For example, 2005 audiences who saw Chicken Little and Hoodwinked premiere within a month of each other (November and December, respectively) could easily discern vast differences in the qualitative styles of computer animation. The Disney film was by far more sophisticated in terms of CGI technique, undoubtedly due to the wide disparity in budget between the films and the fact that Disney had advanced software, hardware and training facilities. Recently, the animated film Delgo met a disastrous fate in theaters. Although there may have been many factors that led to this, one of them was that the film had basically been completed years before; its CGI, which may have been state-of-the-art at the time, paled before that of DreamWorks's Kung Fu Panda, among other films. Animation audiences are by now connoisseurs of well-done CGI, and nothing but the finest and most up-to-date will do.

CGI has grown so sophisticated that audiences now discern between quality levels. Delgo may have failed in part because its CGI paled in comparison to other big budget Hollywood fare. © Fathom Studios.

That, of course, did not happen overnight. The same 10-year old child that was delighted and amazed by Toy Story in 1995 is now closing in on 24. With few exceptions, he or she has virtually been raised on CGI animated features, including the spectacular vfx in non-animated flicks. 2D has not been the main representative of the animated medium, not in the way it was for older audiences raised on Disney films. In other words, computer animation has now become synonymous with animated feature films; anything outside of it is now a rarity, an anomaly counter to how animation is supposed to look in theaters today. Where, then, does this leave 2D in 2009, at least as far as major releases are concerned? Can it still compete in the feature film market with CGI? It might have been fun to watch Nina Paley's incredible Sita Sings the Blues tear into American theaters, but, alas, complicated music copyright issues shall deprive animation lovers of the release of this unique and dazzling film.

There is at least one more significant test case coming up this year: Disney animation is going to buck the computer-generated tide with its first 2D production since the 2004 film Home on the Range. There is much riding on the coming Christmas release of The Princess and the Frog, not the least of which is to see whether 2D animation still has appeal to a generation that knows it mostly from DVD. Disney has considerable ammunition on its side. For starters, the film will feature the studio's first animated African-American "star," a young native of New Orleans named Tiana. Considering the cultural zeitgeist following the last Presidential election, the timing of this film could not be better. It also deserves mention that Tiana is the titular princess of the opus, and there are few more powerful draws than a Disney Princess. A kingdom full of girls sporting tiaras and dressed in Pantone Pink is practically assured. The box office will likely be monumental, but in this case profits will not be the entire story.

Disney animation is bucking the computer-generated tide with the coming release of The Princess and the Frog. Will 2D animation appeal to a generation that knows it mostly from DVD? © Disney.

In an age where CG is competing against itself, we will soon learn if 2D can still trump the field. This is not, by any means, 2D's do-or-die last stand in theatrical market; its resurrection has been brewing in John Lasseter's mind for quite some time. If The Princess and the Frog is successful, 2D will be very much alive at Disney, and other studios may take the cue as well. Certainly, the question of whether The Princess and the Frog can tell a compelling story is paramount in the audience's consideration. The film must also be gauged on the quality of its animation. Based on the available trailer, it looks very much like Disney circa 1995, a very profitable time for the studio (This, perhaps, highlights the only advantage 2D still has over its CG kin: A 2D film can look like it was made in 1995 and still have considerable appeal. A CG- animated film had better well look like it was made in 2009 or audiences -- and critics -- will surely take notice).

Should The Princess and the Frog succeed in these vital areas, 2D animation could make a comeback. It may be tricked out with computer-generated vfx and colored digitally, but The Princess and the Frog could be the one that keeps things hopping until the next great 2D feature film comes along.

Martin "Dr. Toon" Goodman is a longtime student and fan of animation. He lives in Anderson, Indiana.