A New Age: Animation Evolution and CGI

Times are changing. The hand-drawn, traditionally animated feature of my childhood is essentially a thing of the past. Long gone are the days of rubber hose and hand-painted cels. Yet as much as I opine for resurgence in the popularity of traditional methods, computer animation certainly does have its benefits. Yet, with studios such as Dreamworks and even Disney abandoning traditional animation in favour of technological progress, I have to say I was initially sceptical about its prolific usage and exploitation, and I still like to think the reservations I had are comprehensible.

Until fairly recently, I’ve always considered a two-dimensional, hand-drawn countenance to be far more expressive than that of one digitally crafted. But with features including Tangled (2010) and the award-winning short subject Paperman (2012) showcasing a seamless amalgamation of the artistry of traditional methods with beautifully rendered CG plains, the continual evolvement of the animated genre evidently demonstrates that the old-fashioned methods are far from forgotten, and bear as much significance and expression as before, if not more. Furthermore, with visuals continually improving, the computer-animated film looks set to stay and evolve into something much greater, having already seen substantial progression since its humble beginnings in the early 1980s. Let’s take a retrospective look at some key moments in its history.

 

A New Technology

The potential of computer graphics was considered as early as the 1960s and 1970s, but was not fully realised until the 1980s, when Disney’s 1982 feature Tron hit the silver screen, introducing computer animation to audiences worldwide. At these early stages, computer animation was not about conveying realism, but showcasing its abilities, evident in the colourful, digital environments present in the aforementioned film. Most of the major digital studios were established during this decade, including Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), Pacific Data Images (PDI) and Pixar, the most outstanding player in the field of computer animation.

 

Pixar’s Beginnings

In 1979, a number of researchers and mathematicians were hired by George Lucas in order to establish a research department under Lucasfilm. Initially, their developments were utilised as special effects for feature films. In 1984, animator John Lasseter joined the department and directed a computer animated short entitled The Adventures of André and Wally B, perceived as an early prototypical short characteristic of (albeit far simpler than) Pixar’s subsequent series of shorts. In 1986, Lucas sold the department to Steve Jobs, who gave it the name Pixar (Beck, 2004: 340). Their success in the late 1980s led to further business opportunities; they were contracted to create CAPS (Computer Animation Production System), a digital ink and paint system for Disney, the first use of which was during the final scenes of The Little Mermaid (1989). This feature was the last by Disney to use hand-painted cels, being as this technique was thereafter completely replaced by digital colouring (Beck, 2004: 277).

 

Other Studios

Meanwhile, other studios also experimented with computer animation. While Disney’s The Black Cauldron (1985) included various conspicuous digital effects, their following feature The Great Mouse Detective (1986) has garnered much more recognition over the years. Often incorrectly cited as the first to contain computer animation, Disney’s 26^th animated feature boasts a tense and impressively animated climax inside Big Ben, the many cogs and gears of which were created digitally. The potential for CGI to produce realistic imagery was not realised until ILM’s The Abyss in 1989, in which a creature made of water is juxtaposed with live action characters. ILM saw further success with Terminator 2 (1991) and Jurassic Park (1993), the latter cleverly merging computer animation with animatronics. Amblin Entertainment’s Casper (1995) is notable for containing the first CG protagonist alongside a live action cast, which became the norm in later films such as Stuart Little (1999). The first fully computer animated feature was Pixar’s Toy Story (1995), distributed by Disney. It was an intelligent decision to focus on toys for their first feature, being as the limitations of the technology available at the time prohibited the animators from creating realistic-looking human characters (Kanfer, 1997: 228-230). Initially designed on paper, the characters were subsequently moulded with clay before being created digitally on computer. By the new millennium, CGI films dominated the animated genre, exhibiting a greater potential for the illusion of realism, as evident in the detailed material and clothing found in the likes of Dreamworks/PDI’s Shrek (2001).

 

CGI OD?

More recently, the juxtaposition of animation and live action has developed more so. Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (2010) contains environments that are entirely computer-generated; even the Knave’s armour is animated. In some instances, however, CGI is notably overused. Alice in Wonderland is no exception to this criticism – while the environments and digital manipulations of the characters are at times darkly enchanting, its prolific usage is altogether rather rich, and as a result foregoes the imitation of realism. The Knave’s horse, for example, is conspicuously digitalised, and the use of a green screen has never been more discernible. Yet the fantasy genre is one which can obviate such a criticism far more easily than others due to its escapist appeal. Recent box office blockbusters such as Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013) and Tom Hooper’s overrated interpretation of Les Miserables (2012) are diminished somewhat by their distracting and unnecessary usage of CGI, so much so that this attempted mimicking of realism altogether conveys something of a rather adverse effect.

 

Final Thought

Despite the occasional overindulgence in computer animation however, its prolific usage is understandable and perhaps should be praised more so than it is criticised. Evidently, in little more than thirty years animation has transgressed over the threshold of a new age and gone beyond, to the extent where certain digital environments are almost indistinguishable from reality. When viewed in perspective, with further improvements inevitably around the corner, the animated film’s so-called ‘new age’ digital environment has only just begun to be constructed.

 

For further info, check out these sources:

Beck, J. (ed) (2004) Animation Art. Fulham: Flame Tree Publishing.

Kanfer, S. (1997) Serious Business: The Art and Commerce of Animation in America from Betty Boop to “Toy Story”. New York: Da Capo Press.