In an industry as competitive as animation is, it can be difficult to stand out. One way to do so is by having distinct visuals to your work—even more so when it involves the amalgam of more than one animation style. It’s grown to be a popular method of animated moviemaking.
If you are a fan of animation, check out this list of 5 animated movies—and if you have watched any of them, guess which animation styles were involved in the making.
1. Into the Spider Verse
Release date: December 14, 2018
Genre: Action, Superhero, Adventure, Fantasy
Country of Origin: US
Directors: Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman
Rated: PG
Into the Spider Verse is an animated movie that likely comes to the mind of many when thinking of diversity in style. It follows Miles Morales, who once bitten by a radioactive arachnid, develops powers akin to those of Spiderman. He meets Peter Parker in a battle with Kingpin—a fight where Parker had lost. It’s then up to Miles Morales to heed the title of Spiderman, to which he is joined by alternate versions of himself from the multiverse.
These parallels of himself are presented through a combination of traditional animation and CGI, each character emulating various art styles. A Noir Peter Parker, Peni Parker of manga-like qualities and the anthropomorphic, pop-art pig Peter Porker are the most notable examples of this. If you somehow haven’t watched it yet, it still isn’t too late to.
2. Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie
Release date: October 6, 2012
Genre: Fantasy, Psychological Thriller, Magical Girl
Country of Origin: Japan
Directors: Akiyuki Shinbo, Yukihiro Miyamoto
Rated: PG-13
Puella Magi Madoka Magica is set in a world where creatures can grant girls one wish—in the condition that they must become magical witches who fight against evil borne of despair. The titular protagonist, Madoka becomes a magical girl after a creature resembling a cat approaches her. This animated movie initially appears innocuous, and similar to others from the popular “magical girl” genre.
Protagonists are 2D animations, with an art style akin to cute shoujo anime— while Madoka Magica’s villains are stop-motion animations of paper, collage and is of hand-illustrated quality. These antagonistic witches are the complete antithesis to those like Madoka—in ways other than moral alignment. They diverge in animation style, completely. It’s a cult-classic for a reason, and before you stumble onto any spoilers, watch it yourself.
3. Mind Game
Release date: July 28, 2004
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
Country of Origin: Japan
Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Rated: Not Rated (USA)
Mind game is an experimental, adult comedy anime that centres around the NEET Nishi, who dies before he can confess to his lifelong crush, Myon. He’s sentenced to limbo—until a god grants him a second chance. This Japanese animated movie involves intertwining plots, allegory, philosophical themes—packaged in a visually psychedelic box.
To achieve this mind-bending quality, it employed various types of animation styles and methods. Its animation studio didn’t take any shortcuts like making 3D models and filtering on different styles., Iinstead, they had truly utilised methods like rotoscoping, CGI, traditional animation, live-action collage and watercolour. It’s wacky, eclectic and worthwhile if you’re a fan of beautiful visuals.
4. The Animatrix
Release date: June 3, 2003
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure
Country of Origin: US
Directors: Shinichirō Watanabe, Koji Morimoto, Peter Chung
Rated: PG-13
The Animatrix is an anthology film—comprised of nine (9) short, animated movies in one. It expands on the universe of the hit “The Matrix”, each strikingly different in animation style from one another.
“A Detective’s Story” is a gritty, hard-boiled noir short—while “Program” has an art style that combines visuals that resemble anime from the 80’s and Sumi-e (ink-wash) art. This could have caused the jumps from story to story to be overwhelmingly jarring due to its distinct animation styles, but The Animatrix made it work. Its success was reflected in its sales—and the onslaught of other anthology films that cam after, which tried to replicate its inspirator.
5. Waking Life
Release date: October 19, 2001
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country of Origin: US
Director: Richard Linklater
Rated: R
This 2001 animated movie is a surreal drama that muses a broad range of philosophical questions. Played by Wiley Wiggins, the nameless protagonist jumps from one dream to another, stuck in perpetual slumber. Between false awakenings, he meets and prods different characters in attempts to understand questions about lucidity, reality and life.
Through an in-house method reminiscent of rotoscoping, each sequence was drawn and animated by different artists—the multiple personal animation styles blending and blurring reinforces the dream-like quality of the movie. It’s a stunning experience but watch it yourself to come to your own consensus.
Conclusion
These movies took full advantage of the freedom that animation provides. From traditional animation to CGI, or from noir to pop art, these animations have it all in one bundle. If any of these titles catch your eye, don’t hesitate to give it a watch—maybe you’ll find a new comfort film from it!
Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR, and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
Commentaires