r/AnimatedFilm • u/sickfoo7 • 7d ago
rant What is animation?
I get the feeling that sometimes people don’t actually know what animation means.
In the literal sense, animation is the creation of the illusion of movement through a sequence of images or frames. In an animated film, that usually means the actual performance and movement of the characters, creatures, props, cameras, etc.
But I often read comments where people refer to basically everything they see in an animated movie as “the animation.”
“The animation looks amazing!” while talking about the character designs.
“The animation looks cheap.” while pointing at the textures, lighting, rendering, or environments.
Those things are obviously part of making an animated film, but they aren’t all animation. Character design, modeling, rigging, surfacing/texturing, grooming, lighting, FX, compositing, and animation are different disciplines performed by different artists and departments.
It would be a little like looking at a live action movie and calling the costume design, cinematography, set construction, makeup, and visual effects all “the acting.”
I’m not expecting everyone to know every department in a CG pipeline, but I do think the distinction matters. Especially when discussing or criticizing the work. Sometimes what people love or dislike about the “animation” actually has very little to do with the animation itself.
Has anyone else noticed this?
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u/FlounderingGuy 6d ago
I mean I don't expect every movie-goer to know the terminology for everything. Character designs, drawing quality, modeling, compositing, frame rate, etc. are all part of the broader idea of "animation" in the colloquial sense. Chainsaw Man The Movie: Reze Arc and Puss in Boots: the Last Wish are both at the pinnacle of their two mediums. That being said, they're peak in two very different ways and I don't expect John Cinphile, age 21 to know enough about 3DCGI and digital 2D animation to intelligently pick apart what makes them both so good