2D Animation
Although most people may associate 2D animation with flat drawings and comic books, that’s not always the case. We need to remember that even 2D drawings can have 3D aspects. In fact, most of the classic Disney films like the Lion King are associated with 2D animation. But how did animation start? Well, one of the first processes of 2D animation is what we now know as a flip book. By using optical illusions, artists can draw a character on to paper or panels and layer them. The closer each drawing is to the one before, the smoother the picture will look when “flipped through.” It’s kind of amazing how our brain can process so many pictures. In fact, according to psychology studies, the eyes and the brain do not see and process movement, but images. So really, everything we see is only images.
image courtesy by benjaminclancy.com
Traditional 2D animation was just the same. By making drawings with subtle changes from the one before, an average of 24 drawings per second were shown in rapid succession to create an illusion of movement. After creating and finalizing the drawings and the visuals, sound may or may not have been added depending on the time. Nowadays, there are no more silent films, but the way sound was added was also quite the same. Although microphones and technological advancements have allowed for realistic films to not have to process the visuals and audio separately, animations still require to do so. Take a look at the flip books on the internet. There are many ranging from amateur drawers drawing stick figure fights, to a more decent flip book of Michael Jackson’s performance.
It’s not hard to make a flip book. You can try it with post it notes and a pen. Realize a theme and your main character. Then draw with a pen by pressing a bit hard on to the paper so that the creases will show on your next. Then draw the subtle changes on the next page by looking at the creases. It doesn’t take a professional to draw 2D animation and it’s amazing how the illusion works. It’s even more fascinating to know how much animation has evolved since then.
End of Hand Drawn Animation
One thing’s changed for sure in the past twenty years with animation films. There are nearly no more hand-drawn animated films. The impact computers and the growth in technology has had on animation films is remarkable. Added depth, color, and realism is just few of the aspects that computers have contributed to animated films. Now, it seems as if hand drawn animated films are old fashioned and out of date, and that might be just the way to put it.
Not to say that hand drawn animated films are bad, but just there’s really no need for them anymore. Back when Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc. were made, all hand drawn animated films, no doubt had a huge impact and with a ton of popularity even to this day. However, when Pocahantas came out, there were many skepticism and varied responses from the audience. That same year, Toy Story came out as a big hit which could be marked as the beginning of the end of hand drawn animation.
image courtesy by theguardian.com
Pixar, had a long run with computerized animated films, with The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and Up, all of which had incredible reviews. And now, we live in an age where hand drawn animated films are rare. In fact, just last year in 2013, Disney cut many of its employees, the majority of it being famed illustrators. Most work done now is computerized, and if for some reason a hand drawn animation was released, it would seem as if it were a step back. Especially since Pixar’s remarkable animations showed the difference between hand drawn animation and computerized.
Although Ghibli and its animations like the Castle In the Sky has been dominant from Japan, they saw their downfall with Hayao Mizayaki’s withdrawall. With most animations coming out computerized, it seems as if hand drawn animation is dead. We can only wait for what’s next in innovation.
No More Stop Motion
No matter how childish a film may be or what kind of audience an animated film is for, the utmost care and precision is placed upon the work. In this generation were even our phones have high HD capabilities, ordinary graphics just don’t appeal to us. Always looking for better graphics, better effects, stunning is the word we all look for when it comes to films. Although animated films may be for young viewers, a ton of work, maybe even more than realistic films is put into creating the perfect film. Even a leaf is not left untouched. Everything from the characters to the scenery are processed so that every scene, every clip would be as naturalistic as possible.
Like everything, animated films start with an idea. A concept that can be original or from another source that’s worked around. These ideas are combined with a story and are drafted like a sketchbook by artists. Which then if approved, the drawings are put in digitally to be worked upon. Although most animated films are not created through stop motion process alone, the draft alone takes about 18 months to complete. But the sketches don’t just end there. Color, toning, and visual development has to take place, which after, the characters are modeled and rigged. To bring action to these drawings, thousands of character movements are physically drawn and modeled so that later, they can be used to start smooth movement unlike choppy ones that are shown in many stop motion films.
image courtesy by dreamworksanimation.com
Although it doesn’t seem as much compared to stop motion film, we need to realize that with the advance in technology, 3D films are also created, and many 2D films even use the process and technology to make the film visually 3D like. After a layout of the film has been made, effects and lighting need to take place, just like realistic films. Casting, sound, and much more are then incorporated with it. Although I’m butchering the process of creating animated films, it would be far too complicated to even explain one portion of the process with excruciating detail. Also because of the change and advance of technology, the process is even altered sometimes unlike realistic films where acting may all be much the same, yet the effects are advanced. A lot of work is put into animated films then people realize and they are sometimes underappreciated. But each animated film brings a uniqueness that no other animated films can bring in some way shape or form. It’s time to open our eyes to appreciate the hard work and process put into “children films.”
Artistic Value of Animated Films
When we think about animated films, most may consider them films for children or think of Disney, Pixar, Japanese Anime, TV shows, etc. They’re often belittled compared to realistic films simply because we have more in common and can relate to realistic films. Not only that, but now in the year of 2014, we have better graphics, effects, and technology to incorporate anything into films making them look realistic. In fact, many animated films are being remade into realistic films, such as Malificient. However, there are still many that animated films have to offer that realistic films can’t.
Although realistic films also contain color, the colors of animated films are somewhat different. They seem more enhanced and bright much like a toy and is probably why these films appeal to many children as well. However, when working with animated films, the use of colors is infinite, as there are even hundreds of tones of a single color. This can often set the mood to show the audience before the action what to expect. It goes hand in hand with the action to provide a very detailed and accurate definition of how the film wants the audience to feel. Although films originally started as black and white motion pictures, the use of colors and even the absence of colors has had a huge impact on film experience and animated films are of no exception.
image courtesy by toystory.disney.com
However, what’s even greater about animated films is that there are literally tons of options in the creation of characters, all of which possesses unique abilities and characteristics. An example would be Toy Story. Not only does each toy possess uniqueness, but the characters as well. This can be quite difficult with realistic films as the actors and actresses are relied on for the characteristics of the character portrayed. The uniqueness of the characters makes for artistic value in their creation that are later used symbolically to portray that character. In fact, the uniqueness of the characters is what attracts people to those specific characters. People buy, trade, and collect these figures after seeing them in action on films and for that very reason. The artistic value of these characters goes well beyond the screen and into marketing for toys, drawing books, and many more.
You may think that this may be ridiculous for adults, but even adults are affected by the artistic values of animated films. Animated films may not always be for children. An example of an adult animated film would be The Simpsons. Japanese animated films such as Gundam were and still to this day remain popular to many fans whose age range widely. In fact, the unique characters’ action figures can cost over a hundred dollars for a single one and thousands for collectors’ editions. They all started as films and on screen productions that led to the wide spread popularity of their unique characteristics. Although there are instances where realistic films can have as much popularity and demand as animated films, many are remade films such as previously stated Malificient, or even a better example, the Star Wars series. The artistic value of animated films simply cannot be argued due to this very fact.
The Art of Animation 
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