Is 2D Animation Better Than 3D?
The quick answer: no. I don’t believe one form of animation is better than the other. I do believe that both 2D and 3D offer their own pros and cons. They both have things to admire, and offer their own challenges.
Pic: Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure(2017, left), Tangled(2010, right)
Animation is a great way to let a viewer experience an artist’s work in a more immersive way than just a still artwork offers. And different ways of animations being produced offer different experiences for audiences. today we aren’t really going to debate over which is better, 2D or 3D but what each have to offer. What challenges each have and how they are both intertwined.
Pic: The Simpsons(1989)
2D animation, with its traditional nature, is much older than the computer generated 3D animation form. 2D, with today’s technology offer a faster, more streamlined production of its often unique films. 2D animation is rooted in traditional art and illustration with each frame often being hand drawn. These illustrations not only showcase an artist’s individual style, but can also be created with different traditional mediums such as paint, pencils, pens, and much more! With today’s technology, 2D animation does not consume as much computer power as 3D animations, because 3D animation focuses more on using software to create characters and assets for a production, while in 2D, most of this is hand drawn. 2D doesn’t focus as much on the graphics that 3D does, and therefore does allow more dedication time to storylines. But a good 3D production will also add more time for this focus, but 2D productions don’t have to extend timelines for this purpose. But a challenge 2D animation has is that, it can feel less dynamic when compared to a 3D animation or real life, as it does not have the same range of movement that as of 3D animation. This can keep a viewer more aware of watching the animation, where 3D better succeeds at allowing a viewer to be more immersed in the production.
Pic: Frozen(2013)
3D animation also has its own successes and challenges. The first one being, as mentioned, it gives the audience a more immersed and real like type of movement. This is in my opinion, 3D animation’s best feature as it is not really something artists have really achieved outside of videography, and with the progress of technology, specifically that of CGI, 3D animation continues to improve every passing year! With this ever-evolving technology, 3D animation allows for the creation of things that can’t be produced in 2D and even in real life! Another success of the technology used to produce 3D animation is that of the ability to streamline its production by reusing models of characters. Animators just make a character model once and they can use them over and over again! But this can lead to a challenge that 3D animation faces, which is that of trying to create stylized animations. Unlike 2D animation, 3D characters can tend to all look similar, and some studios have characters from different projects looking like the characters if different projects. This can create a studio style rather than a stylized project. Disney is a studio who has many characters who look alike even in completely different projects, creating a “Disney” animation style. But I hope as technology continues to progress, we’ll get to see more of a range in style in 3D animation. 3D animation also faces the challenge of being much more involved of a process than 2D. There are more steps in its process compared to 2D. I also hope with the advancement of technology, this will continue to streamline so more artists can focus more on creation of not only their characters, but their stories!
Pic: Gertie the Dinosaur(1914)
Like I mentioned earlier, 2D and 3D animation in my view have an intertwined history. Animation started formally in the 19th century, and started taking off in the 20th century. The invention of the Praxinoscope invented by Emile Reynard was the first animation device. This device showcased hand drawn images spinning in rapid succession. And just like that, the foundation of animation was formed! The very first animation project was created in 1908 by Emil Cohl which was called “Fantasmagerie”. This was a silent project as there wouldn’t be sound in film until the 1920’s. However, the first film with a character driven storyline was that of Winsor McCay’s “Gertie the Dinosaur” in 1914. Sound was introduced in Walt Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” when Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1920. Disney was a pioneer in sound animation and animation as a whole, showcasing his skills and innovations in the industry’s first full length film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. Disney continued to succeed even though the film industry didn’t particularly favor animation at the time.
Pic: Toy Story(1995)
It wouldn’t be until the 1950’s and 60’s that saw a “golden age” for animation. We see the studios of Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, and Hanna-Barbera dominate the industry. We see their success continue into the 70’s and 80’s but we also see a momentary popularity of clay stop motion in animation. The studio leading this charge was that of Aardman Animations. Unfortunately, due to the amount of production time, clay stop motion became less popular among animators and so we see these productions begin to fall in popularity. These animators were met with the likes of computer generated animation for the first time in 1990’s. This was great for 2D animators, and led to the rise of 3D animation. We see the first full computer generated animation film come from Pixar when they “Toy Story” in 1995. Pixar is a product of 3D animation and has always been a leader of its industry, and still are. We also see the rise of DreamWorks, another leader in 3D animation, their most notable film being Shrek in 2001. This time, however, doesn’t only experience 3D animation, 2D animation found a home on the small screen by bringing animated sitcoms to adults through shows like “The Simpsons”, “South Park”, and “Family Guy”. All of these shows are still running today and are just as loved as when they began, almost 30 years ago!
Pic: Puss in Boots-The Last Wish(2022)
Today we so see more 3D animation, not only in movies and shows but also in video games and brand marketing. Animation as a while is everywhere now, maybe without you even realizing it. But 3D isn’t the only thing we see. 2D is also around and is even experiencing a sort of resurgence in popularity. We are seeing big movies like Disney and Marvel’s latest animated Spiderman movies experimenting with many 2D animation styles in their projects and the 2D nature of DreamWorks’ latest Puss in Boots movie! Video games also play around with 2D regularly!
So you see, not only are we seeing 2D and 3D animation intermixing today, but they have always been intertwined. 2D and 3D animation require different skillsets and interests and as far as I’m concerned, are both great ways to create and share stories!
