Is 3D Possible with 2D Animation?

I

Im-so-luved121

New member
With 3D being all the rage right now with movies and television, (and soon to be released Nintendo created handheld systems,) I was wondering if 3D effects work on 2D animation. I have never seen or heard of this before, and it is understandable if it has not happened yet; modern 3D movies are still relatively new, and very few 2D animated movies are released in theaters nowadays anyway. I was just wondering if it was technically possible.

On a somewhat related not, a couple of 2D games are being release on the 3DS around the time the console launches: Professor Layton, a game primarily consisting of 2D graphics, and Paper Mario, which has 2D characters in 3D environments. Both games will support 3D, so if this is possible with games, why not cartoons and anime?
 
It's possible, it would just take twice as long as a normal 2D film would because they'd have to make 2 images of the same frame to achieve that 3D effect.

Considering the cost of a 2D animated feature though, I don't think we'll be seeing one for a long time though.
 
I'd say it's possible, but you'd get a very pronounced "Viewmaster" effect, where things look like cardboard cutouts, that most people find offputting.
 
There have been a few hand-drawn cartoons released in 3D, such as the Warner Bros. short "Lumberjack Rabbit" and the Disney short "Working For Peanuts." I can't say how effective the 3D would be, though, as I haven't seem them in 3D.
 
They are also currently converting Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King to 3-D. I think those at least could work, as they were made with layers in the animation.
 
A full length 2D animated feature has been in 3D at least once ("Starchaser: The Legend of Orin") and yes there have several 3D shorts. Disney attached a restored 3D version of "Working for Peanuts" to "Meet the Robinsons" a few years ago. What was added was a lot of depth between the cells and backgrounds.
 
I think it could work though, something like Chowder or Adventure Time or... what was that Kablam short... The Offbeats - might be really fun like that.
 
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