I was requested to create a tagline video to display both 2D and 3D animation. Here is the composition that I came up with.

As a person who has animated in both 2D and 3D mediums I have mixed feelings when I hear opinions on the separation of the two mediums . A large opinion in the 3D animation industry is that 2D animation is too time consuming and becoming obsolete. I have also met many 2D animators who believe 3D animation lacks the human element and it lacks an artistic endeavour. I do admit that both points have some validity. I personally believe that there is a non-tangeble visual element that is found in 2D animation that is very hard to replicate in 3D animation. However, there is no denying the 3D mediums ability to replicate hyper-realistic visuals and its over all efficiency compared to the rendering process of 2D animation is undeniable.

My opinion seems to favor one to the other based on the task at hand. Character animation for example is much easier in 3D, however very tedious to get started due to the processes of modeling, texturing and rigging. 2D animation on the other hand is much more spontaneous and forgiving because it has a more efficient methodical pipeline. I seem to be skirting the industry old question “Which is better?”. Perhaps this is because I still haven’t made up my mind on that.

I personal favor blending the two whenever possible. Why not have the best of both worlds. I have seen some great examples of blending the two mediums together (Nickelodeon’s: The Legend of Kora, Dreaworks: Sinbad, Disney’s: Lion King, Pixar’s: Paperman). I hope I get started on my personal projects a little more in depth, which may give me the freedom to mix things up a bit!