Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

[Kyle]

Here's some new Glen Keane animation. Wish there was more animation and less live action but cool all the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsQ4--X2ls4

[Wonderlicious]

one of the best things about the Snowman was it wasnt scared to end with a down note . Today animated films dont even like it if kids get bored let alone scared or sad. Everything has to be upbeat or exciting and if there a downbeat it must immediately be preceded by a gag or joke so the kids wont get "traumatized". If there's a quiet moment it must be quickly interrupted by noise or a joke in case the kids start to fidget. Blah! I miss the 80's and early 90's animated films, those films had BALLS!

The Snowman was actually produced for Channel 4 in the UK, which had recently only begun broadcasting. Although Channel 4 has become more mainstream, it had a particular focus in its earlier years of providing programming for minorities and interest groups and commissioning independent films. I suppose, if anything, it proves that it's the American mainstream which is the problem. If you look at independent cinema throughout Europe and across the world, one will find a number of hand-drawn films (and stop-motion films) which have some scope to think more outside the box and to take more risks. Of course, that's a generalisation, but the fact that mainstream cinema now relies so much on franchises and sequels and techniques/styles that have proven successful elsewhere sort of sums up a sorry state of affairs, not just for animation but for all filmmaking.

[unprincess]

^Americans like their films they way they like their theme park rides: fun, mindless, and safe. :\

always a treasure to get something new from Glenn. I love that he appears in the short himself.
Though next time Id like to see him get away from human anatomy and do something more animalistic/nonhuman, like the bear from FATH or Beast.

[DisneyFan09]

And lets not forget Marahute.

[unprincess]

^yes! he should animate a griffin next!

[Kyle]

always a treasure to get something new from Glenn. I love that he appears in the short himself.
Though next time Id like to see him get away from human anatomy and do something more animalistic/nonhuman, like the bear from FATH or Beast.

I'm fine with the human stuff, though I am surprised he did yet another short featuring a ballerina fresh off the heals of Duet. You'd think he want a break from that for a bit.

[DisneyFan09]

^yes! he should animate a griffin next!

Hey, why not?

Either way, lovely short. Glen is truly a master.

[Wonderlicious]

It was produced in partnership with the Opéra de Paris so I assume the video is partly a commission to promote their dance company. Nevertheless, it's really beautiful.

[Sotiris]

A hand-drawn commercial called Make Them Giants has gone viral. There's a making-of featurette, a pencil animation video, as well as a "sequel" to the commercial called Pub.

O2 goes for animated epic to promote rugby sponsorship
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog ... onsorship/

Blinkink’s Elliot Dear directs giant O2 rugby film
http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/B ... -5585.html

[Sotiris]

A new exhibit in Florida is celebrating Disney hand-drawn animation.

For the next few weeks, members of the Florida State University community don’t have to go too far to experience a little Disney magic. Thanks to Mery-et Lescher, a doctoral candidate in FSU’s Department of Art History, students, faculty and staff can enjoy an exhibit dedicated to the art and artifacts of Disney’s animated films at the William-Johnston Building art gallery. The exhibit features items from the Disney Renaissance, which spans from the release of “The Little Mermaid” in 1989 through the release of “Tarzan” in 1999.

“The Disney Renaissance was really the last hurrah of hand-drawn animation,” Lescher said. “Hand-drawn is not dead — not by any means, but I don’t want us to lose sight of the legacy. This is an important period in animation, and I feel that it needs to be documented and that’s what I’m here to do.”

Source: http://news.fsu.edu/Top-Stories/Experie ... -animation

[Avaitor]

I wish I found out about this sooner! It sounds so cool, but it's closing soon.

I'm trying to get a road trip down to go next week.

[unprincess]

A hand-drawn commercial called Make them Giants has gone viral.

O2 goes for animated epic to promote rugby sponsorship
http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog ... onsorship/

Blinkink’s Elliot Dear directs giant O2 rugby film
http://www.televisual.com/news-detail/B ... -5585.html

so gorgeous! imagine what this team could do on a feature length film! it seems 2d still has some life as far as advertising goes, at least in the UK.

I wish I could go to that exhibit! Im in Florida but travel is just not easy for me. If only it would come to a museum closer to me, sigh.

Iron Giant fans, there will be a Blu-ray release of the Signature edition of the film! Great news if you cant make it to a theatrical showing!

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/dvd/brad-bir ... 19511.html


Also interesting that Duncan Studio is providing the animation for the 2 new scenes. Im kinda hoping that this is the start of more from Bird and Duncan Studio (2d film please!)

[Sotiris]

I still remember The Snowman. Such a beautifully artistic looking piece of childhood animation, even today. If they remade it now, I would guarantee that it would be CGI.

Actually, a sequel to The Snowman was made in 2012 called The Snowman and the Snowdog and it was in 2D and used the same style as the original. Most of the creative team who worked on the original returned to work on the sequel. You can watch the making-of featurette, here.

Also interesting that Duncan Studio is providing the animation for the 2 new scenes. Im kinda hoping that this is the start of more from Bird and Duncan Studio (2d film please!)

That would be great although I highly doubt it'll ever happen. Duncan Studio issued a press release about their work on the new scenes added to The Iron Giant and the crew is mainly composed of former Disney animators. If only the studio could get out of the work-for-hire model and develop their own projects, they could really do some amazing stuff; they certainly have the talent for it.

In somewhat related news, the educational short Pups of Liberty: The Boston Tea-Bone Party is now available to watch online for free. A lot of Disney animators worked on the short such as Mark Henn, Eric Goldberg, James Lopez, Tony DeRosa, Frans Vischer and more. The sequel Pups of Liberty: The Dog-claration of Independence is also available to watch (and so is the making-of featurette). Disney animators Mark Henn and Dale Baer worked on the sequel as well. You can read an interview about the project with the filmmakers, here.

[Sotiris]

Genndy Tartakovsky wants to have a 2D-animated character in his next CG movie "Can You Imagine" but it's unlikely to happen.

Q: Is there any 2D in it?

Genndy Tartakovsky: There is one character we want to keep 2D running around in his imaginary world. We'll see. I feel like 2D has gotten a rotten reputation now and ends up being in the end credits [including Hotel Transylvania 2], so I'm always trying to push for more. But it's hard enough to sell a CG movie let alone a 2D movie.

Source: http://blogs.indiewire.com/animationsco ... e-20150925

[Sotiris]

Former Disney animator, Ted Ty, also talks about the rift between 2D and CG animators at Disney.

DreamWorks never had a transition or a discrepancy between their CG ranks and their 2D ranks. They trained 2D animators as CG animators and there was never a rift. Whereas that existed at Disney where there were pre-established CG animators who felt this wave of 2D “stars” coming on. Imagine, you’re a CG animator, you’ve established yourself and all of a sudden you hear Alex Kupershmidt, Mark Henn, Ruben Aquino come in and you’re like “Ugh”. There was never that bridge. And no one was gunning for anyone’s job; that’s the funny thing about it.

Source: http://taughtbyapro.com/podcast-28-gett ... -animator/

[disneyprincess11]

Wow. It's that bad?!

[Kyle]

I haven't listened to the podcast yet (I'm about to) but I just cant imagine why any animator would be "Ugh" about an animator specializing in another medium coming on board. Is it that they are used to not being challenged to think of what they do a bit differently to push their medium?

[Jules]

Shouldn't the CG animators at Disney supposedly be great fans of the Disney hand-drawn films, and, hence, of classical 2D animators?

[unprincess]

like I stated before I think its about anxiety over the cutthroat job market in animation. Every 2d animator being employed is a 3d animator that's not employed. Also I sometimes get the feeling that CGI animators resent their technique being seen as cheap and artless and compared negatively to the more artsy hand crafted 2d animation style.

[Kyle]

like I stated before I think its about anxiety over the cutthroat job market in animation. Every 2d animator being employed is a 3d animator that's not employed. Also I sometimes get the feeling that CGI animators resent their technique being seen as cheap and artless and compared negatively to the more artsy hand crafted 2d animation style.

That doesn't really line up with the quote in sotris' post though about how "no one was gunning for anyone’s job". Something else is happening here.