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Credit: Inside the MagicThe creative choices in Disney’s Wish (2023) have led many to suspect that Walt Disney Animation Studio has seen the error of its ways and will return to traditional animation practices. The fact of the matter is that ink and paint animation doesn’t have the audience the studio needs, but things are still getting ready to change.
The hybrid animation style that blended CGI characters with watercolor-inspired backgrounds seen in Disney’s latest animated feature is a different flavor from what the studio has shown fans in recent years. Although it bears a familiar resemblance to Disney Animation circa 2000s-ish, does this mean they are entirely forgoing the CGI route?
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The short answer is, unfortunately, no. The Walt Disney Company has far too much invested in modern methods to uproot its animation department completely, but that doesn’t mean big changes aren’t already underway.
Walt Disney Animation Already Reinvented Its Style
Before fully diving into the future of Disney animation, we need to address the elephant in the room. Those die-hard, dedicated-for-decades fans will have to accept that the days of ink and paint have been dead and buried for a long time. However, their techniques still survive.
For the sake of argument, let’s suppose that Disney is already fully committed to changing its style. What would a modern, “2D” Disney movie look like? What some fans might not know is that the studio has already set things in motion.
The evidence lies not just in Disney’s Wish but in the wealth of modern short films readily available on Disney+. The short film collection has several entries as recent as 2021 that rely on a distinctly hand-drawn art style with a modern twist. While this is still a long way away from the traditional ink and paint style made famous by Walt Disney and his team of animators, the influence is still heavily felt.
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If Disney fans truly want to know what a modern 2D style for Disney could, and likely will, look like, consider the films Paperman (2012), Feast (2014), Far From the Tree (2021), and the wealth of short films presented through Short Circuit and Spark Shorts from Pixar.
These films utilize modern techniques, but hand-drawn and traditional elements are essential to their completion and presentation. Paperman uses 2D models polished by CGI effects to better incorporate themes of paper and ink as a distinct visual choice. Feast incorporates a little more CGI in its presentation, but the designs and motions of the characters display that the dog and his owners existed in a sketchbook before entering any sort of computer program.
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Furthermore, shorts like Far From The Tree rely heavily on hand-drawn elements but utilize CGI as more of a polishing tool than as the star of the show. That’s precisely where Disney is heading if they are indeed serious about returning to more traditional styles and practices.
Much criticism has been heaped on Wish as some have called it “unfinished” and “barely rendered,” but that’s often the case with the first draft of anything. The film was by no means perfect, but it serves as a stepping stone for Disney to go forward to more polished projects.
The days of ink and paint might be gone, but that doesn’t mean Disney Animation is down and out. Even Disney director Chris Buck has claimed that there is indeed an interest in returning to a more classical style for the studio. As viewers, we can only wait and see what happens.
Do you think classic animation will make a comeback? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!