Not so long ago, animators drew thousands of scenes and painted countless cels to bring an animated film to movie-goers. In recent years, however, hand drawn cartoons have become less and less common. Studios are, instead, focusing on releasing films created using computer animation.
One may wonder if that means that some of the art has left the field of animation or, perhaps, the field is just experiencing a natural evolution. Given the current state of the film industry, one has to wonder if there is a place in today's industry for those trained in traditional animation.
From Snow White to Toy Story
Disney Animation Studios had a years long history of releasing hand drawn animated films. The movies produced by these Disney animators were critically acclaimed, award winning films. Bambi, Dumbo, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and many many more of the studios hand drawn films have entertained generations.
Their previous history of creating only hand drawn animated films would, however, change with the release of Dinosaur. This film would mark the studios first foray into computer animation. Then in 1995, Disney subsidiary Pixar would release Toy Story. The film was both a critical and commercial success. It was also the first of Pixar's many feature films created using only computer animation. Pixar would follow the success of their first film with A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and many other box office hits.
A Return to the Old Ways
Despite the unquestionable success of computer animation, there were still those who loved the old way. The decision was made by Disney Animation Studios to return to its roots. In the fall of 2009, the studio would release The Princess and the Frog. The film would be mark the studio's first hand drawn animated film in five years.
There were some who questioned this decision since some of the studios more recent hand drawn films had proven to be less than successful, but the studio had faith that the film would be a success. They also believed that hand drawn animation still had a place in the film industry.
The Future of Animated Films
Only time will tell if traditional hand drawn animation will still be able to thrive in this digital era. If enough studio executives spearhead its usage, then it will certainly have a better chance to survive. With their support, computer animation and hand drawn animation should be able to co-exist. After all, if the story is good enough, then movie-goers will generate blockbuster ticket sales no matter what type of animation was used in the films creation.
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