What’s Wrong with a Little Style Over Substance?

I’m a huge fan of 3D animation, in fact it’s the very reason I got into the world of CG and began working at Escape Studios. However after recently watching a fantastic 2D animated movie it got me thinking; when was the last time I was really excited by the style of a 3D animated film?

And, now that 3D animation frequents our movie screens on a regular basis I think it might be fair to say that there has been a recent switch in favor of substance over style, or perhaps there is work to be done in both departments.

The film that really got me thinking about all this, is an Irish animation called ‘Brendan and the Secret of Kells’. The film itself was nominated for an Academy Award last year, and so has received some recognition from the industry, but I’d be willing to bet not many of you have seen the film or even heard of it. Now, the look and style of the animation is not going to be to everybody’s taste but the fresh and exciting feel to the visuals is not something I think is restricted only to 2D.

If you’re a budding young animator it’s certainly something to think about! If anyone has seen recent 3D offerings such as Despicable Me or Megamind, I’d love to hear what you thought about the mix between the film’s success—both visually and from a narrative perspective? Perhaps it might be time for others to take a look back at their traditional routes and rediscover that visual chemistry that got us all excited about animation in the first place?

What do you think? Reply to this post and let me know.