Expressive 3D Computer Graphics Animation: Considerations on Technology and Expression

<p>Realism in the visual arts is both an old and current issue. Famously, when the Lumière brothers showed “The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” in 1895, the audience was so surprised that they ran away from the screen, toward the back of the room. This can be said to be the result of the high degree of realism conveyed by the film and the reality of the image of the train perceived by the audience.</p><p>Today, the issue of realism has shifted from reconstructing the real world through computer-generated imagery to the pursuit of unrealistic “fictional realism” and “realism created by artists”. This shift has given rise to a range of new issues that need to be examined, from advanced image-creation technologies to the creative consciousness of artists.</p><p>In this paper, I examine the approach toward realism in animation from the perspective of dynamic technology and its expressive power as well as by confirming the film theory of André Bazin. Specifically, I analyze realism in animation by comparing Disney’s 1994 and 2019 versions of the “The Lion King.” In addition, I discuss the creative process of the artist who made the 2017 experimental animated short “Ugly.”</p><p>The purpose of this paper is to clarify the transformation of animated expression by examining computer graphics technology and its application in animation, as well as to suggest the direction of future activities by artists whose medium is computer graphics.</p>