Today’s movie audiences have a veritable smorgasbord compared to past audiences in terms of what is available to them. A segment of what is available is the animated movie, which is growing in popularity, especially as Japanese imports are beginning to compete with Disney and other studios, and computer animation is beginning to become a force to be reckoned with.

Traditional animation is becoming less and less traditional every year, as cel animation is used less and less in favor of using computer animation. However, the same skills are used, in that the characters are still sketched by hand rather than modeled and rendered by computer. However, traditional animation is using more and more computer-generated art to supplement the animation, and allow for quick replication of large numbers of figures on-screen. However, as it allows for a more stylized feel than computer-generated animation, it is doubtful that it will disappear any time soon.

Animation is being done more and more on computers. However, the detail needed in order to make even a decent movie is still prohibitive to most studios, and too many companies forget that even the shiniest technology doesn’t allow the film to ignore other aspects of filmmaking (such as story-telling and originality). Nonetheless, when done right, computer-generated animation can be just as effective as other styles of moviemaking.

Japanese animation has long been a force relegated to Saturday morning cartoons and cable channels. However, as recent years have shown, Japanese animated movies can be just as viable as their Hollywood counterparts. As anime continues to invade the various cable and broadcast outlets, as well as climbing the DVD charts, and to develop an even greater following, it should be interesting to see if Japanese animated movies see an increase in the number released to movie theaters.