Animation Paper

In 1922, Walt Disney, an artist who was unfamiliar with the film industry, introduced a new technique to the motion picture business called animation. He designed short animated productions called Laugh-O-Grams that earned him some recognition and propelled the animation industry. Even with some success, Walt Disney remained disgusted with the cartoon industry. He stated that cartoons “…were thrown in for nothing as a bonus to exhibitors buying features. And at the same time we saw that the medium was dying. Yet with more money and time, I felt we could make better pictures and shake ourselves out of the rut” (Maltin 33). Once Disney acquired the money he desperately needed, animation became a booming industry adjusting to changes and evolving from a struggling cartoon business to a thriving animated feature making business.

IN THE BEGINNING

Once he started the animation industry, Walt Disney created an organized company of skillful animators who, along with Disney’s input, produced works of masterpiece. As time passed and his experience increased, Disney organized an extremely successful organization including many animators with Disney supervising most of the animation process. The animators sketched the cartoons with several animators assigned to draw various actions of the characters. After they finished sketching, more animators drew the cartoon characters in ink as well as painted them on panels called cels and then someone snapped a photograph of the cel against a background with the photograph being the picture that appeared on screen. Disney’s animators produced thousands of images for each feature with Walt assisting the animators with ideas, even acting scenes out to give animators ideas of what they were to draw (Disney Animation Art). Although the process became time consuming for everyone involved, each effort displayed the lifelike qualities that Disney strived to achieve.

The lifelike characters created by Disney’s brilliant animators appeared in his first successful cartoon with innovative sound effects and music, as well as the third appearance of Mickey Mouse called Steamboat Willie. Along with the new technique of sound, Disney incorporated color in his cartoons with the aid of Technicolor. With new innovations, he believed that cartoons were a significant part of the film industry and to support his claim, Disney launched his quest for the first animated feature. With hard work and dedication, Disney created a monumental animated feature entitled Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, which “through the use of animated close-ups, the film brought to audiences the flawless beauty of Snow White and the varied expressions of the Seven Dwarfs” (Bittner 255). As soon as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs achieved great recognition, Disney released his second masterpiece, Pinocchio. Most believed that no other animated film would be more successful than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but Disney proved many wrong with what some call “…Disney’s finest achievement” (Maltin 59) with Pinocchio.

With the flourishing impact of both Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs along with Pinocchio, Walt Disney produced many additional animated films including Fantasia in 1940, Dumbo in 1941, Cindarella in 1950, and Sleeping Beauty in 1959. With the success of these films, Disney continued to create more animated features and in 1961 he utilized a new technique invented by Xerox to produce over one hundred Dalmatian dogs in the film, 101 Dalmatians. As Disney’s company generated additional films throughout the 1960s, his health deteriorated and he passed away. “With Walt gone…there was a time in the late sixties and early seventies when it seemed that Disney animation was going to die” (Maltin 77). Even with his death, Disney’s company developed more successful films including The Rescuers in 1977 and The Fox and the Hound in 1981. Although the company produced many more masterpieces, it also witnessed many conflicts over creative decisions. With the conflicts ensuing, the organization persevered and created further popular films such as The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Little Mermaid (1989), while pressing on into the 1990s with masterpieces such as Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), and Pocahontas (1995).

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Recently, companies such as Pixar employ new innovations regarding animation such as three-dimensional computer animation. In 1995, Disney and Pixar join forces to embark on a whole new level of animated entertainment when Pixar develops the feature entitled Toy Story under Disney’s name. Animators with Pixar construct every aspect of the film including the characters and backgrounds entirely with computers. Each character appears lifelike just as characters in traditional two-dimensional animation but demonstrate a “new generation” mentality because of the technology that young innovative animators utilize to construct the film. Even with the increase of young animation companies, Disney, with the assistance of Pixar, remains the standard for animation with the success of Toy Story.

By riding on the success of Toy Story, Disney and Pixar create other three-dimensional features with computers such as A Bug’s Life in 1998. This movie concerning the lives of bugs becomes a huge success at the box office identical to the success of Toy Story. With the increasing popularity of computer-animated films, Disney and Pixar create a sequel to Toy Story with the more popular Toy Story 2. Although Disney and Pixar develop these widely famed computer-animated features, Disney preserves tradition with other two-dimensional animated features such as Mulan (1998), Tarzan (1999), and Atlantis (2001). Some critics say, “Mulan recaptures what has been lost in Disney animated features these last few years—magic” (Tran) and others say that while other Disney films lack the magic and power of previous films, “Tarzan finally hits the target dead-on” (Entertainment Extra). Although the Disney Company continues to create more masterful animated features, other organizations including Pixar embark on their own projects utilizing three-dimensional technology with two-dimensional technology.

The Pixar Company focuses mainly on computer animated three-dimensional films. Just recently, the group produced the widely popular feature entitled Monsters, Inc. (with Disney’s name), and it utilized the available technology to create the film. But before applying the technology, Pixar animators draw characters’ actions on storyboards similar to comic strips and then the editors position those storyboards on reels to view the sequence of the events in the film. As the editors construct the reels, members of the art department apply color to the characters’ drawings as well as the background containing the necessary props. After applying color to the drawn characters, animators use the computer technology to construct the characters in three-dimensions and assign “avars, or hinges” to each feature on the characters so the animators can manipulate each character on screen. Once they create the characters in three-dimensions, the animators construct the background and props on the computer. With the characters and the backgrounds, the layout crew acts out various movements and emotions to a virtual camera with the editors editing the scenes to produce the final presentation (Pixar). The solid work and the dedication displayed by the animators working for Pixar demonstrate their commitment to producing animated features with very high quality. Although the technical process from creating to presenting each animated feature seems extensive and tedious, the hard work and dedication pays off with millions of people paying to see each animated feature at the box office.

AUDIENCE

Although each animation company attempts to capture a mass audience with its productions, there continues to be a group of people who are indifferent to animated features. For instance, “There are three distinct audiences for animated features: children, adults, and what is called “crossover” (in which you hope to appeal to children and adults). Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be much of a teen audience. Apparently teens feel animation is kid stuff and would rather try to sneak into R-rated movies” (Scott). With the three individual audiences, animation organizations either spend close to 100 million dollars to appeal to the masses or, spend a lower amount to make an effort to target a certain audience. Although most companies target specific audiences with their features, some companies, mainly Disney, appeal to massive audiences with a few features including Beauty and the Beast. This 1991 animated feature not only appeals to film audiences but it also appeals to the Academy Award committee when it becomes the first animated film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. Along with the huge success and wide popularity of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, other companies in the late 1990s crossing into the twenty-first century endeavor to benefit from the prosperity of the Disney Company and many succeed in replicating the prosperity that Disney gained from Beauty and the Beast.

Just as the Disney Company targets huge audiences with Beauty and the Beast, other animation groups likewise make that attempt but most attempts become “…features which the producer hopes the children’s parents will like well enough to maybe spread some good word of mouth…[as well as] to keep the parents from squirming in their seats” (Scott). Although most efforts do not target parents as much as kids, animators persevere with one feature after another hoping that each new release will attract parents along with their kids. Even with the features that target the masses, “…you can sometimes miss the children and the adults and wind up with something in the middle no one wants to watch” (Scott). Although that is a possibility, that situation rarely occurs because the animators have the capability to receive a story and produce an excellent work to illustrate that story. While most illustrations become popular features with large audiences, some indirectly become popular with specific audiences (i.e. children or parents). When features happen to target certain groups, the primary reason for such an occurrence is that large companies spend more money targeting mass audiences while the smaller organizations can only afford to produce films targeting certain audiences. Despite the fact that a number of animated features target audiences, Jeffery Scott states, “I, for one, have always felt that the adult feature animation market will someday break wide open in this country.” While adult feature animation has not gained popularity yet, primetime adult oriented cartoons such as King of the Hill have acquired popularity that will propel adult animation in the future. With adult oriented animation becoming popular, some may believe that children’s animation will decrease, but while looking ahead to the future, children’s animation will flourish.

WHAT LIES AHEAD?

“It is clear that animation, modeling, and virtual reality are all key areas for the future” (Earnshaw and Green). For example, the early success of Toy Story and the later success of Shrek with three-dimensional computer animation establish the standard for the future of the animation industry. “What’s more, there’s a demand for 3D animation over and beyond what animation houses and movie studios are currently producing” (Gingold). To supply the increasing demand for three-dimensional animated entertainment, small companies who cannot compete with the major companies such as Disney or Pixar, will concentrate on the Internet to produce many three-dimensional animated cartoons. Companies such as the Cartoon Network display various cartoons now on the Internet and will continue to display cartoons as popularity increases for the cartoons. Examples of some of the cartoons appearing on the Internet include, Eden’s Crush, Sugar Ray, Captain Distraction, and Butch Cassidy. These cartoons, along with several others, contain easy access through the Cartoon Network’s website. The Cartoon Network enjoys substantial recognition through their cartoons airing on the Internet, and as popularity for the Internet surges, independent animation companies other than Cartoon Network achieve popularity for their works displaying on the Internet. Other than the Cartoon Network, another website that enables people to view cartoons is Download.com, and it shows various cartoons that can be downloaded for either Windows or Macintosh systems. Some of the cartoons include Escape from Monkey Island, Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity, The Jetsons Space Race, Adventures of Sean, and Scooby Doo. Although the success of Cartoon Network and Download.com on the Internet remains out of the public eye, some major animation companies take notice. Even with the increasing popularity with animated cartoons over the Internet, the most popular animation organizations believe that people will continue to watch new animated features at the theater in the future.

As the audiences for new animated features remain constant in the future, many companies especially Disney broadcast many of their future animated features to start attracting audiences. On the list of Disney’s future animated features are some sequels including Return to Neverland (2001), Peter Pan II (2003), 50^th Classic (2012), Oliver and Company (after 2012), and Rescurers III (after 2012). While Return to Neverland and Peter Pan II will focus on Peter Pan and his friends, the 50^th Classic on the other hand, will bring all characters from Disney’s previous forty-nine features together in one thrilling film. Although the Disney Company will produce many sequels in the future, they also will produce new animated features such as Finding Nemo in 2003 with Pixar, Billy the Kid in 2005, and Rapunzel debuting 2007. By showcasing these projected deadlines, Disney hopes to maintain an edge over its competitors and demonstrate to its audience that it will continue to create new animated features in both two-dimensions and three-dimensions. Also, with the brand new films projected in the future, Disney will attempt to maintain its audience with its magic and showcase the creative skills and abilities of its animators.

Although Disney will create its own original productions along with two other features with Pixar, Disney and Pixar could possibly produce a sequel to Toy Story 2, called Toy Story 3. Even with the audience demand for another movie with the characters, Woody, Buzz, and Jessie, Disney and Pixar require an agreement for the production of a Toy Story 3. Regardless of the debate between Pixar and Disney over producing a sequel to Toy Story 2, Disney needs Pixar to animate and produce the film while Pixar needs Disney’s name on the film. After all of the debating concludes, people will wander if a Toy Story 3 will appear in the near future. In response to the questions concerning the making of Toy Story 3, Disney’s chairman and CEO, Michael Eisner says, “definitely” while the Executive Vice President of Pixar, John Lasseter states, “never say never” to another sequel (Hatlestad). Edwin Catmull, Pixar’s president and chief technology officer, says that he hopes that Pixar makes Toy Story 3 “sometime.” Although the Toy Story 3 sequel remains out of their agreement, “audiences will almost demand that it be made” (Hatlestad).

Although audiences will demand future animated features in three-dimensions, they are still fascinated by two-dimensional drawn features and the modern computer animated features. Also, throughout the years, one company (Disney) dominated the animation industry while just in the past five or six years, other competitive companies (Pixar) emerged to display their creative ideas through animation. As animation continues to flourish in the future, audiences will demand additional features to be created by Disney as well as other organizations.