2DAnimationasaDigitallyProducedArtForm|1

ThePotentialof2DAnimationasaDigitallyProducedArtForm
TylerJ.Kupferer
www.base14.com
December1,2008

2DAnimationasaDigitallyProducedArtForm|2
Thecomputergraphicsimageryrevolutionofthepastdecadehasbrought3Danimation
totheforefrontinHollywoodcinema,leadingtothepopularopinionthat2Danimationis
obsolete.However,digitalanimationtechniquesaregivingrisetoanewincarnationof2D
animationasadigitalartform.Thequality,accessibility,efficiencyandvitalityofdigital
productionallowsfornewstylesof2Danimationnotpossiblebeforetheadventofcomputer
graphics.Computersallowforentirelynewwaysofproducing,managingandenjoyinganimated
films.Muchofthepublicsees3Danimationastheproductofthisdigitalrevolution,and
anythingelseasobsolete.But3Danimationisonlyhalfofalargerdigitalrevolutionforallforms
ofanimation.Thesuccessof3Dhasledtoamajoroversightofthepotentialfor2Danimationin
adigitalmedium.Thispotentialwillbegintoberealizedinthecomingyearsasdigital2D
animationprocessesmatureandrisingartistspushtheboundariesofinnovationthatdigital
productionsystemsallow.
Background
Whilemanypioneersofanimationweredabblinginfilmanddrawingsduringthelate
1800s,thefirsttrueexampleofAmericananimationisbyJamesStuartBlackton,whowas
introducedtofilmmakingbyThomasEdison.Blacktonproducedseveralpiecescombininglive
actionwithsomestopmotionanimation,andeventuallymadeHumorousPhasesofFunnyFaces
(Fig.1),featuringstopmotionshotsofdrawingsonablackboard.Itisoftenconsideredthefirst
trueanimatedfilm.Animationtechniquesquicklydevelopedthankstocontributionsof
additionalpioneerslikemileCohl,WinsorMcCayandWaltDisney.Within30years,ithad
solidifiedasaspecificartform.
Throughoutthe20thcentury,Animationasanartformhadsplitoffintoawiderangeof
stylesandtechniques.2Danimationwastheflagshipoftheindustrysinceitstightercontrol
allowedforfluidmovementandlivelycharacterperformances.Thedevelopmentoflimited
animation,oranimationthatisstylednottofollowarealisticapproach,allowed2Danimation

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tobeproducedatapracticalspeedandcostformassdistributionontelevision.Meanwhile,
stopmotionanimationlanguishedasadistantsecondto2D.Althoughitofferedtheadvantage
ofnotrequiringcontinuousredrawingofcharacters,thetechniqueproducedstiff,chunky
movementandrequiredmorecapitoltobuildsetsandcharacters.
Duringthe80s,computergraphicsimagerybegantoemergeasanewtoolforproducing
specialeffectsinfilmandtelevision.IndustrialLightandMagic,thecompanyfoundedbyGeorge
LucasforproducingspecialeffectsinStarWars,establishedaCGIdepartmentin1979for
producingeffectsinhisfilms.ThiscomputergraphicsdepartmentwaseventuallysoldtoSteve
Jobsin1986.DubbedPixar,itsetoutasacomputerhardwarecompanysellingCGIsystemsto
governmentandmedicalorganizations.PixarbeganproducingshortCGIanimationsto
demonstratetheusesoftheirhardwareandsubmittedtheshortstoSIGGRAPH,provingthe
practicalityofCGIanimation.In1995,ToyStorywasreleased,markingthefirstfullyCGIfeature
filminthehistoryofanimation.ThesuccessofToyStoryandsubsequentPixarmoviesproved
that3Danimationwasaviabletechniquefortheentertainmentindustry,andbytheearly
2000s,severalotherbigstudiosadoptedthetechniquewiththeirown3Danimation
departments.Thisshiftinattentionto3Danimatedfilmscausedasteepdeclinein2Danimation
projects.Asoftoday,Disneyhasnotreleaseda2Danimatedfilmintheaterssince2004.
AComparisonof2Dand3D
Currently,3Danimatedfeaturefilmsdominatetheboxoffice.Apopularopinionexists
that2Danimationincinemaisanobsoletetechnology,inferiorto3Danimation.Thishadleadto
amajoroversightregardingtherelationshipbetween2Dand3Danimationstylesandhowthey
havetransitionedintoadigitalworld.Itistruethatdigital3Danimationdoeshavesome
advantagesovertraditional2Danimation,buttocomparethesetwoanimationtechniques
directlyisabitshortsighted.

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Whatthemajorityofthepublicdoesnotrealizeisthat3Danimationismore
appropriatelycomparedtotraditionalstopmotionanimationbecauseitis,essentially,adigital
recreationofastopmotionproductionprocess.Itisironicthatthemostpopulartypeof
cinematicanimationtodayisbasedonthetechniquesthatlanguishedinthebackgroundfor
mostofthepastcentury.Ina3Drealm,charactersaremodeledandriggedverysimilarlyto
stopmotionfigurines.Justasinstopmotion,thecharactersareplacedinenvironmentswith
camerasandlights,andtheworldisanimatedframebyframetocreatetheillusionofmotion.
Theonlymajordifferencebetweenstopmotionanimationand3Danimationisthatwith3D,the
entiresetexistsdigitally.Theextremecontroloverthisdigitalrealityallowsformovementand
aestheticqualitiesneverbeforepossibleinstopmotion.CGIwassuchahugestepforwardfor
stopmotionthatitwashardtodrawobviousconnections,andgave3Danimationamore
uniqueidentityasanentirelynewformofanimation.
Thiselusiveconnectioncanbedemonstratedbyanalyzingthe2006animatedfilm
FlushedAway(Fig.2),acollaborationbetweenAardmanAnimationsandDreamworks
Animation.Aardman,ofWallaceandGromitfame,hasalongreputationasamodern,successful
stopmotionanimationstudio.DuringtheproductionofthefeaturefilmFlushedAway,the
significantroleofwaterinthestorypresentedaproblemforthestopmotiontechniques
normallyused.Waterisparticularlydifficulttofilminstopmotionandcaneasilydamagethe
plasticinecharactermodels.Inordertoavoidmajorproductionproblems,Aardmandecidedto
createtheentirefilmusingmodernCGIanimation.Artistscreatedthedigitalcharactermodels
directlyfromtheplasticinemodels,andinordertomorefullyemulateastopmotionfeel,
animatorsdidnotaddmotionblurtothemouthsofthespeakingcharacters.Whatresultedwas
amoviethatlooksandfeelsagreatdeallikeAardmanspreviousstopmotionwork,butis
completelydigitallycreated.WhencomparedtoAardmansmostrecentstopmotionfeature,
Wallace&GromitinTheCurseoftheWereRabbit(Fig.3),thesimilaritiesarenumerous.The3D

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spaceisclearlydefinedwithphotographicdepthoffieldandvolumetricshadingonfigures.Both
filmsalsofeaturesimilarusageofbrightcolorsandthreepointlightingsystems.When
comparingstillframes,FlushedAwayhasaslightlysmoother,softerlook,whileWallace&Gromit
inTheCurseoftheWereRabbithasagrittierappearance;therealworldsethasamorecomplex
interplayofshadowandambientlight,andthemodelsfeaturemoreerratictextureswitha
greaterdegreeofrealworldimperfectionsnotduplicatedintheCGIfilm.Overall,though,they
areverymuchalike.
Still,FlushedAwayisaboutascloseas3Danimationcomestostopmotion.The
technologyhasbeguntodiversifysinceitscreationasartistsexploretherangeofstylespossible
inthemedium.ComparetheAardmanaestheticofFlushedAwaytothephotorealisticstyleof
FinalFantasy:TheSpiritsWithin(Fig.4),thewoodenmarionettestyleofStarWars:TheClone
Wars(Fig.5)orthecelshadedcomicstyleofWaltzwithBashir(Fig.6).Eachstyleattemptsto
emulateaparticularkindofaestheticfoundinothergenresofart.Asresearchexpands,new
kindsof3Drenderingalgorithmsallowforthesenewartisitcstyles.Aswithtraditionalformsof
animation,artistswillinstigateresearchanddevelopmentastheysearchfornewwaystorealize
theircreativevisions.
Whilethismultitudeofaestheticstylesseemsquitediverse,itisthemotionofthe
charactersthatconnectsthemallasdigital3Dentities.ReturningtothecomparisonofFlushed
AwayandWallace&GromitinTheCurseoftheWereRabbit,3Danimationtakesahugestep
awayfromitsstopmotioncounterpartoncethecharactersmove.Comparedtostopmotion,the
controlandprecisionofdigital3Danimationwiththistechnique,whendonewell,allowsitto
producemuchmoreconvincingmotionandimmersiveworldsforanaudience.Thiswasthe
appealthatcausedtraditional2Danimationtooutshinestopmotion,sinceits2Dplaneallowed
artiststocreatesmoother,moreappealingmotionwithoutworryingaboutathirddimension.If
digitalanimationisnotdonewell,however,itwillshowinthecharactersunnaturalmovements

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causedbythelineartweeningofthecomputer.Thissameproblemexistsindigital2Danimation,
whenautomatedtweeningisappliedto2Dtransitions.
Justasstopmotionanimationhasfoundnewlifeinadigitalmedium,traditional2D
animationhasadigitalequivalent.Therealissueisthatthedisparitybetweentheappearances
oftraditionalanddigitalismuchless,althoughthiscouldchangeintime.With2Danimation,a
setisnotbuiltnorisacharacterrigged(inmostcases).Instead,everythingisdirectlycreatedin
therealmofthevisualplane.Thetransformationofstopmotionintoadigitalrealmof3D
animationcanbejustassignificantfor2Danimation,butithasyettobecompletelyrealized.
Quality
Duringthepasttwodecades,digitaltechniqueshaveslowlybeenchangingthewaythat
traditional2Danimationisproduced.Inthelate80s,DisneyandPixarhaddevelopedthe
ComputerAnimationProductionSystem,alargecollectionofhardwareandsoftwaredesigned
tocomputerizethepostproductionprocessofcelanimation,makingallinking,paintingand
sequencingofframesdigitized.Artiststillcreatedalltheframesandbackgroundsbyhand,on
paper,butCAPSprovidedamoreefficientwayofpaintingandcompilingthesedrawingsafter
theyweredone.Itisimportanttopointoutthattheconceptofcompletedigital2Danimation
woulduseacomputerdigitalfromstarttofinish.Theprocesswouldbeessentiallypaperless.
Insteadofdrawingframesonpaper,theartistswouldbecreatingalldrawingsinadigital
environmenteitherusingdrawingtabletsoralternativedigitalillustrationtechniques.CAPS,
therefore,hasbeenakindofintermediarystepfromatraditionalworldtothedigitalage.
Tohighlightthedifferencesbetweentraditional2Danimationanddigital2Danimation,
oneshouldconsidertheevolutionofTheSimpsonscartoonfranchise.WhenTheSimpsonsstarted
outin1989,thecartoonwasproducedviacompletelytraditionalmeans(Fig.7).Drawingswere
inkedoncelluloidandpainted,andthepaintedcelswerethenstacked,photographedand
edited.Thesignaturesofthistraditionalprocessincludethecelflaresaroundcharactersagainst

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backgrounds,lightfalloffandcolordistortionacrossthevisualplane,aswellascolor
inconsistenciesacrosscharactercels.ThecreatorsofTheSimpsonsweresomeofthelongest
holdoutsinanindustryquicklyconvertingtoCAPSlikesystems.Bytheendofthe90s,the
producerswereforcedtoswitchtodigitalpaintingbecausealltraditionalcelpainting
companieshadgoneoutofbusiness.In2006,whileproducingTheSimpsonsMovie(Fig.8),
producersadoptedanentirelypaperlessprocess.Animatorsillustratedcharacterswithtablet
drawingscreens,theninkedandpaintedtheartdigitallyaswell.Thisentirelydigitalprocess
resultedinavisuallyrefinedstyle,andofferedseveraluniqueadvantages.InTheSimpsons
Movie,celflaresareavoided,linequalityandweightiscontinuallyconsistent,andcoloris
uniformspatiallyandtemporally.Thecharactersandobjectsallfeatureregularuseofshadows
toadddepth,andthemoviewasproducedwithalargercolorpalettethaneverusedonthe
televisionshow(Brooks,2007).
Qualitybenefitsfromdigitalproductionbecauseonthecomputer,mistakescanalways
becorrected.AllthesamefeaturesthatstandoutinTheSimpsonsMoviecanbecarefully
controlledinadigitalform.Clearly,digitalproductionoffersseveraladvantagesthatare
immediatelyvisiblewhenviewingthefinalproductofapiece.Buttherearefarmoresignificant
advantagesinthebackendoftheanimationprocessthatbarementioning.
Accessibility
Thesecondmajoradvantageofdigital2Danimationtobewidelyrecognizedisitsability
tocatertoawiderangeofproductionteams,allthewaydowntoasingleperson.Oneofthe
caveatsoftraditional2Danimationisthehugedemandsofresourcesandmanpowerto
accomplishanythingworthwhile.Theprocessrequired,fromstarttofinish,alargecoalitionof
artists,materialsandequipment.AsSimonDownsofLoughboroughUniversitystates,The
problemofanimationhasalwaysbeenoneofscale.Themagnitudeoftheleapfromstudent
animatortobroadcastprofessionalwaslargeandfrequentlyoverwhelming.(Wells,2006).The

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hugedemandsmeantthatanykindoftraditionalanimationwasalargeandteamdriven
endeavor,andnotasolitaryactivity.Butdigital2Danimationbroughtwithitthetoolsthat
changedthescopeofhow2Danimationcouldbeproduced,editedanddistributed.Programs
suchasFlashandToonBoomofferframebyframeillustrationonadigitalstage,where
characters,backgroundsandpropscanbecreatedandcombineddigitallywithouttheneedof
expensivecelluloid,paints,lightingandfilmequipment.Digital2Danimationhastheunique
abilitytoscaleinitsscope,fromahugeHollywoodfeaturefilmtothesimplestshort,allowing
forasinglepersontoproducetheirownfilmfromstarttofinish.
Thisisbynomeansanexaggeration,ascanbeseeninthefilmRomeo&Juliet:Sealed
withaKiss(Fig.9).FormerDisneyanimatorPhilNibbelinkwrote,directedandanimatedthe
entirefilmbyhimselfoverthecourseof4years.Nikkelinkusedanentirelydigitalproduction
pipeline,doingalltheillustrationandpaintingwithadrawingtabletinFlash4.Hewasableto
getalimitedtheatricalreleaseofhisfilmandgainedasmallfollowingasapioneerofthemost
extremetypeofindependentfilmmaking(ColdHardFlash,2006).Nikkelinkseffort
demonstratesanentirelynewavenuenowavailabletostorytellers,whereentirelydigital
productionsystemscaneliminatetheneedforalargestudioinfrastructure.
Thisrangeofaccessibilityhelpsputthebasictoolsofanimationinthehandsofamuch
wideraudience.However,qualityofcraftsmanshipbecomesaconcern:ThelowcostofFlash,
however,turnedeveryoneintoaFlashanimatorinmuchthesamewaythateveryoneyoumet
wasaDJ,oreveryonewasworkingonascripttherewasntalwaysaguaranteeofquality.
(Wells,2006).NikkelinkhadtheadvantageofbeingaprofessionaltrainedandpracticedDisney
animator,andwaswellversedinthefeatureproductionprocess.Accessibilitydoespresenta
doubleedgedswordwhenitallowsunqualifiedartiststoproducesubparanimationand
infiltratemediasourceswithlowerqualitywork.Thiscanattachanegativeassociationto
digitallyproducedwork.

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Someformsofanimationdonotevenrequiretheartisttobetrainedasananimator.In
machinima,videoiscapturedinrealtimefromvirtualsimulations.Artistscontrolcharacters
withinasceneandactoutthedesiredmotion,insteadofcreatinganimationframebyframe.
Thisprocessevolvedfromtheinteractivityinvideogames,whenplayersfoundthattheycould
usetherealtimerenderingwithinagamesworldasastorytellingdevice.Severalpopular
machinimaserieshaveemergedontheInternet,suchasRedvsBlue:TheBloodGulchChronicles
(Fig.10).UsingthevideogameHalo,playercharactersaremanipulated,theirmotionisdubbed
withdialogueandthefootageiseditedtocreateananimatedfilm.Thisprocessisessentiallya
realtime3Danimationtool.Theramificationsofthistechniqueareinteresting.If3Danimation
isanalogoustostopmotion,thatwouldmakemachinimaanalogoustodigitalpuppetry.Could
realtimeanimationalsobeapracticalapproachfor2Danimation?Consideringthereisnotrue
2Dequivalenttopuppetry,aliveaction2Danimationtechniquewouldrequireanentirely
originalprocessdesign.Intheauthorsopinion,itmeritsexperimentation.
Efficiency
Traditionalproductionof2Danimationcreateshugeburdensonastudiothatare
lessenedunderadigitalproductionsystem.Intraditional2Danimation,aslowmoving
characterrequiresanewdrawingforeveryotherframeofthefilm.Ifthecharacterismoving
quickly,anewdrawingmustbecreatedforeverysingleframe.Digitalanimation,both2Dand
3Dalike,introducestheoptionofautomatedinbetweening,ortweening.Thistechnologyisa
digitalanalogytotweeningprocessthathasbeenpartoftheanimationprocesssinceits
inception.Aleadanimatorsmostimportantroleistoillustratethemostimportantposesfora
characterinmotion.Butratherthandrawingeverysinglevariationofthosepositions
themselves,theanimatorpassesthesekeypositionstoatweeningartist,whothendrawsthe
inbetweenframesbasedontheleadanimatorsdrawings.Thecomputertakesthisprocessone
stepfurther,byeliminatingthehumanandmakingitalldigital.Whentweeningdigitally,

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animationsoftwareusesalgorithmstodraweachframeinbetweenapairofextremepositions
createdbythedigitalartist.
Anothermajorhurdlefortraditionalmethodsliesintherelativecostofproducing
animationintherealworld.Bothprocesseswillrequireexpensiveequipmenttoproducequality
work,buttraditionalanimationrequiresadditionaloverheadinordertoproducefinalanimated
video:film,paper,drawingsupplies,ink,paintandcelluloid.Thesematerialsareallunneededin
adigitalproductionpipeline.
Digitalproductiontechniquesnotonlysavemoney,theyalsosavetime.Whendrawing
traditionalframebyframeanimation,anartistwouldneedtorundemosessionstorecordand
testthequalityofacharactermovementorruncycle.Thiswouldtakeatleast24hoursforthe
animationtobeshippedtothephotographer,recordedontofilmandthefilmsentbacktothe
animatorforreview.Butinadigitalworld,thatmotioncanbecreatedandplayedbackinstantly,
allowingtheartisttoimmediatelyidentifyandcorrectmistakes.Inkingandpaintinghasalarge
degreeofunknownsinatraditionalsenseaswell.WhenproducingTheSimpsons,theproducers
wouldshipkeydrawingsandtimesheetstothetweeningandpaintingstudioonKorea,andtwo
orthreemonthslatertheanimationwouldcomebackinfullyinked,paintedform.Butno
processisperfect,andseveralretakeswererequestedforeveryepisode.Theseretakesareboth
timeconsumingandexpensive,andrequireadditionaltimeastheproducerswaitforthe
retakestobecompleted,inserted,andreviewed.Digitalproductionallowsartiststoavoidallof
theseburdens;renderingasceneonacomputertakesminutestodoataskthatusedtotake
months.
Workinginadigitalrealmofferstheabilitytocorrectmistakes,workingtowardsapre
establishedvision,buttheflexibilityofthemediumalsoallowforhighlevelsofexperimentation
neverbeforepossible.Swappableassetsandcharactersallowforendlesspossibilities,andthe
relativeeaseofswappingtheseassetsmakesexperimentationaworthwhileinvestmentwhen

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developingaproject.Artistscaninstantlycreatemultiplerendersofdifferentbackgrounds,
propsorcharacters.Theycanmodifyspeed,duration,positionandscaletoanydegreeand
almostinstantlycompareresults.Thisquickandinexpensiveexperimentationiscrucialto
developingthepotentialofdigitalanimationasadevicefornewkindsofstorytelling.
Anotherlargeadvantageofdigital2Dproductionistheabilitytoreusematerial
indefinitelythroughoutasingleepisodeoracrossanentireseriesofshows.Digitalassetsin
productionpipelinesneverlosequalityandrequirezeroadditionaltimeormoneytoimplement
intonewfootage.Theseassetscanalsobeduplicated.Soifthescriptcallsforaforestorsnow
storm,artistsneednotcreatehundredsoftreesorthousandsofsnowflakes,theyonlyneedto
createone.Fromtheretheassetcanbeclonedandinstancedacrossthescene,saving
amplitudesoftimeandenergy.Digitalanimationalsohastheclearadvantageofbeinginfinitely
sharableanddistributable.Ifmorethanonestudioisworkingonthesameproject,andassets
needtobesharedbetweencollaborators,digitalassetscanbesharedinstantlyandforan
infinitesimallysmallamount.
Vitality
Digital2Danimationfounditsfirstpracticalapplicationsasanidealdistribution
mechanismduringtherelativelyearlydaysoftheInternet.Whendialupaccesswasprevalent,
connectionsandcodecsalikewerenotpowerfulenoughtoprovidestreamingvideoasweknow
ittoday.Instead,2Dvectoranimationwastheidealwayofdeliveringstreamlinedanimation
duringtheendifthe90s.Thiswastheoriginaldrivingforceofthedevelopmentdigital2D
animation.
SinceFlashbeganasanecessityfordeliveringanimationoverlowbandwidth
connections,contentcreatedinFlashisoftenassumedasoverlysimplistic.Thisisapparentin
theearliestepisodesofthewebcartoonseriesHomestarRunner(Fig.11).Launchedin2000,
HomestarRunnerstartedoutinanextremelycrudeformtokeepfilesizeslowandreachawider

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audience.Whilethelookisgreatlyrefinedtoday,HomestarRunnerstillisdistributedinits
nativeFlashformat.Inordertokeepfilesizessmall,thisclassicFlashstylerequirestheuseof
primitiveshapes,solidcolors,limitedshadingandnotextures.Ithascometobethestylemost
oftenassociatedwithFlashanimation.
Today,thewidespreadavailablyofbroadbandInternetconnectionsandmaturityof
streamingvideoproliferationhaschangedthewaywebcontentisviewed.Insteadofdelivering
animationinaFlashformat,ithasbecomemoreacceptabletoconvertFlashanimationinto
videoforsiteslikeYouTubeandMetacafe.ThismeansthatthestyleofFlashanimationisno
longerdictatedbybandwidthconstraints,butisfreetoadaptanylookorfeelimaginable.
Nickelodeonsfirstalldigitalcartoonseries,ElTigre:TheAdventuresofMannyRivera(Fig.12),
demonstratestheinfluenceofthisstyleonpopularcultureandmodernprofessional
productions.ElTigreisanimatedinFlash,butoffersarichvariationontheearlierFlash
cartoonsoftheInternet.Becauseitisbeingproducedfortelevisionandvideodistribution,
simplicityofthefiguresisirrelevant.Higherlevelsofdetailwillnolongeradverselyaffectvideo
filesize.Thereforeartistsarefreetoillustratethecharactersinanywaytheychoose.Characters
inElTigrearerichindetail,colorgradients,surfacetextures,andlightingeffects.Environments
featurevarioussurfacetexturesanddetails.Whiletheoverallstyleborrowstheunrealistichard
edges,smoothcurvesandsharpcornersofclassicFlashart,theadditionaldetailallowsthe
styletodefineauniquefeelforthecartoon,freefromtheclassicFlasharchetype.Theroleasa
spacesaverputalotofrestrictionsonwhatcouldbedonewith2Danimationandkeptthe
digitalworldlockedinafairlyrudimentarystyleforseveralyears.Butthiskindofmodern
thinkinghasallowed2Ddigitalanimationtonotbestereotypedasatoolforbandwidthshaving,
butanentiretynewmediumforstorytelling.
Onecouldarguethatthereisalargeamountofunexploredvalueintheabstractionof
traditionalanimationideaswithinadigitalrealm.Whenphotographygainedprominenceasthe

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newwaytocaptureandrepresentreality,paintingwasfreedfromtheburdenandbeganto
evolveinnewwaysthatledtocontemporaryartabstraction.If3Danimationbeginstotakeon
theroleoftheidealrepresentationofanobjectivereality,thenperhaps2Danimationwill
branchoutintomoreabstractformsofexpressioninmuchthesameway.Digitalproduction
alsowouldhelpfacilitatethis,becausetheartisnolongerconfinedtopenandinkmaterials.
Colors,linesandshapescanbecreateddigitallyinaninfinitevarietyofstyles.
Therealsoisagreatdealofunexploredterritoryinhybridstyleanimation:the
combinationofcore2Dassetsand3Drenderedelements.Thisisactuallywhere3Danimation
firstenteredthemainstreammedia,asitwasfirstimplementedintocomplexenvironmentsin
largeDisneymoviessuchasBeautyandtheBeast(Fig.13).IntheballroomsequenceofBeauty
andtheBeast,theballroomitselfwasa3Drenderedenvironment.Thisearlyuseof3Dis
apparent,withitsextensiveuseoflightinggradientsandmaterialtextures.Themotionofthe
roomstandsoutaswell,sincetraditionalbackgroundshardlyeverchangedshapeand
perspectiveincongruencewithforegroundcharacters.3Danimationfoundothermethodsof
fittinginto2Danimatedgenres.IntheCartoonNetworkminiseriesStarWars:CloneWars(Fig.
14),3Dobjectslikebuildingsandshipswererenderedtocoherewiththeflat,cartoonstyle
developedfortheshow.Byusingashadingalgorithmtoreplicatethelookofpainted2D
cartoons,inorganicobjectscouldbequicklyandconsistentlyrenderedin3D,ataskthatwould
havebeenverylaboriousifdonebyhand.Inthefigureshown,theclonesoldiersarenormal2D
illustrations,buttheshipbehindthemisa3Dmodelthathasbeenrenderedtomatchthe
charactersstyle.Alternatively,3Dmodelingcanbecomposedofanynumberof2Dand3D
elements.Theratiooftheseelementscanhavealargeimpactofthestyleofthescene,andisan
areaofgreatpotentialforfutureexperimentation.
Theextremerushto3Dfeatureshasalreadycreatedadesiretoreturntothenostalgic
appealsof2Danimation.Withtheupcoming3DanimatedDisneyfilmRapunzel(Fig.15),

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directorGlenKeanehasexpressedhisintenttopushthecapabilitiestowardamoretraditional
look:AftertwoyearsoffindingthatthereissomethingspecialabouthanddrawnpushingCGin
adirectionthatcanhappen,Irealizedthatthisisanecessarydrive.Iwanttomakethecomputer
benditsknee,toexecutewhatanartistenvisions,tomakeitrespondlikeapencil.(Animation
WorldMagazine,2006)Asthefigureshows,theconceptualstyleofRapunzelisbeingpushedto
resembleanoilpainting.Keanementionsthathedoesnotwantcomplexfeatureslike
photorealistichair;insteadhewantstoinstillawarmkindofsincerityinthestyleofthefilm,a
kindofmoredimensionalanimation.
TheFutureofAnimation
In2004,theDisneyFeatureAnimationdepartmentdecidedthataudiencesonlywanted
tosee3Danimatedfilmsandconsequentlyshutdowntheirtraditional2Danimationstudio.The
ComputerAnimationProductionSystemthathadchangedthewayanimatedfeaturefilmswere
producedonly15yearsearlierwascompleteddismantledandscrapped.OnlyoneCAPS
machinewasleftinstalledforreadingoldmoviesmadeinthisformat.Thebestknownnamein
animatedfeaturefilmsofthelastcenturyhadgivenupon2D.
CAPSwaslastusedduringproductionoftheanimatedshort,TheLittleMatchGirl(Fig.
16).Thefilmwascreatedusingthesame2DprocessasallDisneyfeaturesoverthepastdecade,
butbecameachannelforthegrowingdesireamongdirectorstotrynewstylesinanimation.
DirectorRogerAllerswantedTheLittleMatchGirltohaveawatercolorlooktomatchthe
paintedbackgrounds.Thefilmsartisticcoordinator,DaveBossert,describedthecolorization
process:Wewereabletodo[thepainting]inourCAPSsystembyprocessingthelinedrawings
togiveittheappearancethatpigmentpooledtowardstheedgesofthepaintshapesasitdoesin
realwatercolorpaintings.Wewerealsoabletocreateamottledgrainwithinthepainted
character.(Barbagallo,2006).Thisexperimentationinthelatelifeoftraditional2Danimation
wouldbeasparkthatledtonewstylizationefforts.

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WhenRobertIgerbecamethenewCEOofDisneyin2005,hepulledthecompanyina
directionbacktowarditsmoreimaginative,creativeidealsandtriedtoshedaccumulatedlayers
ofbureaucracy.TheDisneyacquisitionofPixarin2006causedalargeinfluxofsomeofthe
worldsmosttalentedanimators,andappointedJohnLasseteraschiefcreativeofficerofthe
Disney/PixaranimationstudiosandprincipalcreativeadvisorforWaltDisneyImagineering.
LasseterandhiscolleaguesatPixarhelpedtoreinvigorateaninterestintherootsofanimation
andthepotentialforcreatingnew2Danimatedfeaturefilms.Bynow,though,restoringthe
CAPSsystemwouldbedifficultandexpensive,andeventhenthehardwarewouldbeextremely
obsoletebasedontodaysstandards.
Instead,Disneyhasbegunexperimentingwithwhatitcallsapaperlessproduction
pipeline,thatis,digital2Danimation.Thefirstexperimentalformofthistobeseenintheaters
wasthe2007shortHowtoHookUpYourHomeTheater(Fig.17).Thefilmwasamoderntakeon
theclassicDisneyshortsofthe40sand50s,starringGoofyasanunluckyeverymanattempting
tomumblethroughthedifficulttaskofsettingupamodernHDTVentertainmentcenter.The
filmwasdone50%withtraditionalhanddrawnpaperillustrationsand50%digitally,soboth
couldbecomparedsidebyside."Thewholeideaofgoingprimarilypaperlesswiththe
Harmony/Cintiqpackagewasnotonlytomaketheshortefficiently,butalsotosetthetablefor
the2Dfeaturescomingdowntheroad,"explainsKevinDeters,codirectorofthefilm."What
theywantedtodofromaleadershipstandpointisexaminehowwedidthingsinthepastand
figureoutwhatwecoulddobetter,(Desowitz,2007).ComparingHowtoHookUpYourHome
TheatertoaclassicGoofyshort,suchasHowtoFish(Fig.18),illustratesthesophistication
possibleinadigitalsystem.HowtoHookUpYourHomeTheaterisremarkablytruetothe
original.Backgroundsoftness,linetone,shadowandshadingallcorrelatewell,makingHowto
HookUpYourHomeTheaterseemlikeitcameoutrightalongsidetheothers.Thenoticeable
differencesinthemodernshortwouldprobablybethewidercolorrange(notablythebright

2DAnimationasaDigitallyProducedArtForm|16
orangeofGoofysshirt)andqualityofimage.Notsurprisingly,thesearethesamequalitiesthat
stoodoutintheanimationofTheSimpsonsMovie.Theseearlyexamplespointtoastrengthening
reputationthatdigital2Dwilldevelopasmoreworkbecomespurelydigital.Thebelievabilityof
thisneoclassicGoofyshortalsoistestamenttothelimitlessrangeofstylesthatcanbe
achievedindigital2Danimation.Undoubtedly,therangebetweenHomestarRunnerandHowto
HookUpYourHomeTheaterdemonstratesthewidevisualcapabilitiesofthemedium.
TherewasapossibilitythatDisneywouldexpandthispaperlesstechniquefor
productionofitsupcoming2Danimatedfeaturefilm,ThePrincessandtheFrog,which
representsDisneysfirstattemptata2Dfeaturesince2004.Butrecentlythestudiohas
announcedthatallanimationwillstillbeconductedviatraditionalmethodsusingpaper.Anew
pipelinefordigitalpostproductionhasbeendevelopedtoreplacetheCAPSsystem.Still,the
proofthatentirelydigital2DanimationcansucceedliesinthethousandsofpopularInternet
cartoonsandnewdigitallyproducedshowsontelevision.Theseupstartconceptsarefreerto
experimentandinventfuturemethods,whileDisneyischoosingtobesafeandstickwith
methodsinusefornearlyacentury.ItwastheDisneycompanythatwasthefirsttoprovea
featurelengthanimationwaspossible,butthisauthorexpectsthatitwilltaketheworkofnew
artistsandtechnicianstoprovethepotentialoffullydigital2Dfeatures.
Conclusion
Severalinsightscanbededucedfromtheinformationcollectedinthisessay.The
underlyingstructureofthoughtsupportingtheseideasisthat2Danimationand3Danimation
bothhavetraditionalanddigitalforms,andtheevolutionintothisdigitalmanifestationhasbeen
differentforbothtypesofanimation.Whiledigitaltechnologyhasrevolutionizedthe3D
animationprocess,2Danimatorsarestillreluctanttoacceptnewdigitaltechniques.Amajor
oversightexistswhereupontheseanimatorsdonotrealizethehugepotentialthat2Danimation
hasasadigitallyproducedartform.

2DAnimationasaDigitallyProducedArtForm|17
Certainlytheinformationregardingfutureanimationprojectsseemstopointtowarda
growingtrendof2Danimationsthatwanttobemorelike3D,and3Danimationsthatwanttobe
morelike2D.Thisleadstheauthortowonderifthedigitalrevolutionwillbringaboutaslow
mergingofthestyletypesuntilthelinebetween2Dand3Danimationcannolongerbeclearly
defined.Thisisgoodnewstotheworldofanimationbecauseadesegregatedanimation
landscapewouldleadtoagreateremphasisonindividualisticanimationstyles,regardlessof
dimensionalorigins.
Thedigitalanimationrevolutionisjustnowenteringitsthirddecadeofdevelopment.
Thereremainsmuchtobediscoveredwhenitcomestothenewpossibilitieswithdigital
production.While3Danimationisstillmaturing,2Danimationhasbarelybegunitsownprocess
ofexperimentaldevelopment.Thispotentialwillbegintoberealizedinthecomingyearsas
digital2Danimationprocessesmatureandrisingartistspushtheboundariesofthedirectionsof
growththatdigitalproductionsystemsallow,givingthepublicnewwaystoexperienceoldand
newstoriesalike.Thevigoranddeterminationofyoungartiststodaywillcontinuetodrivethe
digitalrevolutionoftomorrow.Someday,theireffortsmaywellfindaharmonybetween2Dand
3Danimationandestablishanoverarchingbrotherhoodintheanimationrealm.Theywill
nurtureanewartformthatallowsafullrangeofstyletomatureanddevelopintoalongfuture
ofconceptualandmeaningfulstorytelling.

Figure 1.
Vitagraph Company of America. Humorous Phases of
Funny Faces. 1906. 3 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000554/.

Figure 4.
Square Company. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. 2001.
106 min. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0173840/.

Figure 5.
Lucasfilm Animation. Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 2008.
98 min. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185834/.

Figure 2.
Dreamworks Animation. Flushed Away. 2006. 85 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424095/.

Figure 6.
Bridgit Folman Film Gang. Waltz with Bashir. 2008. 90 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185616/.

Figure 3.
Aardman Animations. Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the
Were-Rabbit. 2005. 85 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312004/.

Figure 7.
20th Century Fox Television. The Simpsons. Season 1. 1989.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/.

Figure 8.
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.
The Simpsons Movie. 2007. 87 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462538/.

Figure 10.
Rooster Teeth Productions. Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch
Chronicles. 2003.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401747/

Figure 11.
Harmless Junk. Homestar Runner. 2000.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847172/

Figure 9.
Phil Nibbelink Productions. Romeo & Juliet: Sealed
with a Kiss. 2006. 76 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0830199/

Figure 12.
Nickelodeon Animation Studios. El Tigre: The Adventures of
Manny Rivera. 2007.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805837/.

Figure 13.
Walt Disney Feature Animation. Beauty and the Beast.
1991. 84 min. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/.

Figure 14.
Cartoon Network. Star Wars: Clone Wars. 2003.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361243/.

Figure 15.
Walt Disney Animation Studios. Rapunzel . 2010.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/.

Figure 16.
Walt Disney Feature Animation. The Little Matchgirl. 2006.
7 min. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816562/.

Figure 17.
Walt Disney Animation Studios. How to Hook Up Your Home
Theater. 2007. 6 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114718/.

Figure 18.
Walt Disney Productions. How to Fish. 1942. 7 min.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034873/.

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