Process and Production - Brief History of... Start of Digital

Digital 3D animation wasn't always the massive and amazing industry it is today, initially it was shunned by mainstream studios, specifically Disney as they didn't believe it would be faster and make more money than traditionally hand drawn animation. The initial presentation wasn't exactly awe inspiring to be honest as the 3D animations being shown had been made not by animators, but by computer software designers the people who made the software so it didn't really pull you in. So instead of pitching the software to another studio pixar was born through Lucas film industries and Steve Jobs.

Before making their first feature film, toy story, Pixar went about creating various shorts in order to showcase the new animation software as well as practice different techniques that could be showcased in their animations, things such as the 12 principles, considering how they could be applied to this knew form of animation which utilised models as well as the motion of more fluid things such as cloth or hair.

Before 3D was applied to full length feature films , it was applied to live action movies that utilised it in order to make the possible, impossible. Jurassic Park, for example was one of the first examples of realistic CGI giving a wider range and opportunity for 3D animation. But going back to full length animated features, it became quite prominent that 3D digital animation was the way forward because when Pixar released their first feature, Toy Story, alongside Disneys Pocahontas, Toy Story grossed 350 mil worldwide, a massive success and beating out Disneys independent 2D film by 4 mil as well as gaining overwhelming reviews in comparison to the mixed response Pocahontas got. This was the stepping stone for the world of 3D animation which then went from strength to strength as digital evolved further and further being used by Blue Sky, Dreamworks and eventually Disney, leading to the complete dismissal of the original traditional animation, 3D had become the mainstream rather than the kitsch or quirky animation style (although that might be held by stop motion).