Monday, February 2, 2009

Ditch Digital

Floyd Norman has a rather bold suggestion sure to stir controversy:

"I’m going to apologize in advance for today's column because I'm sure that it's going to make a lot of people angry. I have a plan that some might call radical. But it’s a plan that I’m afraid we need. Tough times demand tough decisions, and here’s one to consider:

Get rid of digital animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios."

--> Link to column

His argument is from a business perspective, mainly that Disney should leverage their history (the brand they established over an entire century) and return to what they have always excelled at. Especially in a world where practically everything is CG, and they already own Pixar. Interesting read, for sure. Thanks to Sherm Cohen for sharing the link over Facebook.

1 comment:

Sunny Day Print Co. said...

Wow. It's nice to read an article supporting handdrawn animation.
I don't see that being much of a feasibility though. Meaning, I'd sure be pleasantly surprised if it were true- but, I just can't imagine that happening. Plus... that would be bad news for a lot of folks who've made their livings making digital animation.
I'm glad Floyd Norman emphasizes that he's not computer bashing- and tries to explain what the buisness choice was. Though, isn't is cheaper to make a digital animation? And since Disney is a buisness, their goal is making money.
This line was what stuck out to me the most, "It’s all about whether the stories are any good; whether the characters resonate with an audience." Thank goodness someone had the gall to say it aloud. What a sigh of relief. The way I see it though, most parents are going to take their kid to see whatever new movie is out whether it has a good messege or not. I know how pessimistic that sounds... but who doesn't know parents who plop their tots in front of a crappy movie just to get an hour of silence. I don't have a kid, so I get to say things like that.
I do want to see more handdrawn animation, but there's no reason that both can't exist under the same studios name. Bring more animators in. I have no background in buisness, so what do I really know- but it seems to me that they would make money from doing both.