3D Vs 2D: Shrek Vs Bugs Bunny - The Introduction of Realism in Animation

In the beginning there were cartoons, 2D cartoons.

In my youth I used to be a 'Professional Cartoon Watcher'. I used to watch everything and anything- I think it's reflected in my 3D work today- but I must note that my patterns started to change after the release of Toy Story- the very first one. Part of it was changing opinions in my head but could it also have something to do with the fact that it was in 3D?

I now ask the question: Are 3D cartoons/films better than 2D cartoons/films?

3D and all it has to give:

I think what 3D animated cartoons and films brought to the world of 'Toon' is realism. Suddenly facial features and skin textures became more defined. It became possible to have a character with as much detail as even having individual strands of hair.Everything had more depth- was richer, characters became more human- easier to relate to.The production process was also far quicker- no more frame by frame animating.

The best 3D animation software( and frankly most) have got a thing called 'Tweening' - which comes from the word 'between' - you can set a start and an end point for your animation and then - the software will calculate and process and fill in the rest. Of course animators still want to have control over their character's motions but no more is it truly a frame by frame process. It actually hasn't been for a long time as most 2D production houses now also use software which can do the 'Tweening" for them.

I believe 3D made animation 'human' whilst before it was frankly a 'super human' affair for those with dedication and patience (I have a lot of respect for all traditional 2D animators. Try DRAWING 25 images for 1 second of animation- now let's make a Disney Feature film.)

This is not to say 3D animation is easy- but it most certainly has it's shortcuts. I would actually say I think character creation in 3D is harder than for 2D. In 2D you can have Charlie Brown in all his simple line art glory as your main character - while with 3D there is always that push for realism- and the added depth means that your character needs to look good and just as good from all sides.

Suddenly where detailed folds in clothing were a bit impractical in 2D cartoons- in 3D, you almost need those folds to make you stand out from the last Pixar film and once you add that fold in- you now have to take into consideration Physics- how is your character moving- what do you want the folds to do as he/she moves....once the realism starts it's hard to end.