The End of Cell Animation?

Rating: Null/10 (9 June 2003)

Following as it did so successfully on the heels of Pixar's Monster's Inc. and Dreamworks' Shrek, Ice Age may have been the film that cemented the new age of computer generated animation on the big screen. The fact that the film was so successful at its release date (March 15,2002), not a particularly lucrative period in the film release season suggests that the computer was beginning to erode the interest that audiences held in traditional cell animation. Of course strong story, interesting characters, a Chuck Jone's inspired stylization and a inventive take on the Ice Age helped make this film a hit. But the images and visual language, especially in the lighting of the settings had a big impact, making Blue Sky Studios a fresh new competitor on the animated film scene. It will be interesting to see how Chris Wedge and his cohorts use this success in future developments and how this will play in the competitive world of computer and cell animation.