Animation

I'm a big fan of Bong Joon Ho's live-action movies, Amanda Toney! I'm excited for his Animation feature film!

Great to see one of my alltime favorite directors explore the possibilities of animation.

Amanda Toney I'm not familiar with Bong Joon Ho. I'm still learning who is who in this industry but I did like where he stated "he would love to create a military squad with a mission to destroy AI," lol. I love it for easing the headache of repetitive task and creating some professional emails aside from that, I would love to see AI take a whole seat from the creative world.

Cyrus Sales Bong Joon Ho is the brilliant mind behind PARASITE, which is my favorite movie of the last decade. If you haven’t seen it, I’d watch it, it’s a masterpiece

AI was used in the recent Coca-Cola commercial, but it’s important to keep that in perspective. Outside of experimental ads, AI is nowhere near replacing traditional production for television or feature films. That Coke spot reportedly required over 70,000 prompts, a full post-production team, and still faced significant public criticism.

Industry data also shows that current studio layoffs are not driven by AI. According to financial reports from major studios and analysis from outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, companies over-expanded during the COVID boom, adding thousands of staff while streaming demand surged. As the market corrected in 2023–2025, studios began reducing headcount—largely due to budget tightening and restructuring, not automation.

The idea that AI is taking over film jobs is part of the broader “AI hype cycle,” where expectations outpace actual capability. Creating reliable AI video that meets broadcast or cinematic standards remains slow, inconsistent, and often more expensive than hiring trained artists and animators. This is why most studios have shifted AI into R&D rather than frontline production.

The bottom line: the conversation is complex, and both the excitement and fear around AI are often exaggerated. It’s worth looking at real data before accepting any extreme narrative.

It is all playing out, and real data will be generated when AI is successfully implemented across the entire production pipeline. I know of two productions that axed several artists, downsizing them to one prompter/fixer for various aspects of the production. I am hearing reports from those in production coordination that AI will also be taking over many entry-level jobs in that area.

This article highlights the "fear" that many studio artists share - https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/01/animation-guild-co-commissione...

The studios intend for AI to replace as many artists as possible, which is why they made no concessions for artists' protection in the latest Animation Guild negotiations.

It's true there is some people who abuse of AI but I see it as a tool that helps with the things you can't do by yourself, but it's not definitorym it's just a complementary tool, like an assistant.

Joshua Young I really appreciated your perspective on AI in the creative industry. I agree that AI is a tool, not a replacement, and it’s easy to see how companies might push for efficiency at the expense of creative labor.

To Bob's point - I hear you. Studios are testing automation (especially at entry levels), but it generally fails when consistency or edits are needed. Here is why the 'AI Replacement' narrative doesn't match the reality:

It’s mostly budget cuts: The layoffs are largely post-COVID corrections. AI is just a convenient excuse for financial squeezing.

Legal risks are high: Buyers are demanding strict guardrails. With cases like Getty (UK) and Andersen (US) unresolved, no one wants to risk the chain of title on major IP.

The tech falls short: AI struggles with character persistence and multi-shot coherence. It’s great for pitch decks and previs, but not final production.

Artists have valid concerns, but right now, the issue is business management, not technology. So yes, there are experiments, and artists have valid concerns. But most layoffs right now are budget corrections thanks to COVID, not AI replacement. Streamers want more for less, studios are cutting costs, and AI is being used as the explanation even when the real issues are business and rights.

Outstanding. I follow Aaron on youtube. I think his work is amazing.Thank you for posting.

This was a beautiful animation. 0:58 seconds in and I was already moved. Dustin Richardson couldn't have said it better, the Disney magic that we've been missing for years.

Aaron is an animation dynamo. He is keeping the torch of hand-drawn animation burning!

SNOW BEAR is phenomenal, Laurie Ashbourne! Thanks for sharing the film. It reminds me of 2D animated movies I watched growing up. What stood out most about the film is how Aaron used facial expressions, action, and objects to tell the story.

Watched this on "X". Absolutely incredible work.

Thank you so much for sharing this resource, Kevin Jackson!

Good looking out!

How very gracious and generous of you to share that. Thank you so very much.

Extremely helpful resource, thank you Kevin Jackson

Thanks for sharing James Lagrimas

I see photogrammetry being a must-know tool for big-budget projects, Ashley Renee Smith. Avengers, Star Wars, Spider-Man, etc.

2D animation has never gone away, and the true artists still use it. Aaron Blaise and Andreas Dejas are two of the best (living) 2D animators and both have shorts out now. Aaron's can be seen here: https://youtu.be/xOXolSQcEb4?si=_fwkeuh9PF7A0YxU

Andreas, is releasing Dec. 15th. Aaron also teaches 2D (and everything else) for dirt cheap on his website. creatureartteacher.com

Here is the information for Andreas' film: https://mushkathemovie.com/home

Banafsheh Esmailzadeh - glad I jumped here and saw your post. I just recently found a young 2D artist/animator and he's currently working on a 30 sec teaser for my script Blue Surf based on my own hand drawn (with computer mouse) drawings. I may put it up here when he's done. Wishing you all the best moving forward, Banafsheh :)

Thanks Laurie Ashbourne, I'll check them both out!

Oh lovely Marina Albert, congrats and thank you :D looking forward to seeing it!

I'm excited for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Ashley Renee Smith! I think the trailer is incredible, and I like the new elements. I played some of the games and watched the 1993 movie growing up, but I didn't get deep into the lore, so I'm looking forward to seeing where they go with the movie!

So down for this Ashley Renee Smith. It was the first video game that Mackenzy and I played together.

Ashley Renee Smith this was a funny trailer, definitely need to work through those demons lol. I think the kids are going to love it. I'm sure we'll see post about how it does once it's released.

Kevin Jackson I laughed at your comment, sure it wasn't the intentions (maybe so idk) but I can here in my head "oh great another one...," lmao. Does anyone know how many there are including this one?

Cyrus Sales, this is the sequel to the hit Mario movie that was released in 2023.

You're welcome, Alex Olguin. You could make a post for an artist on the Job Board down the line (www.stage32.com/find-jobs). I'm looking forward to watching Armstrong-D.U.!

Alex Olguin I feel like the personality comes through clear. I would lean into Maurice Vaughan advice on making Kevin's outfit more unique so it's memorable. I'm not too sure what the theme is based off the character design (if i had to guess it had something to do with Kevin's disability and his relationship with Armstrong) but that's just my guess. Overall loving what I'm seeing, look forward to future updates.

Cyrus Sales Thank you. Part of the concept is that everyone inside the Dome wears a standardized full-body uniform, the society suppresses individuality, so the clothes are intentionally minimalist.

That said, I’m exploring subtle ways to make the uniform more memorable within those restrictions without the need of color to easily make it recognizable.

I’ll share more updates soon. Thanks again for the great feedback!

I love this artwork. I third what was said about making the outfit unique.

Jumping on to comment again. The expressions are lovely. I can really feel the characters personality in those facial expressions. I especially love the one where he is distorting his face with his fingers. Very much a child like activity.

I would love to see your animatic and I cannot wait to see your Pitch Bible. Are you thinking of taking the Pitch to Kidscreen or any other animation markets?

While I hate the business-speak with which that article was written, it does break down animation components in interesting ways.

One thing I didn’t see was an acknowledgment of the free labor a new media team must do to get up and running. If they’re getting funding from Patreon, fan support, and brand integration, they won’t have any of that until they build a fan base. Which also means a much smaller team at first.

Leonardo Ramirez 2 I haven't had a chance to properly read the entire article to make a comment but at a quick glance it looks insightful and helpful to my own journey. Thanks for sharing this article.

You’re very welcome Cyrus Sales. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This is a great find Leonardo Ramirez 2 thank you for posting. This is going to come in very handy for me right now.

You’re very welcome Kevin Jackson. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!