Day 16: Anime-tion

Day 16: Anime with the Best Animation - Ghibli is King (and some other stuff)

It is pretty undisputed that if you want to see some good animation you look to Studio Ghibli. Other anime movies also have some wonderful animation but Studio Ghibli overshadows almost all the others.

The reason for this is rather interesting. 

As a genre, anime typically uses less frames per second than the large majority of animated shows, particularly western shows. For reference, many animated films have at least 24 frames per second or 12 drawings but this is on the lower side. Anime on the other hand will sometimes run an average 24 fps but main objects will actually only run at 8 or 12 fps (4 to 6 drawings per second) with the background objects running at 6 to 8 fps (3 or 4 drawings per second). Anime will also often use still objects or limited movement with the facial expressions or a small section of the background sometimes being the only real movement in any given frame.

Studio Ghibli and other anime movies will often break from this and go for the more traditional 24 fps because they have more time relative to the length of content in order to ensure smooth animation. This allows for more dynamic frames with consistent art and animation. Giving us the beautiful movies we enjoy so much.