As a long-time animator and film enthusiast who has witnessed the evolution of animation from hand-drawn to CGI, I wholeheartedly agree with Chris Sanders’ sentiments about the uniformity that once plagued the 3D animated movie landscape. The memories of watching those classics like Toy Story, Shrek, Ice Age, and Hoodwinked still bring a smile to my face, but it’s undeniable that their animation doesn’t quite hold up compared to their later iterations or newer films.
The adage goes that things were better in the past, but when it comes to animation, this might not be true. Chris Sanders, director of DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot, among other classic animations, has explained why most animated movies from the late ’90s and early 2000s share a similar aesthetic. Despite the brilliance of films like Toy Story, Shrek, Ice Age, and the underappreciated Hoodwinked, their animation may not stand the test of time compared to later installments in their series or newer 3D-animated films. Sanders attributes this sameness to studios hastily adopting new technology, often at the expense of unique creativity.
Discussing “The Wild Robot,” Chris Sanders reflected on traditional animated films of the past and identified why they all had a similar aesthetic. Prior to the CG revolution in the ’90s, hand-drawn animation provided animators with an almost boundless level of creative flexibility regarding their film’s style. Nevertheless, once 3D animation technology emerged, major studios were quickly drawn to it, much like magpies to a shimmering trinket, and animators found themselves compelled to adapt their work within the constraints imposed by the technology. Sanders elaborated:
In the past, switching up the aesthetic of a film was straightforward and thrilling. We’d experiment with various styles based on the type of movie we were creating. However, when computer-generated effects (CG) arrived, there was a strong pull towards a specific style due to technological constraints. This made it challenging for us to maintain the dynamic and surprising visuals we once had.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Revolutionized 3D Animation
3D animation has seen significant advancements in visual quality throughout the years, but many 3D films still share similar stylistic traits. However, as Chris Sanders points out, everything shifted when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefined the medium. Sanders elaborated on this:
Watching Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse felt like a breakthrough. It seemed as though someone had managed to escape the clutches of that gravitational pull! Then, DreamWorks continued with films like Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, moving us further along this fantastic path away from conventional CGI. I couldn’t help but wonder just how far we could push the boundaries.
As animation technology advances, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is predicted to significantly reshape animation in the future. Despite industry and audience disapproval, studio executives often overlook chances to cut costs. Intriguingly, for the film The Wild Robot, which heavily features AI, Sanders characterized it as “more human-crafted than anything I’ve worked on since computer graphics (CG) became common.
The Wild Robot presents Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Matt Berry, Catherine O’Hara, Mark Hamill, Stephanie Hsu, Ving Rhames, and other talented actors. Adapted from the novel by Peter Brown, this film tells a story about a stranded robot who finds itself caring for a young Gosling and teaching them to migrate with their kin.
The Wild Robot
is currently playing in theaters nationwide.
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2024-09-30 19:31