Why The Art Of 2D Animation Could Make A Comeback As Times Get Tougher

Artwork: Lee Olson

The Entertainment Pendulum

The modern day tends to act as a pendulum in many instances. From economics and political ideology to the styles and aesthetics we see on social media, the common back-and-forth of the pendulum continues its cycle as it’s physically repackaged as a new commodity. Entertainment trends are crucial to shaping what's popular over time. An example could be how many TV series and films utilized nostalgia in sci-fi and horror in the late 2010s. It’s the reason why TV shows and movies like Stranger Things (2016), Riverdale (2017), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and IT (2017) were so popular during the time of their releases.

As we left the 2010s, the trend and demand seemed to subside, and rather, we entered into an era where large entertainment companies don’t want to create or fund new intellectual properties (aka new “creations,” so to speak), with the risk of it being unsuccessful. As a result, they’ve chosen to revive a bunch of old IPs from the late 20th century and early 2000s because they know it’s a safe(ish) cash cow to make. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), Gladiator 2 (2024), Mean Girls 2 (2024), and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) are just a few of the sequels that have come out in the last few years that have large gaps between their original or previous part of their series.

Animation went through the same experience as all those other movies as well, and the popular trend of 3D animation took the spotlight during the 2010s and beyond. Popular brands like Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) have been revitalized as a result of the extreme popularity of their original movie or series. While the criticism of the reboot may vary, it’s no secret that much of the general audience is growing tired of seeing the same series. When you go to the movie theater, if people ever do now due to streaming, it can become tiring watching preview after preview of revived IPs with very little new content.

There has also been a growing concern in terms of 3D animation. A huge reason why 3D has taken 2D animation’s crown is how time-effective it is to create. 2D animation requires a lot of craftsmanship in the drawing department, meaning more individual frames need to make up for a singular action—let alone an entire episode or movie. 3D animation is mostly created through rigging and coding models, which can make creating entire scenes more efficient. However, a downside is that 3D animation can be difficult to perfect. In both departments of style and movement (and depending on how much studios are spending on their animation budget), 3D animation can run the risk of falling into an uncanny valley that 2D animation typically might not be able to. A possible reason could be that 3D animation can give more depth to a character’s design, which can make it seem more lively and offer a deeper connection with the viewer, but if it’s poorly made, it can have the opposite effect.

In the last decade, 3D animation has slowly become more affiliated with a more unauthentic and cheap product because companies keep trying to cut corners on costs. The more they cut on their animation budget, the more prevalent the decline in style can become. Even if a show has a compelling story, if the quality of design continues to drop, there is a likelihood they will experience a loss in audience attention and adoration for their work. With more and more shows falling into this similar pipeline, it has become very noticeable to many people, and it’s starting to become stale.

It feels like at some point in 2024, there seemed to have been a paradigm shift. Many have started to express their discontent with the constant poor revival of work, and arguably cheap 3D, soulless animation only made to profit with little regard to the story itself. That, combined with the high tensions of the political climate, people began to look for new types of outlets to escape into.

Hard Times Make Impactful Movements—Especially Artistic Ones

Many of us might be joking that recession pop, or pop music made around the time of the 2008 financial crisis, has made a comeback recently, and there’s a hint of truth to that. When a collective goes through a period of time that is difficult for nearly everyone, like a recession or war, people tend to find an escape through art and entertainment to distract themselves from the harsh reality that is around them—this can especially come in the form of a movie or a TV show. 

Artists can find inspiration in various different ways during these times, and as a result, they are more personable with their work and perhaps want it to have layers. Having a fleshed-out fantasy world or a deeper and extremely relatable bond between a set of characters can bring wonder and comfort to an audience, and animation is no better tool for the job. 

Movement, style, atmosphere, and great writing set the perfect scene to catch an audience’s attention and hearts. With the rising desire to see more originality in a way that can take inspiration from the past—not completely copy it. Nostalgia plays a big part in reverting to 2D animation as a form of escapism. For older generations, the “golden age” of animated television and film was in a 2D style, like Disney animated classics. For newer generations, it could be the cartoons we watched in our youth, like Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, Spongebob, and Phineas and Ferb, or it could also be a combination of 2D and CGI that has risen in popularity thanks to the Spider-Verse. It’s that fuzzy feeling we wish to feel again with new shows that we can fall in love with, just like we did when we were younger. 

For The Love Of Art, Storytelling, and Connection

While 2D animation has taken a bit of a back seat for the last couple of decades, it would not be a shock to see it on its way to rising again. The increasing demand to see more original 2D animation has motivated studios and animators to revisit traditional animation methods and techniques to satisfy and embrace their expectations. To many corporations, they might also see this demand as an opportunity to funnel more money into 2D-based production.

There is also some potential evidence that we have already started the resurgence. Some recent successful 2D shows that have gained notoriety over time, like a widely-loved family-friendly show like Bluey, to the gritty and action-packed fantasy story of Arcane, have set the stones for what audiences may wish to see from 2D animated media. Influences from outside Western entertainment, like anime, can also sway the opinion and desire to see more 2D animated shows.

2D animation has and probably will never completely go away. Preserving art and culture is something that is deeply rooted in our spirit as individuals. Even if large companies buy out every last animation studio that no longer airs 2D shows or films in theaters or on TV, there will always be a group of people who will continue to carry on the legacy of 2D animation and value its charm.

Think of all the connections you might have made with others over the TV shows and cartoons you watched when you were little or the time you watched a fascinating YouTube animation or short video made by an artist. Even if animated media isn’t your exact cup of tea, its impact goes beyond television and has only gotten easier to access due to the internet and social media. With all things considered, 2D animation has more than one avenue to succeed and make its mark. Perhaps when generations look back at this period of entertainment, they will revere and celebrate all the new shows, movies, or other forms of 2D animation and find nostalgia within those confines.