Film and Video

Filmed animation is quite different than interactive computer and video game animation. The main defining concept of animation -- static objects being given the illusion of movement -- is central to both, but computer and video game animation is actually rendered when the game is played. Conversely, filmed animation is rendered in advance and replayed during a viewing. As such, the frame-rate of computer or video game animation is variable and usually higher than filmed animation depending on the game platform (XBox, Nintendo or Playstation, for example). The frame rate of hand-drawn and filmed animation is a constant 24 frames per second. Many animations -- especially those created for television -- are drawn at 12 fps. Digital animation and projection is changing this, as it can be rendered out at a higher frame rate than hand-drawn.

Below is a list of filmed animation classics worth studying regardless of their frame rate.

Gertie the Dinosaur : The first ever animated film. Winsor McKay could sure draw.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs : The first animated feature-length film.

Anything by Norman McLaren : He's a genius and the National Film Board of Canada is great.

Leonard Maltin's NFB Animation Favourites : It takes an American film critic to tell Canadian animation students how proud they should be of the rich history of masterful animation that Canada has through the National Film Board.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas : Chuck Jones' masterful short film based on the Dr. Seuss classic.

A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit : Nick Park created a huge resurgence in stop-motion animation with his Wallace and Gromit characters. The other shorts in the series, Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave, Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong Trousers and Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit are as equally hilarious.

Iron Giant : Director Brad Bird's seemless blend on 2D and 3D animation.

Princess Mononoke : Hayao Miyazaki's anime masterpiece.

A Scanner Darkly : A wild, rotoscoped adaptation of author Philip K. Dick's story.

The Lion King : The highest grossing 2D animated film of all time in the United States. The 2 minute wildebeest stampede is a 3D animation rendered with a 2D shader that took 2 years to animate.

Les Triplettes de Belleville : A retro, but entrancing and well animated Belgian/Canadian classic.

Finding Nemo : Any Pixar short or feature-length film is worth watching for its craftsmanship and attention to detail, but this one ties in nicely with my story on the "Craft" page.