The depth of the CG and animation industry never ceases to amaze us. Whether its blockbuster 3D movies (opens in new tab), inspirational 3D art (opens in new tab) or amazing short animations, creatives all over the globe continue to push the boundaries of art, technology and innovation.
Here are six inspiring animations from last year, that, we think, are simply too good to miss.
01. Gracht
Gracht - which means 'canal' in Dutch - is a unique and quirky film. The short was created by Nick Groeneveld, Joost de Jong, Michaël Koning and Jeroen Hoolmans.
Despite looking exactly like stop-motion porcelain models and props, the entire thing is CG. Very clever stuff. You can read the making of story that originally featured in 3D World (opens in new tab) issue 175 here (opens in new tab).
02. Get A Horse!
Disney's Get a Horse! is also a firm favourite. With both classic black-and-white, hand-drawn animation and CG, it's got plenty of groundbreaking technical wizardry with lovely CG surprises.
03. Mr Hublot
And then there's the Oscar-winning French short Mr. Hublot, which definitely deserved to win. It's a masterful animation.
04. Frozen
Ok, so now to Frozen. Of course we can't show you this film, but do see it if you get a chance. Disney's modern-day fairy tale tells the story of Princess Anna, who teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a cute snowman in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter. Frozen showcases stunning CG work, the ice work in particular being nothing short of incredible.
05. Fear of Flying
Next, it's Conor Finnegan's Fear of Flying. This was also very successful, and won the hearts of audiences and juries at various festivals last year. It really is quite lovely, and clever too.
The film depicts a cute migratory bird facing his fear of flying. The animation looks like stop-motion, but that technique wasn't employed; it's a simple method - see if you can guess how it was created!
06. Room on the Broom
And who could forget the Julia Donaldson favourite, where the team at Magic Light Pictures have worked wonders to bring the characters in this magical book to life.
Have your say...
Do you have a favourite 3D animation that didn't make the list? If so, why not have your say and nominate the animation you'd like to see win a 3D World CG Award (opens in new tab) for Best Animated Short?
Oscar winning producer of Shrek and now at Reel FX Aron Warner says: "I’m honored to be a part of the CG awards. It’s a great opportunity for our growing community to come together and see the state of the art of what’s going on. This is what inspires us to invent and create.
"Recognition of your peers is the kind that counts the most. These are the people who understand the day to day, behind the scenes struggles and triumphs. They know what goes into making an image that evokes feeling."
"Show your voices and opinions by nominating your favourite films. Don’t just go with the conventional wisdom that the most popular is the best. The best is what moves and inspires you, not what made the most money!"
The 3D World CG Awards is open for nominations now via the CG Awards website (opens in new tab).
