Hand-Drawn Animation Dead at Disney

[Disney Duster]

I remember Goliath presenting an atrticle about an autistic, previously non-speaking boy who spoke to and connected to people through Disney films because he knew so many of us here have some autism. Was his article about Owen, the subject of Life, Animated?

If it was, or even if it wasn't the same boy, anyone know how to search for, or present to us here now, the thread with that article? I read some of the article but never finished it.

[Sotiris]

If it was, or even if it wasn't the same boy, anyone know how to search for, or present to us here now, the thread with that article? I read some of the article but never finished it.

It was the same case. Here is the thread in question.

Yeah, the article I read from a while back didn't have any mention of 3D films that I could remember. But it has been a long time since I read it, I could be wrong.

You're not wrong. There are no CG movies included, not even Toy Story. According to the movie's press kit, the Disney clips included were from the following movies:

• Dumbo
• Bambi
• Peter Pan
• The Little Mermaid
• Beauty and the Beast
• Aladdin
• The Lion King
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame


On a related note, the film was screened at Disney and Owen finally got to meet the few 2D animators left there that he admires so much.

Q: What did Disney think of the finished product?

Roger Ross Williams: They loved it. I feel like they really embraced the film. We just had a screening on the Disney lot. They were really visibly moved because these are Owen’s heroes: the animators, the people who created the characters he lived in for so long. So when they saw how it affected him, and him expressing that to them, it was very, very touching. Owen has memorized the credits of all of these movies. That’s how he taught himself to read. So he knows the credits of any one person from Disney who comes up to him; all the animators, he knows their entire résumé. He’ll tell them every film they ever worked on, and they’re just floored. He knows these facts.

Source: http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/07/li ... s-williams

[Sotiris]

I just learned that 2D animator and character designer Jin Kim left Disney. It's such a pity. Jin was my favorite character designer at WDAS. His amazing drawings was something I always looked forward to with every new CG film.

[DisneyFan09]

I just learned that 2D animator and character designer Jin Kim left Disney. It's such a pity. Jin was my favorite character designer at WDAS. His amazing drawings was something I always looked forward to with every new CG film.

*Sighs*. Unfortunately the best animators and character designers do.

Frankly, Jin Kim wasn't my favorite character designer. I was never compelled by his designs, but he's still not the worst of them. Just to be said.

[disneyprincess11]

[disneyprincess11]

[PatrickvD]

Not all too sad either. His work was ok at best.

His design work for Big Hero 6 was generic crap. Then again so was the movie so maybe that's what he was going for.



Yes I went there. That film did nothing for me.

The stuff on Zootopia was miles better.

[Sotiris]

His work was OK at best. His design work for Big Hero 6 was generic crap.

Character designers don't just do whatever they like. They execute the visual approach they directors want. And all of the Disney movies under Lasseter suffer from generic character designs, no matter the character designer, because that's what the studio's going for.

The stuff on Zootopia was miles better.

He worked on Zootopia too.

[D82]

I just learned that 2D animator and character designer Jin Kim left Disney. It's such a pity. Jin was my favorite character designer at WDAS. His amazing drawings was something I always looked forward to with every new CG film.

He was one of my favourite character designers too. His style is very Disneyish and I like that. It's a shame he has left Disney. I wish him luck with his new studio.

[unprincess]

so sad about Jin leaving. I think his art is fantastic! those mother Gothel drawings are gorgeous.

Gee I hope Owen is doing ok about Disney abandoning hand drawn animation. I know just from my own experience and others on this board that its been especially hard for many of us on the autism spectrum to adjust to an all CGI Disney.

[PatrickvD]

His work was OK at best. His design work for Big Hero 6 was generic crap.

Character designers don't just do whatever they like. They execute the visual approach they directors want. And all of the Disney movies under Lasseter suffer from generic character designs, no matter the character designer, because that's what the studio's going for.

The stuff on Zootopia was miles better.

He worked on Zootopia too.

Oh I understand, but a good character designer can still have his work stand out in spite of working for a specific vision. I always loved Joe Moshiers work for example. Do you know if Lasseter exiled him?

And I meant his work on Zootopia. I know it was him, I should clarified.

[Sotiris]

I always loved Joe Moshiers work for example. Do you know if Lasseter exiled him?

Joe Moshier hasn't worked at WDAS since Bolt. He's been working at DreamWorks ever since (he also did some design work on Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero as a freelancer).

[Sotiris]

Director Jon Binkowski on his animation-inspired indie-feature “CharacterZ”
http://www.animationscoop.com/director- ... haracterz/

[Sotiris]

Ryan Crego, executive producer of "Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh", argues that 2D animation is better suited for TV than CG animation.

Q:​ The show is in hand­drawn animation, not CGI like the movie. Was going with that style a difficult decision to make?

Ryan Crego:​ In a sense, it was critical to my involvement on the show just because I really connect with pushed animation ­ and I think for TV it’s a little more freeing when you’ve got the ability to draw. With CG, there’s a limiting ability to that part of the production. When we’ve got our hand drawn world, we can go explore space…and we don’t really have to negotiate with production. And, stylistically, I really am a big fan of pushing cartoon expressions. We break the mold. We break the character model. We’re very expressive, and it’s a storyboard­driven show, so we rely on our board teams to bring those expressions in the vain of “SpongeBob” or “Adventure Time”.

Source: http://www.animationscoop.com/interview ... th-tip-oh/

Q: Some of DreamWorks’ series after a movie are done in CGI and some are hand-drawn. What were the reasons for opting for hand-drawn animation for this show?

Ryan Crego:​ The reasons were two-fold. First, I feel that we have much more creative freedom in the hand-drawn medium. In CG you have to build assets (characters, sets, props) which can be costly and time consuming by comparison. So if we want to explore a Candy Planet or and Alien Petting Zoo within an episode (like in “Get Me to the Gorg”), we are much more free to do it from a production standpoint. We would still need to design the location, but it can be done a little more easily. The second reason is purely about style. I’m really a fan of comedic 11-minute cartoons. I think what our Art Director, Sue Mondt, did with the cutout inspired backgrounds is magical. And I love the fact that we can push our character animation further in 2D.

Source: http://www.toonzone.net/ryan-crego-talk ... es-tip-oh/

[JTurner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDvVBUPtWO4

There's a pose test by Don Bluth and company related to the DRAGON'S LAIR movie. It looks really promising. I'm hopeful this movie does something for 2D animation.

[DisneyEra]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDvVBUPtWO4

There's a pose test by Don Bluth and company related to the DRAGON'S LAIR movie. It looks really promising. I'm hopeful this movie does something for 2D animation.

Imagine being a Disney Executive watching that! Don Bluth & 2D Animation, I wouldn't want to be in that room

[JTurner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDvVBUPtWO4

There's a pose test by Don Bluth and company related to the DRAGON'S LAIR movie. It looks really promising. I'm hopeful this movie does something for 2D animation.

Imagine being a Disney Executive watching that! Don Bluth & 2D Animation, I wouldn't want to be in that room

Whoever said anything about Disney never doing hand drawn animation again? If movies like this do well, or even if movies like Klaus find their audience, executives may have second thoughts.

[unprincess]

there gonna have to do exceptionally well at the box office. Along with some major tentpole CGI films flopping badly. And even then they might not want to return to hand-drawn just out of spite.

[JTurner]

there gonna have to do exceptionally well at the box office. Along with some major tentpole CGI films flopping badly. And even then they might not want to return to hand-drawn just out of spite.

Never can tell. Who are we to be prognosticators of what will or won't happen?

Of course it won't be easy, but on the other hand, if we keep saying never, then it won't happen. All I'm saying is, don't be TOO hopeful, but don't be too pessimistic either. Trends shift all the time.

[DisneyEra]

Imagine being a Disney Executive watching that! Don Bluth & 2D Animation, I wouldn't want to be in that room

Whoever said anything about Disney never doing hand drawn animation again? If movies like this do well, or even if movies like Klaus find their audience, executives may have second thoughts.

No executive at any major animation studio right now, WDAS, Pixar, Illumination, DreamWorks, Blue Sky & Sony has any thought now of a new 2D animated feature. Each studio has they're own CGI franchises, for the rest of this decade you will be getting sequels to Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Cars, Toy Story, HttyD, Despicable Me, Shrek, Lego, ect. And as long as these films continue to make huge $$$ domestic & abroad, don't expect a new 2D animated feature from the majors. I'm hoping that will all the $$$ WDAS is making now, that someone at the top with greenlight a new 2D feature in the future, hopefully in the 2020s.