Animation, a medium of art that can bring static images to life, boasts a long and layered history. Its origins can be traced to the Han Dynasty, where Ting Huan’s invention of the Chao Hua Chich Kuan utilized translucent paper in a circular arrangement to bring images to life.
Fast-forwarding centuries, the dedication of these animators is simply extraordinary.
Imagine drawing twelve unique drawings for each second of film, creating the first animated movie. In 1917, this labor culminated in a 70-minute film called The Apostle. It required over 100,000 frames to create. Despite daunting obstacles, pioneers laid the foundation of modern-day animation.
Walt Disney created Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the full-length animated feature film and largest undertaking of its kind. 750 artists created nearly two million separate paintings to complete the project.
Nearly 60 years later, Pixar’s 1995 Toy Story was the first feature film that was entirely computer-animated and the first animated film nominated for an Academy Award.
Now, just 30 years later, the AI revolution has shifted the focus of the creative community, introducing the use of generative image and video models.
“Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.”
animator Norman McLaren
Artificial intelligence may worry animators, but these tools are currently too inconsistent to automatically create professional-quality films.
Currently, AI is a tool to help an artist, not as a replacement for them. Studios are changing to coexist with AI, as researchers are using deep learning to better render 3D scenes. They have even started turning live footage into editable and animated 3D scenes.
The main interest of these researchers is time and cost savings. Compared to Snow White taking three years and Toy Story taking four years to make, modern-day animated movies are even more time-consuming.
As technology has advanced, modern animation involves higher levels of image detail and 3D design. This forces animators to depend on the painstakingly slow computer processing of animated scenes. AI can rapidly increase the efficiency of computing, for example, by generating light rays on 3D objects to create more realistic images.
A major limitation for AI is the bias it encounters from its provided training content, making it harder for AI to produce creative and original content. In addition, AI cannot fully generate films due to limits in its emotional and creative depth.
For animators, the AI revolution is still years away. Whilst we have to embrace the enhancements and efficiencies that AI can bring to animating, it cannot truly replace the creativity and effort needed to create something original.
As animator Norman McLaren once said, “Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.”
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