# I Hate The Way CG Animation Cartoons Look **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 27, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511 "2003-04-27T17:03:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/1 "2003-04-27T17:03:57Z")
CG cartoons just look weird and nasty and it gives me a headache to watch. The characters all move like mimes and everything has a blandness to it. They use annoying sweeping “camera pans” ad-nauseum to show off the 3D-ness and they appear to have forgotten about inertia. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/2 "2003-04-27T17:05:56Z")
It depends. If you watch Beast Wars, seasons one to three, you notice some very nice development. Reboot also was well done Of course, there’s also South Park, which has been all-CGI since the movie, and Futurama, which has ALWAYS been CGI. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/3 "2003-04-27T17:56:51Z")
Is Futurama totally CGI? I though only small parts were. I hope it is, because it was my hope for a long time that CGI could be use to mimic the quality and feel of classic animation, and make it inexpensive. I have no problem with CGI, I just like the classic animation look better. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/4 "2003-04-27T18:10:41Z")
IANAAnimator, but my understanding is that virtually all animation is done with computers nowadays, it’s just that most studios go to some lengths to make it look less computerized. At any rate, computer animation is no better or worse a technique than any other method of animation: it’s what you do with it that counts. A lot of the cheapie kiddie cartoons on television look like crap, but that’s because they’re cheap, not because they’re done on computers. The old Hanna Barbera school of simple, endlessly looped animations on matte backgrounds wasn’t any better. In terms of quality of animation, I’d put the Pixar films (_Toy Story_, _Monsters, Inc_, etc) up there with _Snow White_ or _Fantasia_. ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/5 "2003-04-27T19:06:41Z")
Futurama uses a good deal of cel-shaded 3D CG animation, but mostly for large solid objects such as buildings and ships, and for Bender. THe other characters are all 2D, though perhaps assembled in a computer. South Park is 2D cel-style animation, assembled in a computer, with some occasional 3D elements thrown in for flair. Most kiddie shows are either hand-drawn and assembled in a computer, or completely drawn in CG. They are completely 2D, however. I think what Sock is complaining about is cheap 3D CG animation, which has a stiffness that can be annoying if you’re used to traditional cel animation. If you haven’t seen some of the newer films like Monsters, Inc. or Final Fantasy:TSW, check them out - they’re worth every minute. You’re unlikely to find such high quality animation in TV shows, but technology is getting cheaper, so maybe soon kids’ shows will look better. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/6 "2003-04-27T19:50:16Z")
Very good realistic people CGA: Final Fantasy, Shrek. Very bad realistic people CGA: Max Steele (and the plot and voice acting are just as bad). * * * Very good cartoony CGA: Toy Story ## Very bad cartoony CGA: Reboot (though, it’s a guilty pleasure) ## FYI: South Park, Futurama, Beauty and the Beast, & Aladin all used computer assisted animation. Peace. This is a computer assisted posting. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/7 "2003-04-28T01:46:46Z")
Confession: I avoided watching **Toy Story** for years after it came out, because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to stand watching computer animation for a whole hour and a half. Turned out I was wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Tarrsk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@Tarrsk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarrsk)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/8 "2003-04-28T02:54:36Z")
Moriah, I agree with you in all cases except for Final Fantasy: TSW. While I thought the backdrops and “scifi” animation (cities, spaceships, aliens, and the like) looked fantastic, the people were not realistic beyond basic anatomy/ proportions and the occasional facial blemish. The animation was frankly terrible- there was little sense of “weight” to any part of a character’s body, and the facial expressions were extremely limited, ranging from “mild surprise” to “mild fear” to “mild happiness.” It’s as if, while making their 3D models completely realistic in form, the guys at Square forgot about the realism that comes from movement. BTW, regarding the aforementioned background/scifi art, the man behind most of that is Craig Mullins, the creator of some truly amazing CG artwork, most of which is “painted” in Adobe Photoshop with an art tablet, not modeled and rendered in a 3D design application. You can check out his website at [http://www.goodbrush.com/](http://www.goodbrush.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/9 "2003-04-28T04:34:33Z")
_Invader Zim_ was also CG; the expense of producing new episodes prevented Cartoon Network from picking up the show after Nickelodeon dropped it. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/10 "2003-04-28T05:46:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > Confession: I avoided watching **Toy Story** for years after it came out, because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to stand watching computer animation for a whole hour and a half. One of the “how-to” books on the making of _Toy Story_ noted how the directors deliberately avoided the use of oddball camera angles and sweeping camera shots because they felt those would distract the audience from the movie itself. Instead, by using traditional filmmaking techniques, they made it easier to draw the audience into the picture and make it enjoyable. A classic example of less being more, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/11 "2003-04-28T06:38:41Z")
Is the Simpsons completely hand drawn or are computers used. Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/12 "2003-04-28T13:55:33Z")
It’s hand-drawn. By the Chinese! ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/13 "2003-04-28T16:10:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*It’s hand-drawn. By the Chinese! \*\* Koreans, actually. I don’t know if the Simpsons has moved to being made with digital ink and paint or not. I would expect that they have. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/14 "2003-04-28T16:15:33Z")
[http://www.ojr.org/ojr/entertainment/1042169162.php](http://www.ojr.org/ojr/entertainment/1042169162.php) Futurama is apparently fully digital. ---
**Author:** ![Kaspar\_Hauser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@Kaspar\_Hauser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaspar_Hauser)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/15 "2003-04-28T17:32:13Z")
I have nothing against CGI animation, but for some reason I _can’t stand_ 3D CGI. I’ve never been able to watch a whole Pixar movie. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/16 "2003-04-28T17:46:06Z")
Simpsons is all digital now. I think they made the switch last season. What do you people think of the anime Metropolis? I thought that was some pretty crazy animation. ---
**Author:** ![Sock\_Munkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-the-way-cg-animation-cartoons-look/171511/17 "2003-04-28T23:38:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\*Very good realistic people CGA: Final Fantasy, Shrek. > > Very bad realistic people CGA: Max Steele (and the plot and voice acting are just as bad). > > * * * > > Very good cartoony CGA: Toy Story > > ## Very bad cartoony CGA: Reboot (though, it’s a guilty pleasure) > > ## FYI: South Park, Futurama, Beauty and the Beast, & Aladin all used computer assisted animation. Peace. > > This is a computer assisted posting. \*\* Max Steele is the one I was thinking of when I was typing the OP. (I love the opening theme music even though I can’t stand to look at it)