While I admit I haven't been as
in the know concerning animation lately as I have in the past, I have seen a definite
decline in the production of "
claymation," which is the loving
industry term for clay
animation. I know that it is being produced, but where? And why is it no longer so much in the
public eye?
I used to
dabble in animation, because it was what I did. When I started college I was in the animation program (before I was
in film which was before I was in
digital media which was before I drop
majors entirely in order to finish
faster which was before I got my job). I used to watch tons and tons of shows, movies, festivals and all kinds of
shit like that, and I saw a lot of different types of animation. One type that has been around for a very long time and just kept getting more and more fun and interesting was claymation.
Hell, I don't know if anybody even calls it that anymore; I know I started to when I first saw the
California Raisins shit
back in the day.
The thing is, I know it's still around, but I also know that production of clay
shorts and even
features has severely declined since the 80s. Why?
Well, for one,
stop-motion is much easier and often looks better with its
foam and
armature-based
models. Examples of this method are productions like
The Nightmare Before Christmas (which is probably the best usage of it ever as well) and
Wallace and Gromit. Often animators will quit working with clay in order to benefit from the advantages of wires and foam (which is what I think
Nick Park actually did).
More importantly though, is the simple fact that
computer animation is
monopolizing,
destroying, and changing the industry. Now, don't get me wrong; computer animation is
the absolute shit and a half. It's just that the
analog forms of animation can't get their
foot in the door as much anymore, at least not without some help from
CG.
Clay has a unique look. Like every form of animation (and
art, for that matter) it has its
quirks, difficulties, and strengths that make it its own. It has always been one of my personal
favorite methods of making pictures move, and I think it should be brought back (even though it's not really gone). Analog animation is more important to me than computer animation because I've dealt with both; as a result, I know that while both are extremely hard and
tedious work, analog animation is just naturally harder and takes more
patience. It's just a matter of physically moving and dealing with things as opposed to physically moving and dealing with a mouse (excluding modeling).
I want to see clay animated
commercials again. I want to see video games like
Clay Fighter and that damn
Claymates shit again. I want to see the
California Raisins Christmas Special every hour on the hour.
Peter Gabriel's
Sledgehammer video. Need I say more?