'traditional animation and computer animation should exist side by side.
'The tiger featured in the movie, Life of Pi, is an example. That tiger was the star of the show yet generated by software programs and computer-generated animation.'
Computer generated characters which can evoke genuine emotions from an audience and even potentially upstage real life actors.
'The task in post-production is always going to be that ability to take the actor’s performance and actually interpolate that performance, while also retaining it but also putting it onto the physiognomy of an ape.' -Andy Serkis
'although the essence of the performance may belong to Serkis, the final character and performance that appears onscreen represents the creative contributions of dozens of digital artists and animators.'
With new technologies involve the collaboration of multiple people to make a finished product.
New technologies include things like replacement animation and making complex silicone casts for stop motion.
ANIMATION FOR FANTASTIC MR FOX
'he made us challenge all our preconceptions about what stop-motion puppets are.' -Peter Saunders, puppet maker for Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox.
'Most baffling for the animators and puppet makers alike was Anderson’s insistence on naiveté. He didn’t want his film to look as slick as, say, The Corpse Bride or Coraline, which are so smooth as to look computer-animated. He instead wanted viewers to notice and embrace the medium of stop-motion itself.'
New technologies for animation come down to individual pieces of fur. Allowing for animators to go from traditional animation but presenting new challenges.
With even stop-motion creating new and innovative ways to create realistic performance using real life references.
An idea that new techniques for animation has influenced the actual storytelling process writers create. It says they have gone from damsels in distress type stories with a fairytale background to rebellious characters changing a seemingly perfect society. (seems to be with Disney films in particular).
Technology for animation has applications in more than just film, with uses in military simulations and related delicate subjects like surgery.
VIRTUAL/AUGMENTED REALITY
technology allowing realistic 3D environments. People are also working on environments to interact with in real time
NOSTALGIA
'Millennials grew up in the Disney Renaissance (1989-1999)'
'Animation subsequently carried Millennials into their adolescence and early adulthood. Many simply cannot remember life before "The Simpsons" and "South Park". This has fuelled a massive adult 2D animation industry, with channels like Adult Swim, Fox and Netflix leading the pack.'
'For “Isle of Dogs,” Wes Anderson created an epic love letter to Japanese cinema of the ’60s wrapped in a canine buddy movie. And like “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” the quirky, detail-oriented director once again embraced the old-school roots of stop-motion animation, luxuriating in its crude, analog charms (the antithesis of Laika’s acclaimed polish).'
Directors like Wes Anderson demand that audiences take on the medium of stop motion contrary to industries which would make these films as smooth as possible.
'I feel like i'm sculpting a performance. It's what kids do when they're playing.'
The appeal of nostalgia clearly comes from each creative person's mind, stretching from the animators working on the film to directors like Wes Anderson.
Hand made faces and 'Lipsync' faces for dogs.
Where many elements of animated films can be achieved through technology, film makers still use techniques like knitting to create the clothes for stop motion because it gives it an aesthetic that couldn't be achieved on a computer.
A hand drawn/made style always seems to have an appeal to it. Even if it doesn't seem the smoothest it could be, a hand crafted piece of work is appreciated.
The 2018 Lion King trailer seems to pay homage to its traditional version from 1994. It is debatable and would vary among individuals which style is better but the question of these live action remakes is whether they are necessary. Also whether companies are doing it for money.
There is charm in the old ways of doing things. This zoetrope is an example of the old ways being renewed with 3D modelling, rather than flat illustrations.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Banerjee, Souvik. “How Are New Technologies Improving the Creation of Animation Films?” RS Web Solutions, 9 Oct. 2017, www.rswebsols.com/tutorials/technology/technologies-creation-animation-films.
Amidi, et al. “This Award Season, Andy Serkis Has Found New Ways To Disrespect Animators.” Cartoon Brew, 3 Nov. 2017, www.cartoonbrew.com/ideas-commentary/award-season-andy-serkis-found-new-ways-disrespect-animators-154385.html.
WIRED. “Andy Serkis Breaks Down His Motion Capture Performances | WIRED.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=116&v=DpRLTfVEhMk.
WarfareGaming. “NEW COMBAT FLIGHT SIMULATOR.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyiwK6VX5Bs.
eOnefilms. “ParaNorman Featurette: Making Norman.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlUxuAG2Ac8.
Sancton, Julian. “How the Puppets from Fantastic Mr. Fox Were Made [Slide Show].” The Hive, Vanity Fair, 31 Jan. 2015, www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2009/11/how-the-puppets-from-fantastic-mr-fox-were-made-slideshow.
Studios, LAIKA. “INSIDE LAIKA | Jason Stalman, The Boxtrolls.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaH4859JX3Q.
Write, Just. “How CGI Transformed Animated Storytelling.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=guQzTr1YK40.
E-2D Advanced Hawkeye HITS-A.” E-2D Advanced Hawkeye HITS-A : Aero Simulation | Products and Services for Commercial and Military Training, aerosimulation.com/programs/e-2d-advanced-hawkeye/.
“Augmented and Virtual Reality | Jabil.” Jabil.com, www.jabil.com/solutions/by-industry/consumer/connected-consumer-technologies/augmented-virtual-reality.html.
Ready Player One (2018) [1536 x 2048] | Dope Pictures, Posters and Art in 2018 | Pinterest | Ready Player One, Ready Player One Movie and Movie Posters.” Pinterest, 24 Aug. 2018, www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/664421751249623288/.
“Juanluisforjavida.” Forja De Vida, 23 Jan. 2016, juanluisforjavida.tumblr.com/post/137852677045/2dtraditionalanimation-101-dalmatians-marc.
Holmes, Kevin. “4-Mation Carousel 1: Jumping Frogs - a 3D Zoetrope.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Sept. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_-j9uuaDOQ.
Sowick. “THE LION KING (1994 vs 2019) Official Teaser Comparison SHOT BY SHOT.” YouTube, YouTube, 22 Nov. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZDu8cuCY6A.
Chapter 10: How to Create a Traditional Animation.” Glossary - Toon Boom Animation, docs.toonboom.com/help/harmony-12/advanced/Content/_CORE/Getting_Started/003_CT_Animation.html.
Features, Focus. “‘Coraline’ - Really Small Hair.” YouTube, YouTube, 19 Dec. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCDOs5DxJPY.
Features, Focus. “‘Coraline’ - Miniature Knitter.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 Jan. 2009, www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5VTE9MZzIw.
FoxSearchlight. “ISLE OF DOGS | Making of: Animators | FOX Searchlight.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Mar. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=57&v=xCBOiaJEoFw.
In-text Citation
Desowitz, Bill. “'Isle of Dogs': How Team Wes Anderson Created a Stop-Motion Love Letter to Japanese Cinema.” IndieWire, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2018, www.indiewire.com/2018/03/isle-of-dogs-wes-anderson-stop-motion-animation-japanese-cinema-1201942149/.
Mak, Philip. “#ThrowBackThursday: How Nostalgic Millennials Are Influencing 2D Animation.” Toon Boom Blog, blog.toonboom.com/storytelling/throwbackthursday-how-nostalgic-millennials-are-influencing-2d-animation.
