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I've noticed recently that a lot of the 3D movies have been doing more to steal the look and feel of hand-drawn animation. More smudging, better textures, varia

I've noticed recently that a lot of the 3D movies have been doing more to steal the look and feel of hand-drawn animation. More smudging, better textures, variable frame rates, more clever character design, etc. Obviously the Spiderverse movies were a love letter to traditional animation, but even kids movies like the Bad Guys and the most recent Puss in Boots look amazing. It's no replacement for hand-drawn and animated movies. But on the other hand (pun semi-intended) our ability to draw by hand these movies will never go away, and we have the ability to make new ones anytime in the future that someone has the passion and energy to do it (commercial success be damned!). The important thing is that all of the tricks, shorthand, and other collective learnings of a century of animation has not gone unappreciated, and is being absorbed into the new medium. That's pretty neat!

kjkjadksj 1y ago
A lot of knowledge on the hand drawn animation process is actually lost. Studios like Disney and what not did not meticulously write down how this stuff was done. This wasn’t lab work, this was artists with near unilateral control over process with no documentation write up as that takes longer than just not doing that and racing to completion. Assuming the industry would never change and it would never need to be documented on a historical level, and when it did orders from on high preferred work is done in the new style with the new tooling not distribute labor to archiving an old process they aren’t doing anymore just for humanity’s sake. Sure they’d be happy to answer if you called one of these old animators up to explain the process but there is probably plenty of details they themselves forgot over retirement. Maybe the animators passed away already and that door is closed. Either way there is plenty that isn’t written down.
- legitster 1y ago
  That might be true for the particular recording equipment that was used, or some of the old-school VFX tricks, but the drawing and animation techniques are preserved in the final product. And as evidenced by the long history of independent 2D animated movies put out by auteurs, it doesn't seem like there is any problem innovating new recording or movie making techniques.
- shayway 1y ago
  Disney made many technological breakthroughs that allowed for things like parallax layers, glow and other effects, and compositing without green screens back in the days when everything had to be done in-camera. But the use of the techniques those technological breakthroughs allowed is entirely possible without that specific technology, and in fact can be done much easier nowadays with computers.

kjkjadksj 1y ago

A lot of knowledge on the hand drawn animation process is actually lost. Studios like Disney and what not did not meticulously write down how this stuff was done. This wasn’t lab work, this was artists with near unilateral control over process with no documentation write up as that takes longer than just not doing that and racing to completion. Assuming the industry would never change and it would never need to be documented on a historical level, and when it did orders from on high preferred work is done in the new style with the new tooling not distribute labor to archiving an old process they aren’t doing anymore just for humanity’s sake. Sure they’d be happy to answer if you called one of these old animators up to explain the process but there is probably plenty of details they themselves forgot over retirement. Maybe the animators passed away already and that door is closed. Either way there is plenty that isn’t written down.

legitster 1y ago
That might be true for the particular recording equipment that was used, or some of the old-school VFX tricks, but the drawing and animation techniques are preserved in the final product. And as evidenced by the long history of independent 2D animated movies put out by auteurs, it doesn't seem like there is any problem innovating new recording or movie making techniques.
shayway 1y ago
Disney made many technological breakthroughs that allowed for things like parallax layers, glow and other effects, and compositing without green screens back in the days when everything had to be done in-camera. But the use of the techniques those technological breakthroughs allowed is entirely possible without that specific technology, and in fact can be done much easier nowadays with computers.