The Production End of It
One of the most intriguing aspects of Futurama is its integration of traditional and computer animation. In the new animated Spider-Man cartoon, when Spidey flies and flips through the computer backgrounds, one can tell that they are computer backgrounds. In Futurama, the backgrounds and animation are so close in their look and style that one hardly notices it's computer. The best way to describe it is to compare it to the animated feature Cats Don't Dance, where the backgrounds and animation match almost seamlessly. As animation students, this is a big issue. We are more interested in the creative ways of using computer animation to assist in storytelling. Flashy and fancy doesn't impress us anymore! "It is a welcome change from the usual synthesis of the two types which is usually gaudy and ugly," says college student Lance Simmons. When done correctly, computer technology can be a great enhancer, but when done incorrectly it takes away far more than what is added to a picture.

We would like to take a moment and congratulate Rough Draft Studios for the wonderful animation in Futurama. While carrying on the torch with the character design and look of The Simpsons, Futurama's character animation works a little bit better. We really liked the overall layout, and the color scheme is more vivid and exciting. It's too early to comment on character personality development, but the potential is there, and we can't wait to see all the extremes that Fry and company will go through.

Overall, as animation students, we enjoyed Futurama. "The first episode was consistently funny and didn't lag pace-wise," says college student Gianina Lopategui. Similar to shows like The Simpsons and Seinfeld, this is the type of show that the guys at work are going to talk about around the water cooler. Simpsons fans definitely have something new and exciting to look forward to. The future is now and more hilarious than ever!

The Classical Animation Society is a student organization at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Devoted to character animation and the animation industry, the Society was founded to unite the animation students at SCAD to promote learning about the art, craft and industry of animation.

The Savannah College of Art and Design exists to prepare talented students for careers in the visual arts, design, and building arts. The college emphasizes individual attention in a positive environment.