If Walt had been advised by a large boardroom filled with lawyers and accountants, we never would have seen Fantasia (above). © Disney Enterprises Inc.

It is there, at the animation festivals worldwide, every year. Films that meld various 2D and 3D media into a seamless new creative look. Experimental flashes of brilliance that should be challenging the big studios to think outside their visual boxes, and bring the public something really juicy to look at and devour!

Let us keep in mind always that Walt Disney's vision may have left him in debt up to his ears by the time he was put to rest in the deep freeze, but it did not stop him from pushing the envelope of what was possible at that time. Had Walt been advised by a large boardroom filled with lawyers and accountants, we never would have seen Fantasia, or Snow White, or Pinocchio. Walt took risks. And that pioneering spirit led to where we are today, and gave us all this incredible legacy on which to build the art of animation.

So have you animation executives learned anything yet? Were you paying attention when the last great renaissance was brought to its knees by your shortsighted, ill-advised business plans based on fear and greed? Have you developed a healthy respect for the true nature of innovation and creative risk-taking? Are you willing to push the envelope, thus paving the way for a healthy, growing, abundant animation entertainment industry? Are you willing to let true visionaries take control of the fate of the animation industry, rather than imposing your sadly formulated, lowest-common-denominator, fear-based marketing research from hell and "business plans" on everything that we do in the animation industry?

If the young visionary animation artists of today, with their deep respect for and love of classical animation and their formidable digital skills, can be freed of the corporate shackles that have crippled our industry, the world is in for a treat. A real animation renaissance could blossom from this confusing mess that saw old-school craft pitted against the new technologies for far too many years. But we have to take a leap of faith. We have to take risks like Walt did back in the '20s and '30s. We have to be brave and make films that challenge our ideas about entertainment. The public is hungry for it, the artists are ready to provide it, and the craft and technology have come just far enough to break out of the cocoon, and morph into an utterly magical new age for animated films.

Bring on the next animation renaissance!

In his 30-year animation career, Joseph Gilland has worked with studios as diverse as Walt Disney Feature Animation and the National Film Board of Canada. He has worked on all styles of animation, experimental films, television series, commercials, theatrical feature films, stop motion, title sequences, live-action films and documentaries. He is writing a passionate book about the art of animation.