It has been said that there is something about 3D animation that is capable of  engaging and immersing the viewer in that world. Indeed, teleporting the audience into a spectacular new world like the Ice Age or a surreal alien planet is what 3D advocates call the ‘immersive experience’ of which only 3D animation can offer.

While live action 3D films have been met with financial disaster, recent box-office results show that today’s audience are loving the immersive experience that comes with animation. In fact, the some of the highest grossing 3D animated films of all time were all released in the past year. Up, Monster Vs Aliens, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, G-Force and Bolt have all earned over $100 million.

Even Coraline, a dark Tim Burton-esque story based off Niel Gaimen’s novel took over $75 million despite its early in the year release.  Perhaps 3D animation will replace  superhero films as hollywood’s new cash cow. Only time will tell.

Up! About an old man who ties balloons to his chair.

In the meantime, more than a dozen 3D animated films are slated for release between now and the end of 2010. It seems now is the time to jump aboard the craze, with familiar properties like the Smurfs, Shrek and Astroboy all trying to cash in.

Not content with ‘reimaginings’, Disney has announced that they will be releasing 3D versions of Toy Story 1 and 2 in October.  This is all to generate buzz for Toy story 3, which will naturally be in 3D of course.

Many people have cried the “death of cel animation” since early this century but  this seems to be the final nail in the coffin for traditional animation. These days the pictures on screen have never felt the touch of human hands, and the days of studios having large retainers of artists are over.

Concept art for the Astroboy adaptation

While traditional animated films seems all but obsolete, there is still an audience for hybrid animated films using a combination of CGI and hand-drawn art. Disney hasn’t completely forsaken the animation style that made it what it is today, and in December  ”The Princess and the Frog’ will be released, Disney’s only non-CGI animated film in over 6 years.

The problem is that new animators are opting to learn CGI rather than traditional since it seems to be the way of the future, therefore hand drawn is being forgotten. However,  Disney representatives said at the D23 expo that hand drawn films are able to deliver things that CGI can’t and promise more traditional animation in the future.

Finally, let’s not all forget that the studios and cinemas have a lot to gain by promoting 3D. 3D films demand higher ticket prices and conversion to digital versions of film allow them to save a fortune in film prints, and who wouldn’t want to save money in the current financial climate.

Whether 3D films are the way of the future or just a gimmick for digital conversion is yet to be seen, but what is certain is that the days of traditional hand drawn films are coming to an end.

It could be argued that two white guys dressed in Kimono’s and loincloths, weilding not Japanese steel but Chinese plastic, can hardly be called a showdown but try telling that to the gentlemen locked in combat. Unsurprising, given the fact that not even ten metres away a group of bright scarlet ninjas mingle with a cerulean alien while a couple of vampires practically drool as they poured over the latest merchandise on offer. To say cosplay is prevalent at this events would be an understatement.

Some of the more elaborate costumes take months to fashion. Cosplay provides a challenging outlet for the creatvitity of the satorially inclined, explains Lisa Perussich, when asked why she liked to make costumes and dress-up. ” It’s fun…plus i enjoy the challenge of the costume making process, especially because i only cosplay as characters from shows I like.”

Such is the Melbourne Anime Festival, where hordes of enthusiasts converge to revel in cosplay, internet memes and occasionally even some anime. Anime(animation from Japan) is an increasingly popular diversion from western film and television in Australia. Subsequently, Manifest has grown over the ten years it has been running, and moving to the Show Grounds has definitely been a positive move. It is better equiped to handle the festival and has allowed for more space for the activities, and more space to queue, which thankfully helped in alleviating the discomfort of your personal space being perpetually violated.

Avi Bernshaw, a convener for Manifest says: “Manifest is finally grown up and we’re bigger, better and we have got more adult content. We’ve looked at our demographics and we’ve noticed something very startling, being that Manifest is a very old convention by the standards of Australia and many of the attendees we have grown up with the convention and are here ten years on. That means we have a large amount of people in their late twenties and early thirties.”

Over three days, the festival offered a variety of activities including screenings of classic and popular titles such as Macross and Ghost in the Shell, panels, cosplay competition, cosplay chess, and videogames. Typical fare you would expect of a con. Though Avi Bernshaw explains it isn’t any old convention since

“Manifest is a convention based around doing things not just consuming things. There’s more than just buying stuff at traders, although we do have that. We have things like cosplay chess, cell painting workshops, zoids constructa-thingy-jigga mecha, manga drawing classes, learn to shop in Akihabara class! So come along to Manifest if you want to have the full otaku experience, but please bring deodorant.”

However, despite being a anime festival,  it seemed that peoples interest tended towards cosplay, kareoke and other tangental activities rather than the screenings or panels. One attendee commented that the “panels are boring, and i can watch shows at home”. It seems weird admist the din of internet slogans and surrounded by Pocky that people attending an animation festival weren’t interested in seeing or learning about animation. Today’s festivals are a world apart from the days when it was groups of nerds sitting around watching foreign shows they couldn’t get their hands. It may be slowing becoming more about reveling in the internet fueled and self-perpetuating con-culture.

Akin to his previous works such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo is an epic  fantasy that retains Miyazaki’s fixation on nature and young heroines and touches upon similar themes of environmentalism, childhood innocence and discovery.  However further comparison should be cautioned, because the similarities end there.

Inter-species love?

Ponyo truly is pure unadulterated fantasy for kids.  Elements like exposition and logic are thrown to the wind as it whisks you away on a tale that tells like The Little Mermaid on acid, a lot of acid.

The film begins with a lush underwater environment where a magical fish-girl escapes her sorcerer father, making it to the surface where she meets a playful boy named Sosuke who is unfazed at her bizarre anthropomorphic fish-like appearance and decides to takes her in. The classic tale of boy meets fish, boy falls in love with fish ensues. Ponyo manages to taste human blood by licking a cut on Sosuke’s finger which heals his wound while granting her the ability to become human.

Her suited, wizard father eventually re-claims her and despising humans, wishes to shield her from their  slothful influence. He also maintains a magical well which can revert the world back to a prehistoric era when the world was completely covered ocean and prehistoric life.

Of course Ponyo is bent on returning to Sosuke and becoming human. She inadvertently unleashes the well in her escape attempt, which causes the oceans to rise and ancient fish to appear, threatening all of humanity.  The wizard calls the aid of the Sea Goddess(Ponyo’s Mother) to return things to normal and she reveals that the only way to save the planet is for Sosuke to prove his love for Ponyo.

Don’t worry if what you just read made no sense, because the movie itself doesn’t to begin with. It is unashamedly a feel-good tale for a younger audience replete with nonsensical fairytale plot developments.

Studio Ghibli are renown for their excellent artistry and this is no exception. With its lush colour palette, meticulously animated underwater and action scenes, coupled with an outstanding musical score, results in a thrilling ride bursting with youthful energy.

Don't do it kids, it's a trap!