The state and future of animation

[Ben]

It’s just easy for them to do. The actors get a nice pay packet for a few hours work, and the film get a marquee name to put on their poster.

[GeffreyDrogon]

But doesn't voice acting pay less than live-action acting, even for celebrities?

[Randall]

Sure, but it's easy money for a few hours' work, minimal travel, and no time in a makeup chair. And if the celeb has some free time, then why not?

[GeffreyDrogon]

If voice acting is easier for celebrities, then why do so few of them make careers out of it, like Mark Hamill or Tim Curry?

[Ben]

Well, er, they do… Hamill and Curry for starters…

[Randall]

Some like it, and some aren't interested. Personal preference.

[GeffreyDrogon]

If video games are an animation product, then why are they so popular with people of all ages when animated films and television shows get viewed as something specifically for children?

[EricJ]

How interesting would an Overwatch cartoon show be?

[GeffreyDrogon]

I don't know.

What I am saying is that people tend to think that animation is "for children", yet many of them like video games, which technically count as animation.

[GeffreyDrogon]

After Amblimation shut down in 1997, why did so many of its animators move to DreamWorks Animation? Did Spielberg have something to do with it?

[EricJ]

Uh, let's see, Spielberg co-founding live-action and animation company DreamWorks SKG with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen?...Mm, tad.

[Ben]

Amblimation shuts down 1997. DreamWorks Animation ramps up 1997.

Coinkidink?



(No, it was essentially a name and location change.)

[GeffreyDrogon]

With all the cancellations of animated media at Warner Bros., is this a sign that that company doesn't care about animation anymore, and what will that mean for the American animation industry?

[Randall]

That's a big question. But there's a whole lot of dust to settle before we can tell anything. However, as huge a giant as WB-Discovery is, they're just one player. Animation will continue to be a big part of programing in general for the foreseable future. While WBD cuts back, Disney is increasing their made-for-streaming product. The bigger story will be which services survive, combine, or perish.

[EricJ]

Animation losing Warner is like Coke & Pepsi losing RC Cola--
We've barely had any Warner animation that wasn't selling corporate Tom & Jerry/Scooby-Doo crossovers with whatever other IP property Warner was selling at the moment (or DC trying to grab a piece of Secret Life of Pets and still plug their Black Adam movie), and the last time we did have a non-boardroom project, it was...what, Storks? Smallfoot?

Since I'm not a "betrayed" DC/Batman fan, I've kept a positive (if bloodthirsty ) attitude that the New Guy is not playing the corporate franchise-for-sale games of 10's Warner, and have wishful-thinking hopes that he's about to clean house, BIG time.
If so, it's overdue, but I should probably try to be more realistic.