Free open-source animation production software employed by Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli now available for download.
Developed in 1995 during production of ‘Princess Mononoke,’ the Toonz Ghibli Edition was most recently used for the famed Japanese studio’s ‘When Marnie Was There.’
OpenToonz, the open-source version of the animation production software employed on the Futurama series and Studio Ghibli features such as The Wind Rises, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There, is now available for free download!
Containing the same feature sets as the Toonz Ghibli Edition developed by longtime Toonz user Studio Ghibli, OpenToonz is from Japanese developer and media company Dwango, which recently acquired rights to the technology from Italian software developer Digital Video.
Toonz Ghibli Edition is a customized version of the Toonz software developed for the famed Japanese animation studio in 1995 during production of Princess Mononoke, and has been used in the ink and paint, color design and digital composition process for most of their titles ever since The Secret World of Arrietty. In addition, OpenToonz also includes effects developed by Dwango that utilize its artificial intelligence technology, and a plug-in feature that enables anyone to add original effects to OpenToonz. The new open-source software -- which is completely free to use and update -- was officially presented this past weekend in Tokyo at Anime Japan.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
