Xerox and Cels (Are They Still Used)

[Cartoonzrule]

This has probably been asked before, but I'm curious and want to know if there's any cartoon in the world that still uses Xerox/ink and paint cels? The last time I saw it was in 2004 on Ed, Edd, n Eddy.

[mowub]

No, I believe EEnE was the last.

[nakak]

I believe only Don Hertzfeldt still uses camera to film his animation. He doesn't use cels, though, rather ink on animation paper with Sharpie.

[veemonjosh]

As far as I know, the only cartoon that still uses cels is the anime Sazae-san, and that mainly has to do with the fact that it's been running so long (40+ years) that there would be a HUGE backlash if the animation suddenly changed.

Though, this topic brings up the interesting question, COULD such productions still be made? What I mean is, like, if a director wanted to do a stylistic film done in cel animation, is it possible to do?

[nakak]

What I mean is, like, if a director wanted to do a stylistic film done in cel animation, is it possible to do?

If they take the independent route, and have access to the right equipments, then yeah, probably.

Mark Kausler (animator on Hi-Hi Puffy Ami-Yumi and other stuff) is currently working on a short film, and it's being painted in cels, like his other film It's the Cat (which was in production for years).

His two films are essentially love letters to old-school animation from the '30s, so the use of cels are appropriate here.

[DeanBurrito25]

Nope. Nowadays it's just digital ink and paint.

[Nexonius]

Call me crazy, but when I saw The Goode Family promo on ABC, I swore I saw Cel animation on there.

[Sparticus]

Though, this topic brings up the interesting question, COULD such productions still be made? What I mean is, like, if a director wanted to do a stylistic film done in cel animation, is it possible to do?

Totally, art students do it all the time. You can still get all of the supplies at a good art supply store. The camera's a bit of a trick to find, but your standard scanner works just fine. Heck, the last time I had a masochistic desire to animate, I did it with some thin printer paper, a no copy blue, then black pencil, my scanner and ImageReady to piece it all together.

Ultimately, digital's just more convenient - cuts out the scanning/photographing bits, and is easier to fix if something doesn't look quite right. The overall process isn't much different; instead of drawing on paper, they're using tablets.

[frostedone]

When people refer to "Digital Ink and Paint" What programs are they refering to? Besides Adobe Flash that is.

What is the industry standard for animation?

Thanks.

[nakak]

It's when the drawings are either scanned in or drawn on tablet and colored on computer.

As for programs, who knows. Somebody asked Thurop Van Orman what software the Korean studio uses to animate "Flapjack" and he said he doesn't know.

I remember seeing a CNN piece on Akom Productions, which animates "Simpsons". Nelson Shin showed the reporter around and at one point you can see a group of artists coloring Homer on computer. The software they used is something I've never seen before, with a complicated layering function (at least, from what the news camera showed). It's not Adobe or Flash, that's for sure.

[macattack]

In Japan, Korea, and most overseas studios for that matter, they still do draw by hand but they color digitally. I believe GI Joe: Resolute works the same way even though it's animated here, which is fairly interesting because most American cartoons animated here are done in Flash.

I think the new Disney movie, The Princess And The Frog may be colored the traditional way but that's just me guessing.

[R-Taco]

I think the new Disney movie, The Princess And The Frog may be colored the traditional way but that's just me guessing.

Nope, it's definitely all-digital. Disney stopped using cels quite some time ago.

[EJLD4Ever]

Nope, it's definitely all-digital. Disney stopped using cels quite some time ago.

Yup. Little Mermaid was the last. CAPS was pioneered in the late 80's and used exclusively since Rescuers Down Under. But I hear that the old CAPS system will be retired with PatF, perhaps replaced by a new and improved version?

[DeanBurrito25]

According to my research, a vast majority of 2D (digitally inked and painted) movies/TV shows nowadays are created by animation software created by Toon Boom Animation. (http://www.toonboom.com) Toon Boom Animation is a software company located in Canada that creates animation software used pretty much by everyone (Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Television Animation, Nelvana, Warner Bros. Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Toonz India Ltd, eMation, Rough Draft Korea, etc.)

Their products have been used on The Simpsons Movie, Family Guy, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, almost every Disney direct-to-video movie (starting with Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas), The Rugrats Movie, Looney Tunes Back in Action, 6Teen, need I go on?

I find it ironic that Canada has all of this access to 2D animation software that they manufacture, and yet most (current) Canadian animation is made with Flash!

[Racattack!Force]

I find it ironic that Canada has all of this access to 2D animation software that they manufacture, and yet most (current) Canadian animation is made with Flash!

Weird ain't it? I assume they just want the production to be cheap...

[Tay the Cat]

I find it ironic that Canada has all of this access to 2D animation software that they manufacture, and yet most (current) Canadian animation is made with Flash!

It's because the Canadian programming has much smaller respective budgets, so they have to do the cheapest thing possible.