Film Business

Traditional 2D Animation Down But Not Out! by Tony White

In the USA traditional hand-drawn animation is now that everyone had to jump off before it considered a lost cause. But is it really down and out? Author went down! and animation director, Tony White, considers the question Beyond the USA this was most and champions his own vision for a new renascence of this old definitely not the case. Here the traditional animation industry still artform. thrives and remains in comparatively rude health. With initiatives such as The demise of the traditional, hand- and art form in general were most the remarkable “Cartoon Movie” event drawn animation industry in America convenient scapegoats! in Europe, the long and continuing occurred quite rapidly in the end. It had What had been increasingly tradition of Manga and Anime in taken over 100 years to grow and mature happening at corporate Disney until Japan and the emergent giant forces the art form but almost in one terminal that point in time was in essence a in India and China picking up 2D swoop of the axe it was suddenly swept 180-degree reversal of what Walt had animation’s baton, the picture is so very away and filed under the ‘antiques’ always believed in when he established different! Yet in the USA, all this seems column. The advent of readily accessible the studio during its golden years. immaterial. It certainly didn’t help that computers and computer animation Walt’s vision was always to create high Michael Eisner was widely reported as was perhaps the first nail in the coffin quality stories for generations to come, pronouncing that “2D is dead!” when of traditionally drawn animation. not next year’s window of marketing he closed the studio in 2002! Somehow But the real collapse occurred when opportunity. But the opposite was now the notion stuck that he actually knew corporate Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, true of the studio that still bore his what he was talking about and from famously closed their amazing 2D great name. Also, big savings were to that moment on the Hollywood ‘movers animation studio in Burbank in 2002. be made in shutting things down and and shakers’ continued to wash their In all honesty it wasn’t as if the Disney there were most likely a few bonuses to hands of traditional animation – except studio was producing great and classic be made in the wake of that decision – of course they outsourced the cheap and animated films at that time. It most that is, if the corporate norm was being nasty stuff abroad! certainly wasn’t! But this wasn’t the upheld. The real problem with the studio fault of the artists or the animators Traditional animators themselves closure however was not so much in who still did their work to high degrees have never given up believing. It is relation to the Disney studio shutdown of skill and integrity. It was more a clear we no longer have the support of specifically, but with the message it question of the terrible judgments the Hollywood hierarchy but we know, sent out to the rest of the industry at made by the upper management – i.e. deep in our hearts, that traditional that time. This effectively flagged to the for green-lighting projects that should animation still has so much to offer. world at large a message that said it was never have seen the light of day in the Even Disney made a feeble, more recent an end of all traditional animation, not first place! Consequently, the closure of attempt at reviving 2D with their The just failed Disney animation. The fallout the studio was more a veiled admission Princess and the Frog movie, but this proved catastrophic. Traditional 2D that the leadership had lost its way and largely unoriginal, unremarkable animation was suddenly a sinking ship that the vulnerable artists, animators pastiche of all that was once great at

48 studentfilmmakers 2011, Vol. 6, No. 2 Disney has actually done more harm the interest it has. It somehow seems apathy. I believe that given one chance, that good. On the other hand, more to have gained momentum with time, the case can be proven that audiences imaginative approaches to traditional not the reverse. I think it hits an itch will still flock to see well-made, animation do offer more than a glimmer that no one has been able to scratch. It imaginative, creatively groundbreaking, of hope. Kung Fu Panda for example was actually unfinished when the book traditional animated movies if given was outstanding as a film and even first came out but the final version opportunity. Let us remember too that proved a bigger success at the box- ultimately became a slow-burner in traditional animation is no longer just office. Critically acclaimed films such terms of its acceptance. Out of respect about ‘cartoons’ any more. Renascence as Triplets of Belleville, Secret of Kells for this I later posted a low-resolution artists and animators everywhere have and more recently, The Illusionist version of it on YouTube and now grown out of that notion long ago. give further signs of hope. (Although sell (via my blogsite) an online DVD Needless to say, my colleagues and I it must be pointed out that all of these version of it (accompanied by my British are sharpening our pencils as we speak! Oscar-nominated movies were made in Academy Award-winning HOKUSAI Each of us is developing a number of Europe!) ~ An Animated Sketchbook as well as new and original concepts so that others a number of my most respected TV As far as the Disney closure was –specifically, in America – will know commercials). A book of the artwork concerned, I had seen the writing on what is possible. Through our work and the making of the film are being the wall some time before. Indeed, we might again attract the financial planned next. as a gesture of defiance against the support to show the world that Michael inevitability of what was happening, At the recent CTN Expo event in Los Eisner was wholly wrong and that I started to write my second book on Angeles I was totally overwhelmed by traditional 2D animation in the USA is traditional animation techniques, all the gestures of support and affection very much alive - and even willing to “Animation from Pencils to Pixels animators from every aspect of the kick some butt to prove it! ~ Classical Techniques for Digital industry have shown me in my defense Animators” a couple of years before. of the medium. I was particularly struck It was my own personal effort to keep by the number of general audience Tony White is an award-winning the knowledge and the principles members who earnestly tell me they author, animator, director and educator of traditional animation alive and totally miss traditionally animated - currently full-time senior lecturer and available. To support this mission I movies - and I am even more surprised program advisor at DigiPen Institute of also embarked on a short film that by the number of computer animators Technology in Redmond, WA, where he was designed to accompany the book who actually wish they could trade-in teaches the ‘Senior Film Project’ class in CD form - “Endangered Species”. their computers for pencils and paper as well as the Advanced Animation for Endangered Species was never really once again! All this proves to me that the Portfolio class. Tony is also founder and designed to be conventional audience great art-form of traditional animation president of Animaticus Foundation, material. Its insider, mockumentary is not in any way dead and buried just a non-profit organization committed to style attempted to highlight the amazing yet, and that a genuine renaissance preserving, teaching and evolving the rise and fall (and the possible rise might be just around the corner. art from of traditional 2D animation again?) of an irreplaceable 2D tradition. in this digital age. The Foundation’s Corporate Disney may have lost the I attempted this by replicating some of main success is in hosting the annual plot on what is needed long ago but I do animation’s finest moments through the 2D OR NOT 2D Animation Festival believe that the artists and animators film, then writing about them in the in Seattle – now in its 5th year, with they left in their wake still have a loud book - explaining why I chose the clips the next one being at the Eames creative voice, if they are enabled to use I did, how they were created originally Theater, Pacific Science Center. it. Traditional animators everywhere and how I replicated them digitally. Tony’s personal blog can be found at wait for a chance to prove themselves http://blog.animaticus.com. I never in all honesty believed once again and my own plans are not in “Endangered Species” would attract any way deterred by current mainstream

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