5-2 Limited/Full animation

Anime (original Japanese meaning)

Abbreviation of "animation."

When did the term "anime" first appear?

Mid-1970s.

Anime (definition in Japan)

Commercial animation created using cel or digital techniques.

Anime (definition in English-speaking countries)

Japanese animation.

Our course definition of anime

Japanese animation.

Characteristics of anime according to Tsugata Nobuyuki (1)

Cel-based.

Characteristics of anime according to Tsugata Nobuyuki (2)

Uses limited animation techniques with a low cel count.

Characteristics of anime according to Tsugata Nobuyuki (3)

Emphasizes complex human relationships, stories, and worlds.

Characteristics of anime according to Tsugata Nobuyuki (4)

Primarily organized around television (later DVD/Internet).

Characteristics of anime according to Tsugata Nobuyuki (5)

Character-centric.

Anime according to Marc Steinberg

Inherently transmedial, crossing multiple media platforms and material objects.

What does Studio Ghibli call its feature-length animation?

Manga films.

Does "manga film" mean an animation adapted from manga?

No.

Limited animation is most associated with?

TV anime with tight schedules and budgets.

Full animation is most associated with?

Theatrical/feature-length animated films with relatively flexible budgets.

Limited animation example from the lecture

Tezuka Osamu and Mushi Production.

Full animation example from the lecture

Miyazaki Hayao and Studio Ghibli.

Purpose of multiple cel layers

Create movement and depth by sliding layers over one another.

How many animation layers were identified in the Astro Boy example?

Four.

Astro Boy layer 1

Static background.

Astro Boy layer 2

Truck/machine sliding against the background.

Astro Boy layer 3

Stationary body with separately animated arm and hand.

Astro Boy layer 4

Walking character animated with repeated walking cels.

Full animation vs. limited animation (drawings)

Full = more drawings/cels; Limited = fewer drawings/cels.

Full animation vs. limited animation (viewing experience)

Full = cinematism; Limited = animatism.

Full animation movement

Smooth, fluid, and highly detailed.

Limited animation movement

Still images with minimal in-between movement.

Frame rate

The frequency at which images appear on a display.

Most films and animations run at what frame rate?

24 frames per second.

How many frame slots are available every second at standard animation speed?

24.

Typical full animation drawing rate

12 drawings per second, each held for two frames.

Fast action in full animation

24 drawings per second (one drawing per frame).

Slow movement in full animation

Reuse drawings (e.g., 6–8 drawings over 24 frames).

Relationship between drawings and smoothness

More drawings produce smoother movement.

Goal of full animation

Make movement appear as natural and realistic as possible.

Classic example of full animation

Disney's Snow White.

What characterizes Snow White's animation?

Smooth movement with many independently moving elements.

How many drawings would one hour of perfect 24-drawing animation require?

86,400 drawings.

Why was limited animation developed?

To save time, labour, and production costs.

Limited animation is still commonly used in?

Weekly television animation.

Marc Steinberg's definition of limited animation

Animation based on interrupted motion and extensive use of still images.

Typical limited animation drawing rate

About 8 drawings per second.

Action scenes in limited animation may use only

About 6 drawings per second.

Does limited animation still run at 24 fps?

Yes.

Why does limited animation appear less smooth?

Fewer drawings fill the same 24-frame sequence.

What compensates for fewer drawings in limited animation?

Animetic (anime-ic) techniques.

Three-frame shooting

Using about 8 drawings per second.

Stop-images

Holding still images to reduce animation work.

Pull-cels

Sliding cels to create motion.

Sectioning

Animating only part of the body or face.

Lip-synching

Animating only the mouth during dialogue.

Dual use (cel-bank system)

Reusing drawings or animation sequences.

Short shot length

Rapid cuts that imply fast movement.

Panning shot

Moving the camera across a large still image.

Camera shake in limited animation

Shaking the camera to imitate movement within the scene.

Repetition in limited animation

Repeatedly reuse animated sequences (e.g., smoke, clouds, walking).

Example of limited animation from the lecture

Dragon Ball.

Limited animation techniques demonstrated in Dragon Ball

Stillness, camera panning, and repeated smoke cels.

Film techniques commonly used in animation

Panning, zooms, close-ups, shot-reverse-shot, and POV shots.

Do high-budget animations still use limited animation techniques?

Yes.

Which era is most associated with the classic anime look?

Japanese TV anime from the 1960s–1990s.

Uniplanar animation

Movement occurs primarily on a single front plane.

Early Japanese animation was primarily

Uniplanar.

Uniplanar movement

Flat and less realistic.

Multiplanar image

An image created by compositing multiple layers using a multiplanar camera.

Main advantage of multiplanar compositing

Creates movement into depth.

Disney multiplanar camera emphasized

Movement into depth.

According to Lamarre, the multiplane system makes viewers feel as if

They can move around inside the image.

Animatism and cinematism are the same scale as uniplanar and multiplanar?

No. They are separate concepts.

Generally, uniplanar images appear

More animetic and less realistic.

Generally, multiplanar images appear

More cinematic and more realistic.

Can multiplanar images still appear animetic?

Yes.

What determines whether multiplanar images appear cinematic or animetic?

Compositing.

Compositing

Adjusting and combining multiple animation layers.

Three types of compositing

Standard (closed), open, and flat (superflat).

Closed compositing

Suppresses gaps between layers to create movement into depth.

Open compositing

Uses gaps between layers for effects other than depth.

Closed compositing preserves

Stable depth and proportional perspective.

Open compositing in anime emphasizes

Sideways motion created by sliding layers.

Closed compositing prioritizes

Realism of depth.

Open compositing prioritizes

Realism of movement and speed.

Open compositing creates what visual sensation?

Soaring, speeding, spinning, and moving across the landscape.

In anime, is realism the primary goal?

No.

Masking (anime)

Alternating between simplified and highly detailed rendering depending on importance.

Typical anime spatial effect

Sliding 2D planes rather than perfect 3D depth.

Open compositing produces what characteristic anime feeling?

Weightlessness, sideways motion, and sliding speed.