The debate is relatively new, but it will continue for ages: traditional animation vs. computer generated (CG) animation. Traditional animation is created using hand drawn techniques: pen, pencil, ink and paint. This originates to the very early 1900’s. CG animation involves creating works on computers, using software to animate. This was first used in early 1980s films such as Tron, and became more popular in the mid-1990s and early 2000s after Toy Story‘s and other Pixar films’ successes.
Both techniques have their pros and cons, but the inevitable question remains: which is better? The answer: it depends on the situation.
For example, if a work or franchise was originally traditionally animated, its future works should be as well. Take Spongebob Squareparents: Upon seeing Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge Out of Water earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the majority of the film was hand drawn. However. when the characters took their CG forms later in the film, it was painfully clear how inferior that part was. Why? Because Spongebob CG does not work. Part of why we love the characters is the way they look. When changing from hand drawn to CG, the entire character cannot be taken seriously because that’s not how they look.
In contrast, take a CG work and try to re-imagine it hand drawn. The result might not be great, but they are not painful. In fact, some examples look arguably better than the original form. Check out this Tangled hand drawn art:
I don’t know what you think, but I see nothing wrong with the way Rapunzel and Flynn Rider look in this image. Actually, I think it looks pretty cool. Tell me what you think in the comments; I’m curious. In part two of Traditional Animation vs. CG, I will review the pros and cons of each form.
The Animation Curation 
I was always on the fence on this debate and never took a side until I saw The Princess and the Frog. Seeing Disney come back to hand-drawn animation after declaring Home on the Range their last hand-drawn animated film just made me fall in love with it. I’m not a fan of TPATF, but seeing the gorgeous colors, atmosphere, and drawings in the movie is enough to make me want to watch the film over and over. And that’s how I joined the traditional animation side!
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Thank you for sharing! Yeah, TPATF looks gorgeous. I’ve always loved traditional, just a personal aesthetic preference.
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I think those who mope around about 2D are a little silly. Both mediums can create total junk. It always comes down to the story. If pushed I prefer 2D but not by much. I’d put anything up to the gorgeous visuals in Ratatouille and Wall-e. I also don’t think 2D is dead. Every year there are 2D films released just from smaller studios which is fine with me. Plus we are seeing amazing 2D on television.
In the end I just care if the movie works and whether it is stop motion, CG or 2D you can create a masterpiece or junk
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Excellent points there. Story is and will always be key.
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