Why I Prefer Traditional Hand-Drawn Animation Over CGI and 2D Cutout Animation

 Hey everyone! I hope you guys all had a fabulous February so far! I can't believe it's already March!

Today, I wanted to talk more about my experience with animation and how it has influenced my beliefs about animation and my vision to bring back traditional hand-drawn cartoon animation to the big screen.

I first started animating in 7th grade in Mr. Pomeroy's animation class at my middle school. In middle school and high school, I animated using a combination of hand-drawing and motion tweening because I kind of felt lazy back then and due to my very limited drawing skills, did not want to draw out every single frame. Here's some of my work back from grade school:

 

Just last Spring at CSULB, I was in Tom's Animation 1 class. He was very inspiring and his experience working on shows like The Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry really helped me to push my animation. Taking his class really left me in tears leaving his class every time. Taking his class also persuaded me to really embrace traditional hand-drawn animation and the wonderful role drawing plays in the art of animation. I also realized that it was mostly Disney's traditionally animated films (specifically Fantasia, Pinnochio, Peter Pan, and Winnie the Pooh) and the morals within them that inspired me to pursue animation in the first place. Here are some of my animations I did for Tom's Animation 1 class and some I did just this past year. All of these were animated completely hand-drawn at 24 FPS, either with 12 field animation paper and pencil, or in ToonBoom Harmony.

 

Yes, so that was the moment I really fell in love with traditional frame-by-frame animation. Before Tom's class, I saw myself creating 2D cartoons and 3D CGI films. His class really connected me more with my inner self and my heart and really reminded me of how I fell in love with animation. Now after taking his class, I now envision my studio bringing back traditional animation, paper/pencil and paperless, to the big screen. Tom's class showed me what I can do with traditional animation! All I need is good drawing/draftsman skills, a vivid imagination, and to keep the 12 Principles in mind. With these 3 major things, I can really push my animation, like the character's emotions, squash and stretch, and much more, without having to worry about the technical limitations that 3D animators and 2D puppet animators have to worry about, like rigging and 3D modeling. 

I also really like the very natural and organic movements that come with hand-drawn animation. Rewatching many of my favorite cartoons and animated films, I noticed that the animation in many of the modern cartoons being made, like Gravity Falls and Spongebob, is much more stiff and robotic than the animation made in many of the classic cartoons, like the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons from the 1940s and the classic Tom and Jerry cartoons. I also really miss the art style that came with the many traditionally animated films and classic cartoons that Disney, Warner Bros., and Sullivan Bluth released.

Also, the morals and messages being portrayed in modern films make me miss the traditionally animated films. I also believe from my heart that most of Disney's traditionally animated films from the 1940s-1970s portrayed morals more in line with Walt Disney's original vision, like faith and family, and touched my heart much more than many of Disney's modern CGI films.

CGI animation has its benefits too! I really like the nice backgrounds and the great camera shots the 3D animators do. I also really like the storytelling many of Pixar's films convey. I'm not saying CGI is bad, however, what I am noticing is a decline in the appeal of many of the characters, as well as a drop in authenticity and inspiration from those films.  With 2D puppet animation, I can definitely notice this decline much more. I also notice a big drop in the art style. I can already tell that many of the 2D cartoons I see today have much less time and thought put into them. Take the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons back from the day versus the modern Mickey Mouse cartoons. I like the classic Mickey Mouse cartoons much better for a number of reasons. First, I really like the art style much better. The look of Mickey Mouse and the other characters look much cuter than them in the modern cartoons. The anatomy looks much more believable. The movements also look much more natural and organic, feels more like the animator put his vision and time into the animation. 

That being said, as both 2D puppet/cutout animation and CGI are becoming the "new normal", I am in an area of self-conflict right now. There are 2 different sides of my mind when it comes to me thinking about this:

There's the side of me that tells me to eventually learn CGI and puppet animation, in addition to my favorite technique of hand-drawn animation, so I can land a job in the industry. This will require me eventually to upgrade my ToonBoom animation software from Harmony Advanced (the version I have now) to Harmony Premium (the highest version with the node view). Harmony Premium costs $160/year for students, which is twice as much as Harmony Advanced, which costs $80/year for students. For traditional hand-drawn animators like me, there's not too much of a difference as both have all the tools one needs to create wonderful hand-drawn animation. Harmony Premium would benefit me a little bit more with the node view and some more effects, but those are not required to create amazing professional frame-by-frame animation. However, professional cut-out animation requires Harmony Premium, as the node view is required for creating cutout/puppet animation, as well as many cutout/rigging capabilities that are not found in Harmony Advanced. 

On the opposite side of my mind, there's the other side of me that is telling me to stand up against puppet/CGI animation taking over the industry and use my full energy and time to pursue my dream of bringing hand-drawn animation and films that truly touch the heart back to the big screen. I know for sure my upcoming animated film I am making with my characters will be animated completely hand-drawn, frame-by-frame. 

When I do start my animation studio, the Yip Studios, I will for sure tell you that traditional hand-drawn animation will be coming back! I hope to not just bring paperless animated films in ToonBoom Harmony and pencil/animation paper, but I also really hope to use plastic cels and try inking and painting just how the animators did with Fantasia and Pinocchio back in the 1940s. Most of all, I really hope my films make you guys laugh and inspire all of you to love yourself and to appreciate one another. Many studios have switched to CGI because they think it would be more efficient and better for them financially. Unlike most studios and most animators, the thing is that my studio and I simply cannot be bought. Like any business, while money is important for my future studio to survive, the most important things are that my studio is God-led and that my studio touches the heart of many individuals and brings more happiness and encouragement into their lives. Traditional hand-drawn animation may require more time and much more drawing, but I feel the extra time and effort put in will be much more worth it in the end.

Overall, I would like to know what you guys think about CGI and 2D cutout animation both replacing traditional hand-drawn animation. If you feel comfortable, please feel free to leave a comment down below. I hope you guys all have a wonderful rest of your day! 🙂❤️