Like illustrations on zoetropes of old, the months whiz past, blurring together into the dynamic whole we call a year.  Unlike these ancient animators’ tools, however, these cycles remain distinctly different; each representing a unique amalgam of accomplishments and memories.  When viewed through the lens of the animation industry, 2007 appears as an amazingly complex moving picture.

This year has provided a bounty of animated releases with over 14 feature animated productions ranging from the Sony’s Surf’s Up penguin mockumentary to Warner Bros.’ undeniably niche picture Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie for Theaters.  Fox Pictures made good on a decades old promise as this year saw the release of The Simpsons Movie.  Warner Bros. also put out their own feature follow-up to a beloved franchise with TMNT, calling the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles out of the sewer for a CG martial arts misadventure.

Ratatouille opened number one at the box office with critical acclaim, though it proved to have the lowest sales of any Pixar film to date.  Interestingly, some posit that the movie has helped calm the increasingly rough waters of diplomacy between the U.S. and France with its respectful portrayal of the French as cultured and skilled.  The film’s opening in France was their biggest animated debut ever. 
Less successful was Disney Animation’s own time traveling tale Meet the Robinsons.  Nonetheless, Disney continues to set its sights on the future.  Under the guidance of John Lasseter, Disney appears to have taken account of its allegedly dissolving brand identity.  Efforts to retain the original “Disney” feel in cinema can be seen in the announcement of the 2D feature The Princess and the Frog and an overhaul of Disneyland’s oft-maligned California adventure park. 

Dreamworks has had a monster year with two major releases.  The ogre opus Shrek the Third can proudly claim the title of best opening weekend ever for an animated film.  If such revenues weren’t enough to put the green giant in a jolly mood, Shrek the Halls, a television holiday special, aired in November.   Generating further industry buzz was the company’s Bee Movie, which was helmed by comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The end result was a honey at the box office, though critical reception was mixed at best.

Most recently, Paramount’s Beowulf has aroused quite a stir in the animation community.  The Robert Zemekis CG epic was shot entirely on a motion capture stage with many of the resulting models bearing uncanny likenesses to their actors.  This has called into question what exactly the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science should define as animation – an issue that has been simmering since two of last year’s nominations used extensive MoCap work.  Regardless of the answer, most industry members can agree that the work is technically impressive filmmaking.

In fact, filmmaking in general has benefited greatly from animation.  2007 has been a year of special effects-laden blockbusters from the swirling maelstrom of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 to the brawling bears of the upcoming adaptation of The Golden Compass, with high-end computer animation and visual effects making them all possible.  Old techniques were refined as seen in Transformers, where the meticulously animated machines were brought to life by ILM artists and their ZENO software, while Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. pioneered new proprietary equations such as SphereSim, to bring every grain of the Sandman to life in Spiderman 3.

The videogame market continues to thrive, as does its implications for the animation industry.  Major release titles, such as Halo 3, have been pushing the envelope in terms of cinematic presentation and style.  Bioware’s Mass Effect is drawing much attention as well, with its striking use of highly detailed, yet customizable characters and astonishingly diverse dialogue trees.  “Not only does the power of next-gen consoles finally give triple-A animators the horsepower they need to showcase any character they care to imagine,” says High Impact game designer Ken Strickland, “but the advances in interactive storytelling open up a market for animators who can realize a character's entire emotional spectrum.”  

But it’s not just cutting edge interactivity that videogames are bringing to the animation market.  In October, Microsoft’s Xbox Live Video Marketplace began offering downloadable High Definition episodes of vintage Looney Tunes cartoons, even going as far as the Chuck Jones masterpiece What’s Opera Doc for free.  Bryan Newton, an animator at Cartoon Network, praises this decision, saying that Warner Bros. is “reaching out to old and new fans alike,” noting that he hopes that “Disney and UPA follow in that direction.”   

Though this has been a fine year for cinema and games, the apparent death of the domestic Saturday morning cartoon is one sour note that consistently comes up with animation professionals.  While the industry has been refocusing its efforts for some time, the official announcement that Warner Bros.’ Kids WB programming block would be sold to 4 Kids Entertainment in September of 2008 struck many industry members as an ill omen.  Emmy award-winning animation writer Paul Dini fondly eulogizes the programming block. “It was an institution,” he says wistfully, “with promises of new and exciting American programming every week.”  Competing internet and cable markets mean that, in its current form, Saturday morning is no longer a major target for advertisers.  That’s not to say that there is nothing good on TV, as there are still many fantastic domestic cartoons in production in the US, ranging from the sophomoric SpongeBob SquarePants to the epic Avatar: The Last Airbender.  A newcomer for 2007, Cartoon Network’s culinary comedy Chowder has garnered rave reviews as well.

Domestic animation is thriving, with its myriad of feature releases as a testament to its vitality.  Perhaps some of the old ways are falling into obscurity, but if nothing else, 2007 proved that the world of animation, and possibly its very definition, is changing. Lines are blurring while new markets and techniques are born with every production.  As 2008 dawns upon us, we await the further metamorphosis of our craft.             

Mark Garabedian has been an animation aficionado from a young age, having worked his first job mowing lawns in Massachusetts to buy cels. An Emerson College alum, Mark is now a freelance animation writer and member of the Animation Guild, residing in Burbank, California.