It’s been more than a decade since Walt Disney Studios released a 2D animated film. While the company has never said it wouldn’t make another 2D animated film, it feels that way considering that every feature length animated project released since 2011’s Winnie the Pooh has been created using 3D animation.
Not that 3D animation is boring, but recent strides made with films like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem prove that the medium is always changing. Still, it wouldn’t be the worst thing if 2D animation made a comeback – even for the sake of nostalgia.
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Now, in a recent interview, one Disney animator revealed that 2D animation could have a renaissance of sorts at the studio. Speaking exclusively with The Direct, Wish co-director Chris Buck said that the 2D animation was “absolutely” an option for future films. He noted that the Star character in the upcoming Disney film was originally designed in 2D.
“This film was inspired, obviously, by the legacy and the 2D animation. And the look has a somewhat 2D look with the lines on the characters. We did early tests with Star as 2D. But yeah, I think we keep exploring.”
Additionally, he spoke about how Wish was the product of several visual styles the company has been experimenting with over the years. “The nice thing is, we started with some shorts, you got ‘Paperman’ and ‘Feast’ and ‘Far From the Tree’ that sort of explored the look that we adapted, and we kept evolving,” he said.
Currently, Tiana, a spin-off of the The Princess and the Frog, is the only anticipated 2D project on the Studio’s docket. After receiving a new head writer and director last month, we expect more news about the series to be released in the near future. Hopefully, we’ll hear about some other potential 2D projects too! In the meantime, we’ll just have to relish in the new visual style delivered in Wish.
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In Wish, Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force—a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe—the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico—to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.
Featuring the voices of Academy Award®-winning actor Ariana DeBose as Asha, Chris Pine as Magnifico, and Alan Tudyk as Asha’s favorite goat, Valentino, the film is helmed by Oscar®-winning director Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn, produced by Peter Del Vecho and Juan Pablo Reyes. Jennifer Lee executive produces—Lee and Allison Moore are writers on the project, with original songs by Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter/musician Benjamin Rice, plus score by composer Dave Metzger.
Wish hits theaters on November 22, 2023. Tickets are on sale now.
SOURCE: The Direct
