While 3D animation has proved itself as a master of realism, it has often been accused of failing to capture the feeling and characterization that classical animation has offered audiences for the past century. The animation industry has begun to respond to this feedback, and has adjusted it's priorities accordingly. More and more we are seeing a hybrid of classical and 3D animation; each technique being utilized for what it does best. Bringing inanimate objects, or those with simple geometry, to life is well within the digital realm. However, organic figures such as humanoids and animals have continually been proven more convincing when created with pencil and paper. For instance, we all loved Toy Story, but many of us were disappointed with the way the human figures were designed and animated. They seemed to be out of synch with all the great looking, more geometrical, toys.

Toy Story demonstrated that while computer animation is great for animating geometrical forms, organic materials, such as fabric or fur, are still a challenge for 3D computer animators. © Disney.

One creative and economical use of 3D animation can be evidenced in many of the recently released classically animated features. Backgrounds, camera moves, crowd scenes, and machines of all descriptions have been modeled and animated digitally. In many cases this approach can save both time and money. More importantly, it also enhances the look of the film. Duncan Marjoribanks is one of the top character animators at DreamWorks Feature Animation with experience as a lead animator spanning over two decades. He was responsible for bringing to life such timeless characters as Abu from Disney's Aladdin, and Sebastian the crab from Disney's The Little Mermaid. On the topic of 3D animation and digital effects, Marjoribanks' advice is clear. "Wherever it works, by all means, use it!" Marjoribanks notes that "in traditional features, what computer animation does best is to improve the quality of a production, rather than saving money over hand drawn methods." DreamWorks' soon to be released, The Prince of Egypt uses extensive digital animation and effects in their rendition of the Parting of the Red Sea and in the vast multitudes of "extras" necessary for a biblical epic. When asked about the use of 3D modeling and animation for crowd scenes, Marjoribanks declares, "They (the 3D animators) are welcome to them." There are limitations however, to modeling in three dimensions. While it is relatively easy to redraw a 2D character model, it can sometimes be more difficult to radically change a digital model. As Duncan points out, "It's hard to tweak a 3D model too far, without something breaking."

Mainframe Entertainment's animated series, Reboot. © 1997 Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.

Classically Effective
Just as classical studios such as DreamWorks and Warner Bros. are striving to make the most of new technology, 3D producers are looking to classical animation to augment their craft. Whether in the form of separate 2D levels, or in the use of classical timing and characterizations, 3D companies are "getting back to basics" in order to improve the entertainment value of their products. In one case, Vancouver based Radical Entertainment, one of the leading video game developers in North America, is using 2D reference animation as a guide to aid their 3D animators in achieving the best timing and motion possible. Jack Rebbetoy, one of Radical's senior producers notes, "We have explored the use of motion capture for our games and in many instances, this approach seems to capture the essence of the motion that we're looking for, in other, more complex situations, however, we have to rely on a traditional 2D animator to capture that same essence. In addition, we often want to exaggerate these motions for effect. With motion capture, you are limited to the physical abilities of your actor." Exaggeration, of course, plays an integral role in classical animation and is one of the prime reasons to use animation rather than live-action to tell a story.