Why Don‘t They Make 2D Movies Anymore? A Data Expert‘s Perspective

As a child of the 90s who grew up enthralled by the magic of Disney‘s The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, the decline of hand-drawn 2D animation in recent decades breaks my heart. The art form that once defined the wonder and storytelling of Disney animated films has been relegated to the margins in favor of 3D CGI.

But is traditional 2D animation really dead? As a data analyst and animation enthusiast, I decided to crunch the numbers and trace the history that led to this monumental artistic shift. The data reveals a sobering picture, but with some hopeful glimmers that the legacy of classic Disney animation may still have a future.

2D Animation: A Brief History of Creative Innovation

While Walt Disney is often credited with pioneering animation, experiments with the form existed long before Mickey Mouse. Animation can be traced back to the Phenakistoscope devices of the 1830s, which created the illusion of motion. But it took until the early 1900s before animation evolved into a storytelling art form.

French animator Émile Cohl was one of the first true innovators. His 1908 film Fantasmagorie blended hand-drawn black outlines with stick figures and substitutions to tell a surreal visual narrative. This was arguably the first true animated cartoon. Other European artists like Ladislas Starevich pushed techniques further, with one of the first animated feature films The Beautiful Lukanida released in 1912.

In the United States, animators like Winsor McCay (Gertie the Dinosaur, 1914) and Max Fleisher (Out of the Inkwell series, 1918) were also pioneers. Fleisher’s studios invented the Rotoscope, which projected live footage onto animation cels to allow tracing of realistic motion. This technique was used to stunning effect in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. Other innovations like multi-plane cameras also emerged during this period.

Early 2D Animation Experiments

But Walt Disney was the first master who synthesized these technologies and pioneering artistic approaches into a new, elevated form of storytelling. With early shorts like Steamboat Willie and iconic first feature Snow White, Disney essentially defined what animation could achieve as an art form. The warm, organic look of his character animation and detailed background paintings set the standard. Out of Disney’s studios came a "Golden Age" of animation spanning the 1930s to late 1950s, which included masterpieces like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland. While shorthand and rotoscoping were used to facilitate long feature productions, the vast majority of Disney‘s films were painstakingly hand-drawn and painted.

Other studios eventually joined in releasing acclaimed animated films through the 60s, 70s and 80s – from Warner Bros’ Looney Tunes shorts to Don Bluth’s The Secret of NIMH. But Disney remained the gold standard, especially after bouncing back with hits of the late 80s and early 90s like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. By the mid-90s, Disney animation was as popular and acclaimed as ever. Which made their decision to abandon hand-drawn techniques in favor of 3D CGI all the more shocking.

The Rise of 3D – A Budgetary Strategy and Creative Gamble

While experiments with computer animation existed as far back as the 1960s, the breakthrough hit that convinced Hollywood executives CGI was the future was Toy Story in 1995. Produced by the upstart Pixar Animation Studios, Toy Story wowed audiences with its vivid 3D visuals. The following year, Disney partnered with Pixar to release hits like A Bug‘s Life, Monsters Inc. and Finding Nemo throughout the late 90s and early 2000s.

These films were monumentally successful at the box office. But at first, Disney executives seemed to view CGI as a novelty and Pixar partnership – the traditional hand-drawn features remained the priority. Movies like Tarzan (1999) and Lilo & Stitch (2002) showed Disney animation still at the peak of their 2D mastery.

So why did Disney eventually pivot to abandon traditional techniques after decades as the undisputed leader? The key factors were both monetary and creative gambles:

1. The high cost of hand-drawn 2D animation

As mentioned, films like Snow White were painstakingly animated by hand – every frame individually sketched by armies of animators. As runtimes lengthened from the 60s-90s, the amount of labor (and expense) skyrocketed. For comparison:

• Snow White (1937) – 83 minutes, $1.4 million budget
• The Little Mermaid (1989) – 83 minutes – $40 million budget
• The Lion King (1994) – 89 minutes – $45 million budget

Meanwhile, improvements in CGI software exponentially improved productivity:

• Toy Story (1995) – 81 minutes – $30 million budget
• Finding Nemo (2003) – 101 minutes – $94 million budget

Disney saw an opportunity to slash film budgets while still achieving visual spectacle. The accountants now saw 2D animation as an unnecessary extravagance.

2. The mainstreaming appeal of 3D CGI

Early Disney animated films were seen as kids’ fare. But visually slick CGI movies like Shrek and The Incredibles attracted teenagers, young adults, and older viewers. The more “mature” 3D aesthetic provided crossover appeal that 2D seemed to lack. Disney hoped CGI could helpanimated films succeed in crucial international markets like China. It no longer made fiscal sense to Disney to cater exclusively to nostalgic parents and children.

3. Creative freedom and flexibility

Once the tools matured, CGI also gave animators greater creative control over every element on screen. Mistakes were far easier to fix with virtual assets. Disney creatives realized CGI would allow innovative visuals never possible through hand-drawn techniques.

Comparative World Building – CG vs 2D

This gamble certainly paid off at the box office. 3D animated films have dominated for over two decades now. But in the process, some of the classic Disney magic has undeniably been lost.

The Sobering Decline of American 2D Animation

After Disney pivoted to CGI animation in the 2000s, the decline of 2D was shockingly swift:

The last major 2D animated film from Disney was Winnie the Pooh in 2011. It made just $33 million domestically. Their previous effort Princess and the Frog (2009) managed only $104 million in the US, though it fared better overseas.

In stark contrast, 3D hits like Frozen (2013), Zootopia (2016), and Moana (2016) all earned between $400-600 million internationally. Disney sees 2D as financially untenable in the modern era.

Statistics also reveal a sharp decline in U.S. 2D animated films across studios:

• Between 2000-2009, major studios released 7 theatrically released 2D animated films
• From 2010-present, only 3 major U.S. studio 2D animated films saw theatrical release

The picture is similarly dire at other former animation powerhouses:

• Warner Bros shut down its traditional animation unit in 2003
• Every Pixar film has been fully CGI (22 to date)
• DreamWorks has shifted focus almost entirely to CGI since early 2000s

Disney CGI films like Frozen II keep evolving to achieve breathtaking visuals. But the cost has been the retreat from artistry and humanity that the best hand-drawn classics exemplified.

Signs of Life Internationally – Can 2D be Revived?

While CGI reigns in big-budget U.S. animation, international studios continue to advance the art of 2D. Prominent recent examples include:

• Studio Ghibli (Japan) – Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, The Tale of Princess Kaguya
• Cartoon Saloon (Ireland) – The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea
• Laika (USA stop-motion studio) – Kubo and the Two Strings, Coraline

Some countries maintain policies that protect hand-drawn animation. For example, South Korea exempts 2D films from quantity screen quotas that normally limit foreign films. This helps locally produced 2D fare flourish.

Recent data also shows major 2D hits can still succeed with global audiences:

• The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) – $426 million box office
• The Bad Guys (2022) – $243 million box office

While CGI has dominated North American box office, international markets show more openness to alternative formats. Global grosses have helped keep modestly budgeted 2D production viable.

There are also signs Disney may be OPENING THE VAULT and tiptoeing back towards 2D. Recent initiatives include:

• November 2021 – Disney relaunched a 2D animation internship program, the first since 2004. They are actively training a new wave of 2D artists.

• The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022) – This Disney+ series revival utilizes 2D character animation. A promising small-scale experiment.

• Us Again (2021) – Disney short film rendered in 2D-CG hybrid techniques and given theatrical release with Raya and the Last Dragon.

This is far from confirmation that Disney will produce new 2D features. But it suggests they recognize audience appetite for the classic medium may be returning. The nostalgia cycle that Disney has profited from for decades appears poised to come back around.

As a fan of animation history, I cling to hope that the magic of the great 2D Disney classics can be rekindled. The medium need not die out altogether – with prudent budgets and audience hunger, perhaps a compromise can be found to revive Disney hand-drawn animation alongside continuing CGI spectacles. There is a yearning for human artistic touches absent from modern CGI wizardry.

Like so many traditional crafts and arts in the modern world, we cannot take 2D animation for granted. This iconic medium must be actively nurtured and preserved. For those of us who grew up believing in the Disney magic, we should hope today‘s youth have a chance to be similarly inspired.