What's your favorite kind?

[Magnus]

I think it's fair to suggest that everyone who is a member of Keyframe likes animation. But there are many different kinds of animation. Do you have a favorite type, and if so, what is it? Anime or western-drawn? 2-dimensional or 3D? Comical like Warner Bros. or more serious like Miyazaki Hayao?

For starters, I'd say my favorite type would be more serious 2D western animations, of which not many seem to exist. By "more serious" I mean adult-oriented. I guess the closest example I can think of off the top of my head would be The Iron Giant, even if it isn't intended specifically for adult audiences. I do think many western animators could afford to learn a few things from anime, and certain anime productions (such as Cowboy Bebop) would probably be my favorite kind of animation except for two things: 1) I think anime is too focused on holding on to traditions in style and/or story, and 2) since I can't understand Japanese, some of the intended effects of anime are almost invariably lost in translation. It also saddens me to see western animators trying to replicate the anime styles almost exactly. Somebody needs to get some guts and make a little variation.

As for 3D, I guess I just like the appearance and style of 2D better, although as discussed in a different thread, it seems 3D is becoming more and more capable of replicating that style, i.e. "toonshading." While I think it's unfortunate that the 2D animation industry has been crashing and burning, I think that if 3D can eventually produce the same "look" of 2D, with smoother motion and better graphics, it wouldn't be so bad.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. What are your opinions?

[P.C. Unfunny]

I prefer western animation overall. I like that fact that characters are stressed on, which make them memorable. I also like the art and animation itself. It looks great when it's in traditionial animation. It looks very life like. And I also of love the humor of Looney Tunes ,MGM, and other classic shorts. What I don't like though is the stories are sometimes too simple. But I noticed the Europeans are acheiving that balance of story and character better then Americans.


As for anime, I don't care for it too much. I don't like the artwork nor the low framerate. And the story is emphized far more then the characters. But, I'll give it some credit. It is very unique and dose tend to have better stories then western animated films. Unfortunetly, in this country, alot of good anime is being looked over. Shows like Dragon Ball Z and Inuyasha are completely mindless and repetitive. Cowboy Bebop is good, but it is certainly not great.However,Iam glad that Miyazaki films are grabbing people's attention in this country.

[greykitty]

I prefer 2d western animation. I like the smoothness and the clean lines. It also seems more colorful and brighter than most 3d films. I really don't care for anime, in both it's look and stories. Most that I've seen were pretty dull and repetative.

[lupercal]

Western style 2D. It was what I grew up on. I won't harp on it,m but I'm just so utterly bored with 3D blockbusters, there isn't a thing on the horizon that I'm looking forward to in that dept, and even Aardman are going CGI.

The one possible ray of hope which I've seen lately is 'Steamboy', which is the first film I've ever seen that meshes 2D and 3D so well that you forget you're watching CGI most of the time. Triplets of Bellville was good too, but that was more a matter of inserting a CGI object into a 2D backgroiund without it looking glaringly conspicuous. 'Steamboy' is effectively ALL hybrid 2D/3D except for the backgrounds, but it very rarely looks CGI.

Loop