Strike Back Studios and Hideout Pictures have debuted the trailer forPencils vs. Pixels, their new documentary that celebrates 2D animation.The upcoming feature, narrated byMulan’sMing-Na Wen, explores 2D hand-drawn animation and the transformative journey from the Disney Renaissance to the computer animation revolution… and the inspiring future yet to come. Check out an exclusive new clip below.
Pencils vs. Pixelsrelies on commentary from renowned industry professionals and famous animators including Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, The Orville), Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls), Peter Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up), John Musker (The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Frog), Tom Bancroft (Pocahontas,The Lion King), and Lorna Cook (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron)to detail the history of the art form.
Before the documentary’s premiere at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Bancroft, who also co-produced the documentary, toldVariety:
“Because of my 34 years in the animation industry, mostly as a Disney animator, I still meet people that ask me: ‘What ever happened to 2D animation - why did it go away?,'” Bancroft said. “‘Pencils Vs Pixels’ finally answers that question. Through passionate stories by artisans that made the films that people still treasure today, this film will give viewers the never-before-told answers of what happened to the hand-drawn artistry that is 2D animation.”
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2D Animation: From Animation Boom to Resurgence
As highlighted in the trailer above,Disney’s Renaissance era, which produced beloved classics throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, includingThe Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, andThe Lion King, signaled an animation boom. The significant time frame in Disney’s history saw the entertainment company return to its roots by reinventing beloved fairy tales and stories and including memorable music from renowned musicians in their features. As a result, 2D animation was a thriving force in film.
The 2D world, however, was thrown for a loop when computer technology became a significant tool in animation. When Disney and Pixar releasedToy Story, the latter’s first feature film and the first entirely computer-animated feature, in 1995, some industry professionals began questioning whether the end of 2D animation had arrived. Upon its debut,Toy Storybecame a commercial and critical success and marked a milestone in the animation sphere.
WhilePencils vs. Pixelsdives into the past of 2D animation, it also examines the resurgence of the animated art form. 2D animation has never really gone away, and recent features, includingSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseand DrewamWorks’The Bad Guys, rely on 2D stylization to convey their stories. Both films, along with many others,merge multiple styles and hand-drawn elements.
Pencils vs. Pixelsis co-directed by Bay Dariz and Phil Earnest. It is produced by Bancroft and Dariz, with Shannon Houchins, Noor Ahmed, and Christopher serving as executive producers. Wen, whose decades long career includes roles inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D, The Joy Luck Club,andThe Book of Boba Fett,is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this year.
Pencils vs. Pixels, a must-watch for fans of all types of animation, drops on digital and on demand November 7.
