Digital animation is the newest way to create quality animation, cheap. The big industry of animation production has been steadily rising to a head in Japan for the last few decades. As animation gets more competitive, people start to expect bigger and better things.
Due to the amount of interest in anime, or japanese animation, many companies have been looking for something to spruce up their quality and look, without hiring more character designers, in-betweeners, and painters. They've also been trying to get a new look to their animation.
Using computers to design and animate characters, environments, and scenes, the production companies have found a way to get a new dimention into their film without the cost of more employees, and lost time.
As a side effect, digital computer animation also makes it easy to add a realistic 3D look to the animation. New techniques have been developed in the last decade allowing artists to redefine what animation is, but merging traditional animation with digital animation. In an interview with EX Magazine, the producer of Cowboy Bebop, and Vision of Escaflone, Minami Masahiko said this about digital anime...
"It expands the ways we have to express ourselves. We're looking for the balance between the good side of traditional and CG animation. CG and digital are good for creators because they provide new means of expression for their visions."
Some great animation to watch that utilizes these techniques are...
- Blue Submarine No. 6
- Cowboy Bebop
- Macross Plus
- Serial Experiments Lain
- Mononoke Hime (English: Princess Mononoke)
- Titan A.E.
- 101 Dalmations (the new one)