Hand-drawn animation started more than a century ago, when the early days of cinema had just begun and 3D animation was still in its infancy. However, the traditional medium has fallen far out of favor since 3D animation rose to become the industry standard. As we step into the future, at the same time, we’re losing an art form.
There’s a playful spontaneity to hand-drawn animation that bubbles and emanates pure energy that seems to dance — a personal touch. Each frame-by-frame drawing was done by an artist’s hand, and you can feel that warm fluidity through the screen. The subtle imperfections and the lines that shiver and tremble make it seem like a thought brought to life. 3D animation, for all its complexity, has a sterile feel that somehow fails to capture that wonder.
We can see the rawness of hand-drawn animation in old classics like Disney’s “Snow White” and “The Lion King, to name a few. With over one million frames hand-drawn and painted in both films, every image is a testament to the sheer amount of work put into bringing the movies to life. If we think back and compare the vibrancy, the personality and the burst of hand-drawn animation to the vast majority of animation films today, the difference is glaringly obvious. For some, it’s subtle, but nevertheless, the shift is there and may very well be here to stay.
3D animation is a graphic technique that creates moving images using computer software. Unlike the frame-by-frame process of traditional animation, artists use 3D models, rigging them with digital skeletons and animating their movements. This animation creates the illusion of motion, and when built within a three-dimensional space, 3D animation creates an almost lifelike environment.
So why the change? It started when Pixar’s “Toy Story” hit the scene in 1995, paving the way for 3D animation’s future. As the first feature-length computer animated film, “Toy Story” received widespread acclaim for its visual effects and novel textures never seen before. It was a turning point for the industry, and from there on and into the next decade, the company churned out more and more computer-animated hits, propelling the new medium forward. When Disney bought Pixar in 2006, hand-drawn animation gradually began to fade with each passing year as the company realized the benefits of increased efficiency and complex graphics that 3D animation brought. Studios simply followed the money, and when Disney’s last hand-drawn animated film, “Winnie the Pooh,” was released in 2011, the fate of hand-drawn animation was sealed.
Today, hand-drawn animated feature films are rarely seen on the big screens of U.S. theaters, with Disney forsaking the medium and most of Hollywood following suit. However, this doesn’t mean the traditional method is gone for good. Smaller studios besides Pixar and Disney are keeping the tradition alive, and outside the U.S., studios like Studio Ghibli are continuing to create hand-drawn masterpieces. Some modern films even incorporate hand-drawn elements with 3D animation, like “Klaus.” This creates a look that gives you some of that classic hand-drawn feel and, at the same time, brings back the nostalgia that comes with it.
But even then, 3D animation remains a growing industry standard, with hand-drawn animation falling far behind. Though 3D animation hasn’t completely taken over the entertainment industry just yet, it is slowly but surely making its way. Computer-generated imagery has undeniably helped to produce magical films, yet still, few have been able to match up to the timeless, hand-drawn classics of the past.
From pencil to pixel, animation has come a long way since the 20th century and is still rapidly evolving even today. As 3D animation continues to rise, we can only one day hope to see a future where both 3D and hand-drawn animation stand on equal footing. But when studios put profit before artistry, the future of hand-drawn animation looks a little bleak.
