project!

We are therefore planning to get a copy of DRAWN TOGETHER ~ Its Time to Draw the Line onto the desks of the 25 top executives in Hollywood -

well that's a nice idea, but I dont think its gonna work. Theyll probably looks at the title ,snicker and hand it over to their secretery to read.

It reminds me of the US political system in many ways.

[TsWade2]

Well, even it won't work, then I guess all we have to do is wait Laika's hand drawn animated movie to come, and then we'll support it to make Disney jealous.

[disneyprincess11]

Well, even it won't work, then I guess all we have to do is wait Laika's hand drawn animated movie to come, and then we'll support it to make Disney jealous.

If Laika's 2D movie succeeds, Disney will defientely go back to 2D!

[TsWade2]

Well, even it won't work, then I guess all we have to do is wait Laika's hand drawn animated movie to come, and then we'll support it to make Disney jealous.

If Laika's 2D movie succeeds, Disney will defientely go back to 2D!

Right!

[Tangled]

....but why, why, of all studios, does it have to be Laika?

Don't get me wrong, I love their films, and their story team could probably create a decent script regardless of the medium, but why the one studio that's already not conforming to the norm? I mean, their stop-motion stuff is a work of art and makes each of their movies truly unique, and I don't want to see that go away. I don't think either Coraline or ParaNorman would have been as good or effective with any other animation technique. However, with the amount of human work involved in stop-motion animation, I can see stop-motion being completely fazed out in feature films as CGI just keeps evolving, and I definitely don't want to see that die either. Laika and Aardman are really the only two big pillars holding stop-motion animation up right now, and even Aardman shifted of huge portion of their focus to CGI.

I just wish that Disney or Dreamworks had the same amount of confidence in themselves as Laika, since I'd rather they'd just realize that hand-drawn animation isn't dead over another studio potentially sacrifising their own style to beat it over their head.

[unprincess]

but why the one studio that's already not conforming to the norm?

you just answered your own question there.

I really hope they can make a 2d animated film, but they are gonna go through a rough time finding support...

Were talking about an environment thats so hostile to 2d that Salma Hayek, a popular movie star, cant even find support for her own 2d film, & it has cgi in it!

and even if the film is successful I dont think one 2d film from a little quirky studio is gonna convince the bigwigs to start doing 2d again. Theyll just chalk up its success to a fluke or Laika's brand name.

and no Im not saying this to put down 2d or depress people. Im just a realist and while we need to support 2d we cant go off the deep end either with any bit of news we read. Its all a waiting game for now. Lets see what happens...

[Disney's Divinity]

I agree, unprincess, it's best to be realistic. If Laika does manage to put out a 2D film, we should just be grateful it was made/released at all and not get too many hopes that it'll be hugely successful or change anything about the state of hand-drawn animation right now.

Maybe some of the animators who Disney laid off would show up at Laika?

[Dr Frankenollie]

If Laika's 2D movie succeeds, Disney will defientely go back to 2D!

Right!

Sorry, but...c'mon. Did The Artist bring back silent films? If, if it is successful at all - doubtful considering the relative size of Laika compared to Dreamworks, Pixar or Disney - then it will be seen as a one-off gimmick and won't trigger a major stylistic turnaround.

[Warm Regards]

Unless of course the "one-off gimmick" happens to make a lot of money (vicinity of $500 million or so) worldwide.

[Kyle]

The only way a single hand drawn movie would completely revive their hand drawn departments is if it was a success on the level of Frozen. That's an un realistic standard for any movie let alone hand drawn. And even then, all it would take is one hand drawn movie after that to not do too well to bring us back to square one again. We don't need just one successful hand drawn movie, we need several in a row more or less.

[SWillie!]

Divinity, that's an interesting question. I do wonder if Laika would seek out past Disney talent. It's seems an obvious thing for anyone wanting to get into a 2d feature. Although, there's certainly plenty of talent out there, it's not like they would *have* to have them.