CG vs. 2D anime art in Japan

I have been having a private on-going discussion with an anime producer that works for a very famous (top 5) anime production company in Japan, about various topics. It took me quite a while to establish a contact, so I can't reveal my source, but it is [i]"REAL"[/i].

In any case this is what he had to say about the future of 2D artists, vis-a-vis CG art's impact on anime artists in Japan, this is a direct quote:

[quote]"I don't think many creators are losing their jobs. Of course, some decide to go to CG field by their own will, but being a 2D animator is still very precious. "[/quote]

He went on to mention some works coming out, but I can't tell you the famous animator, otherwise you'll guess the company =)

I thought that was a nice comment, and a small ray of light piercing through an otherwise cloudy collecting environment. I thought that I'd share some hope.

Well I'd agree that many well know anime creators, studios, and character designers are not going to lose their job. Many of the traditional animation skills transfer to digimation. However, as more and more studios do switch to the technological advances that CGI enables, we will still see even in international animations... a precipitious drop in traditional animation.

Honestly, I for one would much rather know which creators, studios, and character designers still prefer to stick with traditional animation instead of digimation. To myself that would enable me to track much closely their individual works.

We all know famous character designers and creators such as: Shirow, Mikimoto, Miyazaki, and even Rumiko, are moving forward with the technical advances. However, what about Sonoda Kenichi, Takada Akemi, Hirano Toshihiro, Kawajiri Yoshiaki, Kakinouchi Narumi, Katsura Masakazu? The list goes on and on....

We just had a similar conversation the other night while watching "Zeta Gundam". We were discussing the look of "Zeta" and comparing it to other shows like "Gundam Seed" and "8th MST". Personally out of the three shows, I like the cel-based art from the "8th MST" OVA best.

I don't think would buy cels, if there were any, from "Seed". This says a lot because I love characters in "Seed". I think it comes down to liking the art style over how it is produced in my mind...

It would seem that hand drawn animation will not go completely away. Disney recently released "Bambi II" which was made with cels. I read an article somewhere that said it also used digital copies of the backgrounds from the original "Bambi" because they were all oil paintings.

I think "Bambi II" might be a fluke because they were making a sequel to something that was animated with cels a long time ago. I heard the director really wanted to have "Bambi II" have the same feel as the original because it takes place during the same time frame...

I think the main thing that will dictate whether there is a revival of cel animation will be cost. It is my understanding that it is slightly cheaper to do the CG animation. If this is the case, then I don't see many shows being made with cels in the future. That is unless the director wants a show to have an older feel...

I can tell you that I was speaking to a producer about "Mad House" work, and the specific artist I was discussing was Nobuteru Yuki.

Interesting E, well did they comment on how they specifically feel about the widespread transition from traditional cel animation to digimation? I'd like to know their thoughts, as well as the thoughts of the previously listed people/studios. Thanks!

Btw, I think cel animation is a dying art and its appreciation is dwindling.