Is hand drawn animation dead?

Bill007

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 16, 2018
I was just curious if anyone knows... Is the hand-drawn animation upon which Disney built its animation empire dead? Are there any plans to do any more movies the 'old-fashioned' way?
 
Pretty much. Even 2-D animation is typically drafted on computers now. There's just no need for ink and paint and all that stuff, and it is much easier to animate using a program than to draw it frame by frame.

Fun fact: The moving tatoos on Maui in Moana were animated by hand and then overlayed onto the CGI character model, so there is at least a vestige of it remaining.
 


While there's no future 2d animated feature in the works at this time, I've heard the upcoming movie sequel Mary Poppins Returns coming this Christmas Day, will have animated sequence which is going to be hand drawn animation like the original Mary Poppins movie. Also, you can still find 2d animation anywhere on tv, internet, and outside of U.S. So, to me, hand drawn animation is not dead. I don't know Disney will ever do another hand drawn animated feature, but all I can say is, who knows what the future holds. But for now, I think getting 2d animated sequence for Mary Poppins Returns is what we're to get for right now.
 
Disney, Dreamworks and others have looked at the American and worldwide box offices determined 2d, "cel" animated features just don't appeal enough to today's audiences to give the return on investment their stockholders desire. Traditional stop-motion studio Laika (Coraline, Boxtrolls, Paranorman, Kudo and the Two Strings) has committed to a 2d feature in the future.

There are still 2d animated features coming out, mostly from Europe and Asia. This decade, theaters have seen Winnie the Pooh (yes, Disney did one in 2011, relying mostly on overseas service studios), Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner (current Oscar nominee), Long Way North, Ernest and Celestine (my fav), A Cat in Paris, The Red Turtle, Arrietty, The Wind Rises, In This Corner of the World, countless other anime, and even My Little Pony: The Movie.

Mary Poppins is not only using 2d animation, I've had friends in the industry hint that they aren't relying on the computer ink and paint Disney has used for 25 years now. There are camera checkers working, which usually means they are using real cels.
 
Disney, Dreamworks and others have looked at the American and worldwide box offices determined 2d, "cel" animated features just don't appeal enough to today's audiences to give the return on investment their stockholders desire. Traditional stop-motion studio Laika (Coraline, Boxtrolls, Paranorman, Kudo and the Two Strings) has committed to a 2d feature in the future.

There are still 2d animated features coming out, mostly from Europe and Asia. This decade, theaters have seen Winnie the Pooh (yes, Disney did one in 2011, relying mostly on overseas service studios), Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner (current Oscar nominee), Long Way North, Ernest and Celestine (my fav), A Cat in Paris, The Red Turtle, Arrietty, The Wind Rises, In This Corner of the World, countless other anime, and even My Little Pony: The Movie.

Mary Poppins is not only using 2d animation, I've had friends in the industry hint that they aren't relying on the computer ink and paint Disney has used for 25 years now. There are camera checkers working, which usually means they are using real cels.
Never mind. I must be over thinking it a little bit.
 


Was Princess and the Frog the last 2D movie?

They need to do more, I absolutely love that film
 

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