A rapturous ode to the medium, Pencils vs Pixels explores the debate between 2-D or hand drawn, and computer-generated animation (aka CGI). Taking an almost exclusively Disney-centric approach to the subject of animation directors Bay Dariz and Phil Earnest interview a glorious parade of legendary animators and oddly enough, film historian and film critic Leonard Maltin, to get their take on the subject. As much a chronology of the craft as it is a tribute to storytelling, Pencils vs Pixels warmly reassures the viewer that animation, in whatever form, isn’t going anywhere.
Narrated by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan), the film begins with a cursory history of animation. Citing examples like Gertie the Dinosaur and early Mickey Mouse we learn of animation’s birth and subsequent popularity as a novelty. As the medium advanced, new techniques came into use. With the addition of color and sound, animation grew to a recognized art form. All of this changed with the seismic shift that was computer-generated art and animation. Initially, the use of computers to draw was a technique that was carefully controlled and scarcely used. Though legendary animators like Oscar-winner Glen Keane (The Little Mermaid) were curious about the technique, it was mostly feared by traditional animators.
Then Pixar released Toy Story in 1995 and the animation world changed forever. As Disney animators came out of various test screenings of the new movie they felt as if the writing was on the wall. The critical and commercial success of that landmark film only served to convince studio executives that traditional animation was on its way out. Still, everyone was forgetting what made any of it work. While most were afraid of the digital wave, Animator and director John Musker and a handful of others viewed this advance with giddy anticipation for its innovative use in telling a story.
Where does the debate land? Has it even ended? Dariz and Earnest seek the input of folks like Keane and Musker, along with input from animation legend Floyd Norman, Andreas Deja, Lorna Cook, Pete Docter, Mindy Johnson, and Alex Hirsch among others for the answer. While the answer given in the doc is a satisfying one, it almost seems too simple. As Pixar founder states during one archival interview, painting didn’t go away when photographs became a thing (paraphrasing here). It’s not the technique. Not at all. The answer lies in something more fundamental to the craft.
Pencils vs Pixels is essential viewing for any fan of animation. I would even say that film buffs would do well to take this one in. On the merits of the number of interviews alone, this is worth the watch. Beyond that, however, Pencils vs Pixels is a grand tribute to storytelling and the various mediums used to connect with an audience.
7 out of 10
