Out with the New, In with the Old
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Humans aside, with CGI animation there seems to come with it a hard-to-identify difference in movement. Perhaps the best way for me to name it is to call it a clean stiffness. This could be from a lack of squash and stretch or perhaps just the way the computer aids in the process, but the result is, to this eye, less appealing than traditional animation. While computers can help create a photo-realism, it is traditional animation that creates movement that is more realistic in fluidity.
Because of these differences in movement, there is a distinct timing and pacing that has yet to be accomplished in CGI animation. Viewing director Mark Dindal’s two Disney features—The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little—highlight these differences. One of the many strengths of The Emperor’s New Groove is its unique timing. There are scenes that require quick movements for comedic effect, such as when Bucky the squirrel pops the balloon, causing Kuzco to laugh, then hush himself. The quick, almost deadpan movements of Bucky and Kuzco’s sharp physical response are animation that has only been successfully completed in hand-drawn animation. Another example of expert timing in the film is the scene in which Kuzco pretends to regret his actions while he and Pacha wash their faces in the river. The subtle timing with subtext-laden glances and small talk is too delicate to be successfully accomplished in CGI animation. There were a number of jokes in Chicken Little where the moment required the comedic timing of The Emperor’s New Groove’s hand-drawn animation, but the medium lacked the ability.
This is not to say that there isn’t great talent and appeal in CGI animation. Just as much talent goes into making a great CGI feature like Monster’s Inc or Finding Nemo as does a Sleeping Beauty or Beauty and the Beast. In fact, if my passion was in it, I’m sure I could write a whole column on the unique touch of CGI animation or how the differences between CGI animation and traditional animation allow for a different type of storytelling or timing; however, for me and for many Disney fans, the decision to allow CGI animation to supersede traditional animation was about more than just the studio’s history—it was about the ability of traditional, hand-drawn animation to tell stories and to create characters in ways that no other medium can. It was about the loss of an untouchable art form.
Thank God for John Lasseter’s vision and leadership. Not only did he, with Toy Story, usher in a new medium that has thrilled audiences to no end, he could also see the value in the difference between CGI animation and traditional animation. Thank God for Ron Clements and John Musker for their wonderful jewels—The Great Mouse Detective, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet—and for being there to once again bring the thrills of traditional animation to the public eye.
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-- Jim Miles
With a love for animation discovered from watching Oliver & Company in 1988, Jim Miles has actively been studying animation and storytelling through animation since the fifth grade. In addition to his column for the Laughing Place, Jim has written two novels, both of which he hopes to revise for publication sometime before he dies. His love for great literature and the theatre has also driven him to write a libretto for a dramatic musical entitled Fire in Berlin as well as to start a musical comedy, City of Dreams. Jim will soon move to Los Angeles to pursue a full-time writing career.
The opinions expressed by Jim, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted July 18, 2006