[Influences] Inspiration, it's super effective!

As a Pokemon fan, I recently watched the latest movie, Victini and Reshiram. When I was watching this I noticed some new techniques that have been introduced in the newer episodes and I was impressed by how they worked. The show now seamlessly blends 2D and 3D elements together to create an interesting style. The 3D effects are usually limited to the backgrounds and can really make a scene visually impressive compared to standard cel backgrounds.

Below are some screenshot examples from the movie:

Despite what I said about backgrounds, I managed to actually find some characters that were animated in 3D too. Unfortunately due to lack of footage on the internet I can't show the actual movement. The gears in the background are actually spinning 3D models that fly around the screen, which is an interesting contrast to the rest of the environment and the 2D man standing in front of them, while still fitting in with the established art style.

The music machine in this shot is also a 3D model, the top unfolds and the horns squash and stretch. I find the effect interesting that more digital techniques can be applied to cel animation and go hand in hand to enhance the look of the cartoon. I've seen this tried in cartoons before, for example Invader Zim, but I often dislike it thinking it looks tacky when used in a full cartoon environment. This is the first time I've actually liked the look.

Aside from just 3D, I noticed a lot more digital enhancement in the movie. In this shot, Ash is playing around in the water. The thing I found interesting is that the water ripples as he moved around and interacts with it and there is a seamless transition between 2D and 3D when he splashes. As the water leaves the pond, it goes 2D as seen in this screenshot, any water that splashes back into it is then transferred back to digital for the resulting ripple effect.

I think the main reason this movie manages to pull off the 2D/3D transitions is because the backgrounds are made to look more realistic rather than being flat, cartoony colours. My own work has already started to get more realistic backgrounds and if the opportunity comes, I would really like to try enhancing my 2D work with some other programs such as After Effects to see the results!