![disney 2d animation disney 2d animation](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/story_medium/public/thumbnails/image/2014/09/04/09/hul10.png)
This was when we were getting a lot of the Studio Ghibli films brought over by Disney, like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Porco Rosso to name a few. So, does this mean that 2D animation was 100% dead? Of course not! Even if Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks were moving toward full-on CGI animation, due to the masses leaning more to CGI animation by overall audience appeal, there were a few studios and directors that were passionate or really stubborn about Hollywood’s sudden lack of 2D animation. Not to say that each CGI animated film during this period was a success, since this was when DreamWorks was trying to compete with Disney/Pixar, but the numbers and money talked.
![disney 2d animation disney 2d animation](https://pm1.narvii.com/6338/9df8633ac1736c21648c6225a9dde777c994fe54_hq.jpg)
![disney 2d animation disney 2d animation](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/resizer/WoN9MXljGyLxeTPuecoSCJGuBUA=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/4N7VSD6TAREOZDDMVAFM4T2WTE.jpg)
The point is Disney and DreamWorks were losing money, and the only thing that was bringing in the cash besides their live-action films were their CGI animated films. Sure, you would get a film like Lilo & Stich, Emperor’s New Groove, and Spirits: Stallion of the Cimarron, but those films were few and far between in terms of being successful 2D animated films.
![disney 2d animation disney 2d animation](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ff/7d/eb/ff7deb54ef56f9a5a02d63b1644f946e.gif)
Like I said above, the 2D animated films were not making enough of a profit, and were getting critically panned at the same time. On the other spectrum, you were unfortunately getting Disney and DreamWorks 2D animated films that were not doing well with audiences and the bank. All of these films were critical darlings, and are pretty fantastic films. This was when we were getting films like Shrek 2, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. On one side of the spectrum during the early to mid-2000s, the only financially/critically successful animated films that were being made were of CGI, and Pixar and DreamWorks were leading the charge. So, was it really the public’s fault that 2D animation was dead? Is there a reason Europe and the rest of the world is keeping it alive and not getting wide releases? Well, let’s talk about what was going on around this time period. This was essentially throwing 2D animation under the bus. When Home on the Range and Sinbad came out, both Disney and DreamWorks told the world that 2D animation was not a profitable way of filmmaking anymore, no one was seeing 2D animated films, and the new profitable form of animation was CGI-animation. The only 2D animated films that were doing really well during this time period were the films made by Studio Ghibli, like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. This list of films include Home on the Range, Brother Bear, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and you get the idea. This was when their 2D animated films were not bringing in waves of delicious greenback bills, and were instead being critically panned, and flopping/underperforming. Thanks for checking out my work, and I hope you like this editorial!)Īround the mid-2000s, 2D animated films were struggling, with a majority of the flops coming from Disney and DreamWorks. It would help support my work, and keeps the website up. If you would like, consider contributing to my Patreon at. (If you like what you see, you can go to to see more of my work on video game reviews, editorials, lists, Kickstarters, developer interviews, and review/talk about animated films.