Animation: The Art of Creating Vivid Images and the Most Popular Genres!

Animation is no longer limited to movies but has expanded to many fields such as advertising, media, education and even medicine. If you pay attention, you will see Animation appearing everywhere: from famous animated films of Disney, Pixar to vivid advertising videos on YouTube or even dynamic interfaces on mobile applications.

But have you ever wondered what Animation really is? How do we create the smooth moving images we see every day? And how many different types of Animation are there? In this article, we will explore the world of Animation, from the basics to popular genres that anyone interested in graphic design and animation should know.

1. What is Animation?

Animation is the process of creating moving images by displaying a series of still images at a certain speed. Thanks to the principles of human vision, when these images are shown consecutively at high speed, they create the illusion of smooth movement.

Simply put, if you've ever tried drawing small pictures on the edge of a notebook and then quickly flipping the page, you've created a simple form of animation! This is the basic way Animation works.

2. Popular Animation Genres

Animation has 5 different genres, and surely all of us have experienced at least one of the animation types below.

2.1. Traditional Animation

Traditional animation is the oldest form of animation in the above list. It is also known as Hand-drawn Animation. The reason is that all objects are drawn on transparent paper. And to be able to create continuous movement for the object, the creators have to draw each frame, each small movement. On average, 1 second of frame (1 second of character movement) will require 12-24 drawings, so a 60-minute movie will take a lot of effort and time of the creators.

Since these animations exist on a flat surface, they are 2D (however, not all 2D Animations are of the old traditional type). World famous animated films such as: The Lion King, Aladdin and many other old films, are all drawn by hand.

2.2. 2D Animation

As mentioned above, traditional Animation is also considered 2D, but that was when the era was not yet developed. Nowadays, when technology is developed, another form of 2D Animation has developed strongly based on the Vector algorithm. This algorithm helps creators to edit the size at will so the movement will be smoother. Or continue to use without having to redraw from the beginning.

2.3. 3D Animation

Nowadays, with the strong development of modern science, designing 3D animation on computers has become very popular. But that does not mean that animation is easier than drawing by hand. Whether by pencil or by keyboard, 3D animation is still a big challenge and will continue to develop in the future.

With 3D Animation, designers use software to create the character's body, move the character frame by frame, and calculate the movement for each frame. As mentioned, 3D animation continues to grow. Take a look at the 3D format of Disney's famous animated films Toy Story 1 (1995) and Toy Story 4 (2019) below, and you will surely understand why 3D Animation is the most popular animation trend today.

2.4. Motion Graphics

Motion Graphics is a fairly popular Animation format, but not in the film industry, but they are used for other purposes such as: Motion Graphics can be in both 2D and 3D formats. In addition, it does not focus on characters but is used to convey more information, so graphic elements such as: Text, fonts, lines, shapes, are suitable components for this type of animation.

2.5. Stop Motion

Stop Motion works on the same principles as traditional animation, but instead of drawing, it uses still objects for the frame. These objects will be created from clay, Lego models, paper cutouts and more. The filmmakers will have to manually adjust the movements of the objects, take pictures of the movements and continue to adjust. This is also time-consuming and labor-intensive compared to drawing. Stop Motion certainly has a longer history than other forms of Animation, especially when compared to today's 3D animation.

3. Distinguish between Animation and Cartoon

Many people often confuse Animation and Cartoon , thinking that they are one. However, despite their close relationship, these two concepts actually have clear differences in nature, scope and application.

Animation is a general term for the process of creating moving images from multiple consecutive frames. Animation is not limited to a specific style or form but includes many different types such as Traditional Animation, 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Stop Motion, Motion Graphics, etc.

Cartoon (cartoon style animation) is a subgenre of Animation, often with a humorous style, exaggerating characters and settings to create humor or convey an easy-to-understand message. Cartoon is often associated with cartoons, comics or caricatures.

3.1. The difference between Animation and Cartoon

Criteria

Animation

Cartoon

Concept

Just the whole process of creating moving images.

A style in Animation, focusing on funny, humorous images.

Form

Includes many types such as 2D, 3D, Stop Motion, Motion Graphics, etc.

Usually 2D Animation but can be combined with 3D.

Style

Can be realistic or abstract, depending on the purpose.

Characters often have simple drawings, exaggerated expressions, and bright colors.

Application

Animation, video games, advertising, education, cinematography.

Mainly used in cartoons, comics, caricatures.

For example

Toy Story, Frozen, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Last of Us (game).

Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, SpongeBob SquarePants, Family Guy.

3.2. Is Cartoon Animation?

The answer is yes ! Cartoon is a form of Animation, but not all Animation is Cartoon. If Cartoon is limited to a fun, exaggerated style, Animation covers all different styles and techniques, from traditional animation to surreal 3D animation.

For example, the movie Frozen is 3D Animation , but is not considered a Cartoon because the character design style is more realistic than Tom and Jerry or Looney Tunes .

4. Where is animation applied?

Animation is becoming one of the fastest growing fields, opening up many attractive career opportunities. Thanks to the explosion of technology and applications in cinema, games, and media, careers related to Animation are increasingly diverse and rich.

Some common career positions in this industry include:

VFX Artist: Specializes in creating special effects for movies, games, and commercials. This job requires content creation and post-production skills.

Rigging Artist: A person who specializes in creating the skeletal system for 3D characters, helping the model move flexibly and naturally. This is a highly technical job that requires meticulous attention to detail.

Video Marketing Designer: Combines knowledge of animation and marketing to create creative, engaging and effective promotional videos that convey messages.

Animator: Producing animated films from scripts, character designs, to creating motion and sound, one of the key jobs in the Animation industry.

Claymation Artist: Specializes in producing stop-motion animations, using clay models to create characters and settings.

The Animation industry is not only limited to film, but also expands to other fields such as medicine, education, and advertising, helping to bring many career development opportunities both domestically and internationally.

Animation is a vast field with many practical applications. Whether you are an animation enthusiast, a designer or a filmmaker, understanding Animation will give you a deeper insight into how moving images are created.