Animation is an ever-evolving industry. The assertion becomes true when we look at the growth trajectory of this field. People who grew up playing Super Mario and watching Popeye the Sailor man now see entirely different forms of animations. Gen X and even millennials would not have thought that the future of the animation industry would progress to such heights. We first met animation in movies. Some of us could not believe the fascinating phenomenon we were witnessing.
The creative and fantasizing avenue then also moved towards ads, TV shows, and YouTube videos, and now we even see it in every social media platform. So, yes, the future of the animation industry quickly picked up, and we don’t think it will stop refining itself anytime soon. Looking at awe-struck animations created within a few years makes us believe that the industry has achieved bigger goals than we could ever imagine. But the question remains what’s next? What is the future of the animation industry?
In this article, we will focus on these questions and answer them efficiently. But before we dive into the future of the animation industry and learn about popular animators, let us first briefly look at what animation actually is and how did it all start.
Animation is a unique and fantasizing art form. The field’s history stretches even before cinema’s creation. The animation industry first achieved commercial success back in 1832. It happened by showcasing the stages of a character in motion in quick movements with the help of drawing. This would give the viewers the illusion of continuous movement.
Although anyone can produce an animation of this simply by drawing with a notepad and a pencil, back then, people used devices to create this effect, Since then, animation has become a valuable tool and a flexible way to showcase artwork and storytelling. It is a highly creative way to tell stories compared to live-action. In addition, popular animators never seem obligated to the same laws of physics or logic that the filmmakers follow.
Instead, they allow imagination to extend and present something unusual and surprising most of the time. Though things have taken off, and because of technological advancements, free animation tools and software are available to assist animators, the core principles are still the same. With this said, let us now move on to the next segment of the article explaining the future of the 2D and 3D animation industry.
It is not entirely false that the new VFX animation and skillful animation are fading traditional animation techniques. With the advancement of visual effects in video games and the creation of immersive experiences for the metaverse, the future of the animation industry may come along with these changes-
It’s certainly true that the amazing quality visuals we see today will improve. A few years back, we could watch animated movies only in 2D, but now, we can watch these movies in 3D and even enjoy them in a virtual setup.
With the advancement of Extended Reality (Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality), animators strive to eliminate the difference between real and animated objects. Moreover, popular animators are certain that the design and quality of animation are going to be limitless.
Over the years, sophisticated animation software has enabled them to create outstanding animations. Other sources say that as the software and hardware get more advanced, the gaming industry will produce graphics that are never seen before. So, let’s wait for the time when we confuse ourselves with what’s real and what is animated!
During the pandemic, even the biggest Hollywood live-action projects paused. The problem came as an opportunity for the animation industry that was all set to substitute. Though animation was a core part of the entertainment economy, this opportunity worked as a propeller for the future of the animation industry.
Besides being extremely popular in TV animation for kids, the wild success of shows like Rick and Morty, South Park, and The Midnight Gospel prove there is a lot more scope for adult TV shows in the animation industry. The demand for this type of content is predicted to rise in the coming years. Yes, the field will cherish the same respect and popularity as other genres like live-action and shows. Its growth can lift the tag of animation being the “kids” genre.
Moreover, with the OTT platforms like Netflix giving due respect to animation, the restricted watch time may also expand for animation. Sources suggest that the future of the animation industry will have better content, fewer limitations, a sense of originality, longer runtime, mature stories, and many more achievements that will make it equal to live action.
Animation assets like Artificial Intelligence movies and 3D environments are time-consuming and expensive for the creators to produce. Even for basic animation, there is always that one-to-one input to output whether the animator wishes to texture, model, or revise. Procedural workflows are a hope for the future of the animation industry to resolve this issue.
Sophisticated animation software will be able to automate the workflows at lower costs. For animators to be creative wholeheartedly in the virtual world, procedural workflows will create things quickly and smartly.
Combining animation with computer graphics is a current trend in the animation industry. Designers now have more freedom and can produce realistic scenarios in animation, thanks to cutting-edge animation software and tools. Effects, backgrounds, or characters can all accept this hyperrealistic animation style.
The computer-animated short film “Piper” by Pixar Animation Studios serves as one example of this. The animated short, which depicts a sandpiper bird overcoming her concerns as she matures on the beach, use a hyperrealistic animation style that will make one wonder what is actually real.
When you work on conventional software, take Photoshop, for instance, you generally take action such as cropping an image to receive the output. The task involves multiple manual actions. With machine learning, this will become highly precise and evaluative. You will have to provide input, evaluate it, take suitable action, analyze it with others, and then decide.
According to a popular animator, to do this properly, you will need extremely large datasets and quick technology that gets faster over time. Denoising illustrates an animation procedure that can be carried out using a machine-learning tool. An image that is pixelated or has poor lighting can be scanned by a machine and transformed into something cleaner and brighter. The gadget does this in real-time. It’s evidence of how well machine learning functions.
Animation scaling is now simple. With its edit-friendly capabilities, machine learning aids animators in real-time rendering and pressing. Instead of starting from scratch or replacing each part one by one, you can alter the setting, angles, lighting, and sizes of your animation, add objects and change a variety of other aspects.
According to sources, advertising has reacted and started embracing animation during the pandemic. It eliminated the need to arrange in-person meetings and shoot in person in physical studios. They had the leisure of creating intriguing tales and intricate characters in the convenience of their own homes. Even if they are permitted to film live-action commercials and videos, doing so is difficult due to the numerous safety regulations that have become essential.
Using animation may be advantageous for brands and artists since it gives them a chance to be original and stand out from the crowd. There are so many different types of animation, such as 2D animation, 3D, stop-motion animation, mixed media, whiteboard animation, etc., that they can choose from. The animated music video of Billie Eilish’s song “my future” is an example of one that was released this year.
Her previous music videos were live-action, so this one was distinctive. In just the first week after its publication, it received around 40 million views. Andrew Onorato., a famous animator, led the 12-person animation crew for this music video.
Brands are also predicted to produce animated content, such as web series about their good or service that appeals to their target market. Their viewers will return to watch their animated videos and get closer to them if their animated content is engaging, compelling, and informative.
The animation industry is evolving fast, and this change won’t stop anytime soon. As technology evolves and preferences alter to mirror our capabilities, we can anticipate witnessing even faster transformations in the years to come.
The animation industry will indeed grow in demand and meet consumer demands, given the confluence of all these animation trends and the quality of animation’s increasing realism. We hope you had fun reading about the majestic growth predictions for the future of the animation industry. Let us know what you think of the industry and its prospects in the comments section below!
August 19, 2022
January 2, 2022
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