Pencils vs. Pixels from Strike Back Studios is a documentary about how Hollywood’s hand-drawn 2D animation industry reacted to and integrated computer animation techniques. At just under 90 minutes, the documentary offers a fascinating inside (but not too inside) look at this crucial period. Pencils vs. Pixels features narration by the inimitable Ming-Na Wen and loads of animator and industry interviews. This documentary is a perfect watch for animation enthusiasts and aspiring animators alike.
Pencils vs. Pixels
First and foremost, scoring Wen as narrator was a coup. Not only has Wen played a literal Disney princess, but she’s just as charming and likable a narrator as you’d expect. She’s also (almost) the only voice actor who appears in the documentary. This is a great decision. For one thing, there are other documentaries that focus on voice actors specifically. And for another, this allows for as many animators and animation industry experts as possible to be interviewed.
These interviews feature a wide variety of interesting people. These include some you’re sure to recognize. In other instances, you might find that while their names are new, they worked on some of your very favorite animated scenes. The featured interviews include Jane Baer, Tom Bancroft, Tony Bancroft, James Baxter, Aaron Blaise, Lorna Cook, Andreas Deja, Pete Docter, Jorge Gutierrez, Mark Henn, Alex Hirsch, Mindy Johnson, Glen Keane, Seth MacFarlane, Leonard Maltin, John Musker, Victor Navone, Floyd Norman, Natalie Nourigat, Sergio Pablos, John Pomeroy, Tina Prince and Kevin Smith.
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There are some exciting names in that list. However, it should be noted that everyone’s interviews prove to be interesting and insightful, not just those names you immediately recognize.
Furthermore, the interviewees chosen each come from different circumstances and have had a variety of different experiences in the animation industry. This makes for a fascinating survey of what was going on behind the scenes in the big-screen Hollywood animation industry, especially from the Disney animation “second renaissance” of the 1980s through the advent and integration of computer animation in the following decades.
Strike Back Studios
One element of this documentary that should be specifically lauded is that it comes from a studio other than Disney. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve watched and enjoyed many Disney-produced behind-the-scenes videos. The insider perspective means they can often include interviews, footage or other exclusive goodies available only to the studio itself.
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However, when Disney creates a “documentary” about a Disney production, there are also associated limitations. It’s unlikely that any strongly critical opinions will be included in these in-house features. Furthermore, they are most likely to focus exclusively on work produced by the studio. Both of these elements can combine to provide a very limited picture.
But thanks to the fact that Pencils vs. Pixels is from Strike Back Studios, the documentary’s aperture expands beyond the Disney animation boundary. This means classic movies like An American Tail: Fivel Goes West are discussed. More recent animated movies, like Klaus, are also examined. In fact, I hadn’t been aware of Klaus before watching this documentary. Now, I’m looking forward to watching it.
A great specific example of the benefit of an outside studio telling this story is the inclusion of an anecdote told by MacFarlane. He reveals that his animation origin story came from watching an episode of Nickelodeon’s Lights! Camera! Action!. Leonard Nimoy hosted this show.
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We all know MacFarlane is a Trekkie (see: Star Trek: Enterprise; The Orville; everything else he’s ever done). However, the notion that we might not have Family Guy if not for Mr. Spock is a mind-blower. Had a single animation studio produced this documentary (that wasn’t Nickelodeon), this fascinating anecdote might have been cut.
Available November 7
I did find myself wanting more when Pencils vs. Pixels was done. As a huge fan of Hollywood television animation, I’d like to see a follow-up that focuses on that arena. While The Simpsons was briefly mentioned, it was not as closely examined as the featured projects. As a Melllvar Class Futurama fan, I missed the inclusion of the series, especially considering how integral computer animation is to the show’s sci-fi style. Plus, I surely won’t be the only one to wish Smith had the chance to bring up Clerks: The Animated Series.
Frankly, Warner Bros. Animation, 20th Century Fox Animation, Nicktoons, Disney Afternoon and Disney Channel cartoons, Cartoon Network cartoons and any other small screen animation studio could all do with the kind of close examination given to Hollywood feature animation by Pencils vs. Pixels. But when the time to tell these stories comes, Pencils vs. Pixels will provide a great “how to draw” guide.
Pencils vs. Pixels will be available for purchase on digital platforms beginning on November 7, 2023. Check out the official website here.
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/futurama-claudia-katz-interview/
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