Bah I know how this might sound, I'm a major fan of IFX and some of you may know me, but I know how much passion you guys have for visual art so I was wondering if you'd answer some of my animation questions for my Dissertation. Only a few don't worry.

Basically it's about the relationship between 2D and 3D animation, and if it's lost some of that sparkle moving from the great disney classics to the modern 3D movies of today

Okay here goes

1. Do you have a personal preference between 2D and 3D animation?

2. Do you feel that 3D animation has taken over and now over shadows 2D animation in the mainstream?

3. Do you think that all 3D artists should have and require the core drawing skills that 2D artists have?

Thanks a bunch guys, sorry if I've wasted anyones time! 

Not much time so quick answers:

1. Personally, being middle aged, I have a fondness for 2d but Pixar's The Incredibles is probably the best animated film ever.

2. In the mainstream and for the time being, yes.

3. Not necessarily as many 3d artists work from the drawings and concepts of 2d artists.

1. Being middle aged like Joe, i also have a fondness for 2D, but all the 3D movies now just bowl me over, so i'm turning to the darkside

2. Yes i think it's taken over, and will continue to do so, i think there will always be the romanticism for 2D, but as technology moves on, 3D will become the norm

3. I think any artist should know the fundamentals, is it necessary for 3D? Probably not.

good luck with your dissertation!  

1: I'm not quite middle aged yet, but I also have a soft spot for the 2D animation I grew up watching. However, I have also played computer games for almost as long as I've watched animation which has exposed me to 3D/CGI cut-scenes for quite a while, so I don't really have a preference for one over the other.

2: In mainstream films, yes. However software like Flash has put 2D animation back in the bedroom and helps keep a very strong amateur scene going.

3: Do you mean 3D artists or 3D animators?  While perhaps not essential, a 3D artist will always benefit from 2D art skills. Less so in animation because the animation processes are so different.

Good luck with the dissertaion.

Thank's for the replies guys, really appreciate it! I knew you guys would be awesome! 

Also would be much appreciated if you could please do this 5 question yes/no survey for me, will take 2 secs!  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/76ZWLVZ

And joe you kind of confused me lol, but thanks for taking the time to answer

After this is one of my main aims for the year is to get drawing a whole lot more and get better! 

Um, I'm not too sure how to answer these questions properly. I go watch an animation with good voice acting, good story, good music, and such. Being 3D or 2D has very little impact on my decision to watch it or not. Toy Story was in 3D and it was great. Cars 2 was in 3D, too, and it was terrible. Most of Miyazaki's films are 2D with some CGI effects, and they are all great films.

These questions essentially ask me to decide whether I would go see a movie based it on being 3D or 2D, so these questions don't apply to me. I would not go see a film just because it is 3D or 2D.