Will the growth of computer-generated software mean the demise of hand-drawn animation?
By Maisie Mateos
With the evolution of art in the digital age, it’s remarkable how visual imagery has adapted overtime. While technology has become imbedded in every aspect of our lives, it’s warranted to feel as though this developing, digital world, is a threat to the originality of traditional art.
Although the era we’re in now proves that art will forever modify alongside the wizardry of computer software, at times it can feel like a fight for survival to preserve time-honoured talent.
Despite this, society craves for unique mediums of art that curate and communicate stories. Since the drastic evolution of moving imagery, today’s animation successfully thrives across our screens. It seems our appetite for visual creativity hasn't died down one bit.
What began in 1908 from a hand-drawn film called Fantasmagorie – which used multiple frames of sketches to create smooth motion – has incredibly evolved into both a 2D and 3D computer generated art, set to commercially engage and entertain society.
But this raises the concern, can traditional hand-drawn animation survive in the digital age?
Being in the technological world of art, the creations of animation are endless. The advancing software to deliver animated material nowadays, makes you think back to the times when you were first introduced to the original art-style.
I can’t explain the feeling of watching Spirited Away for the first time. My eight-year-old self was completely enthralled by the magical movements and colours within each frame. I also found an odd comfort with the dark spirit, No-face.
It was an experience like no other.
To discover that this enchanting Studio Ghibli film – much like many anime films – was completely hand-drawn, made me even more mesmerised by the traditional art form. I found myself searching for this art-style in every animated film, and re-watched Disney classics that left me with the familiar sentimentality. It was hand-drawn animation where my nostalgia was sparked.
It’s undeniable that computer generated software is most recognisable for its efficiency when producing quality graphics, ideal for 3D animation and video marketing.
Despite traditional hand-drawn animation arguably being the finest medium when it comes to animation looking and sounding authentic, this artform is particularly difficult to produce in real-world applications.
Chiming in digitally from the purple layout of the Discord call, Rachel Huang, a second year Animation student at RMIT, earnestly shared her perspective on the traditional style of animation.
‘Coming from a commercial perspective, digital programs are more efficient to produce animation – especially with the timeframes we are given. It’s not feasible for a large-scale production now to do hand-drawn animation on paper.’
Flicking through Rachel’s captivating Instagram page, I was immediately drawn to her vibrant pastel character designs alongside commissioned fan art. With closer inspection, sharp, animated clips from previous projects vividly enhanced her feed.
Rachel says, ‘Traditional animation is obviously at the root of everything we have now – even digitally it’s a lot … For our assignments, on top of the six weeks of class to plan our project, we still need another six weeks to animate it.’
Although some students flock to the RMIT Animation course to delve into the 3D design and technology behind motion graphics, there are also handy apps like Toon Boom or Adobe Animate, which allow animators to create 2D art styles from the comfort of a digital screen.
While these programs disregard the traditional tools of pencil and paper, a digital pen to an iPad works just as well along the 2D animation journey.
With a soft laugh in her voice, Rachel teased, ‘Twenty-four drawings can only make one second of animation by hand – that’s a lot of labour … I remember I had one 2D animated scene that was only 10 seconds, which took me about three weeks to produce.’
There’s no doubt that computer generated imagery (CGI) has made animation more accessible to a mainstream audience, but it also puts a serious damper on 2D animated films as they're rapidly being replaced by the fast turnout of computer-generated graphics and visual effects.
According to Grand View Research, the global 3D animation market size was valued at US$18.39 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to grow even more from 2022 to 2030.
After the success of The Princess and the Frog in 2009 that welcomed rave reviews and thriving box office sales of US$271 million worldwide, Disney tried once more to reignite the lure for traditional animated films.
In 2011, Winnie the Pooh was released – the last hand-drawn animated film Disney fans would ever see. Not long after, Disney made a devastating statement saying they would no longer be creating traditional hand-drawn animated films, reason being to ‘focus on the story more than the art.’
I spoke to Joy Zou, an RMIT student in her final year of studying Animation, to hear her thoughts on the fading artform. Joy says, ‘Both traditional and digital techniques have their good and bad points. In saying this, digital hand-drawn animation definitely has made art more accessible - it still holds significance even in a world that’s dominated by CGI.’
Joy’s online portfolio is home to her digital illustrations, raw sketches, storyboarding and her smoothly created animated shorts; these are just a glimpse into the power of her palette.
She also uses a software program called TVPaint Animation, which collectively features a wide array of techniques – such as pencil, charcoal, chalk, or watercolour – to achieve the exact same look of traditional sketch animation and art.
‘Before, if you wanted to do animation, you had to buy one of those special desks that you could only get in animation studios and a lot of equipment … Now you can easily buy a tablet and start animating on free software.’
After Joy and I finished raving about the charming art style of Studio Ghibli, we delved deeper into the topic of why Joy preferred 2D hand-drawn animation. After some reflection, Joy simply stated it was the feeling, the aesthetic, and the outcome of the art style.
‘The magic of hand-drawn animation is timeless, you see hand-drawn movies created in 1995 or the 1980s, and you watch them now, it’s still exactly the same. Drawing wise with 3D, it ages quite quickly – especially as technology keeps on developing – you look at CGI films from the early 2000s and just think, oh, that looks bad.’
Joy Zou's animation, peeking into vignettes from different cultures - in the past and present - captivated by the Moon (https://vimeo.com/647992149)
CGI animation is an innovative creation that came with advantages like incredible cost effectiveness, fast processing speeds and most importantly, clean 3D quality, something that hand-drawn animation lacked.
Despite all this, the art of 2D animation will always leave a special place in people’s hearts.
As if viewer demands weren’t loud enough, Disney is rumoured to be releasing a new film called Wish, made completely with the iconic 2D animation style. Wish will centre around a new Disney princess and is set to grace our screens in late 2023. Some are calling this the ‘Disney animation renaissance,’ a return to hand-drawn traditional animation.
When we think of animation, there’s an alluring aspect to the 2D hand-drawn style that CGI can’t offer. It requires diligence and special attention to detail that paves the way for great storytelling and strong character development.
It seems even in this dominating digital age, technological advancements might not be bad for 2D animation. Ultimately, it can flourish in efficient ways that helps animators adapt to art deadlines, while still showcasing their unique style and captivating story through the screen.
Check out more of Rachel Huang and Joy Zou's animations and art below.
Rachel Huang
Rachel’s online portfolio: https://fireia.myportfolio.com/work
Instagram: @fireia_
Joy Zou
Joy’s online portfolio: https://joyzouart.com/
Instagram: @_artybreeze
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