Pokemon’s animation style has changed since the first episode of the anime debuted in 1997. The changes often spark controversy among fans. The design changes seen in Sun and Moon has certainly riled many fans. But in order for any franchise to remain strong, it has to reinvent itself time-to-time. Sensibilities change with each decade. And long-time creators need to do something different in order to keep their own interest. You can’t do one thing for 20+ years without getting bored with it if you don’t try different things.
In general, the animation style has become more dynamic. Let’s take a look at how the Pokemon anime has changed over the years.
Ash’s Design
Ash, or Satoshi, began with a cube-based design–see the image above right. In this model, called the box model, boxes form the drawing and thinking foundation of the design. In the original anime (released by 4Kids in the US), he had an angular head and rectangular body, especially when compared to the later XY/XYZ Ash. His legs lacked definition and detail. Most of the detail was reserved for his torso, which makes sense; the camera in the original usually focused on his face and torso. His eyes were also smaller and less expressive compared to other titles.
The Advanced Ash brings in more details and offers a little more naturalism. If you look at his arms compared to the original, you see more natural definition. Advanced Ash is still based on a box design, but he also features enlarged, more expressive eyes. Advanced Ash has lost some of his original baby fat. He isn’t as chunky–namely because he begins to move away from a cube-based model.
XY/XYZ Ash offers the most naturalism. He has naturalistic proportions and features more muscle definition. He has calves! His legs feature reasonable detail and moves away from their box frames. In fact, he moves away from the box model. Interestingly, his hands are larger than the previous designs. The shifts make him appear older and more dynamic.
The Sun and Moon Ash breaks completely with the box model. Naturalism disappears in favor of expression. He lacks the angular design of all the previous Ash designs. His design builds on a circle-based design model. Much of the previous design details have disappeared. This allows animators to handle the more dynamic and deformative animations you see throughout Sun and Moon. Exaggeration and fun underpin the design, whereas XY/XYZ Ash appears to be more serious.
Details and Expression
Many fans of the original don’t like the simplification of Sun and Moon compared to previous seasons. If you watch XY/XYZ right before Sun and Moon, you will see the differences. XY/XYZ manages to create dynamic animation sequences–some of the best I’ve seen on TV lately–while retaining detail. On the other hand, Sun and Moon features more playful animation.
The original series uses its details on the clothing and faces of Misty, Ash, and Brock. They use the box model, as you can see with the way shadows are handled. The elongated pupils remain a hallmark of Pokemon’s design. But the original series is stiffer in how people its characters move.
Sun and Moon softens and simplifies. Misty’s hair and face drop details in favor of a softer design. Look at Brock’s vest. The original design had more detail. The end result is a less solid feel, yet the backgrounds are handled in a more realistic fashion compared to the original’s high-contrast colors. The characters lack weight, but they feel more dynamic with how they stand and move. They feel more fun.
The simplicity in design allows Sun and Moon to play with expressions like the image above. The original series offered exaggerations and deformations too, but Sun and Moon‘s animators used the simpler designs to play. You will see, at times, drastic deformations that are more common with comedy anime. While older fans may not like this, the designs work against the current trend of 3D animation. Most children’s shows focus on some sort of 3D computer animation. Sun and Moon‘s digital and traditional cell animation stands out against this landscape.
Changes to Pokemon’s Animation
The original series has limited animation compared to later series. In this sample, Misty in the foreground and the background remain static as Brock, Ash, and Pikachu move. If you look at those three, they are fairly static too. Their clothing doesn’t move as they bend. Their hair doesn’t bounce nor does Pikachu’s tail or ears show any motion. Watch Ash’s arms as he walks forward, and you will see how the sequence uses limited tweens between keyframes. His arms pop out to his sides instead of moving smoothly. Brock has the most frames as he speaks. Pikachu has the fewest frames. The original series had a limited budget, and these animation decisions reflect this.
May and Serena have rather similar designs. They provide a good comparison example of how Pokemon has evolved. May’s animation sequence has great expression, but her hair and bandana do not move as she shifts forward. Frames lavish Serena’s sequence, however. Her hair bobs with her as she stands and then blows in the wind. If you look closely, you will see her backpack and strap is even animated with a few frames. The strap of her backpack slips down her shoulder as she lowers her arms and settles back as she straightens her shoulders. The shows on her hat are even animated, whereas with May her shadows move as a part of her body. May’s hair could use some bounce frames. XY/XYZ lavishes frames on sequences like this which would’ve been spare in previous series. Granted, the series lacks consistency across episodes. You will see stiffer animation at times. Limited budget and deadlines forces the animators to cut costs at times.
There’s a lot going on in this scene. Compare this to the original’s bucket carrying scene. In this one, everyone has some sort of animation sequence. Even the clouds in the background move. First, look at Serena. Her hair bounces nicely. If you look at her jumpsuit, you will see that the team animated her zipper and left arm. If you look even closer, you will see a handful of the frames were also used to animate the lower folds of her jumpsuit. The sequence is short, but it adds to the dynamics. Ash’s shirt is well animated along with his arms and legs as he straightens. His hair along with Pikachu’s tail and ears show the rebounding force of his standing motion. Because Bonnie is the center of attention, the animators lavished her with frames. Her hood and drawstrings all bounce. Her left arm animates downward (pulling her bag with it) to counterbalance her right hand shooting upward. And her hair reacts to her motion. Dedenne’s whiskers and tail are animated.
Clement has the fewest frames, but his hoodie and drawstrings are animated along with his hair. The rest of him steps off camera. Pikachu and Dendenne’s bodies remain static, but the dynamics of all the motion at once hides this well.
Pokemon XY/XYZ wowed with with the quality of its animation. It played around a little too much with its 3D camera fly throughs, but its 2D animation stood far above the usual television animation you see. It rivaled some of the highest quality anime studios. While I enjoyed the playfulness of Sun and Moon‘s animation, it felt like a step backward. Sun and Moon has great quality, but I favor the more mature feel of XY/XYZ. However, Sun and Moon managed to keep with most of Pokemon’s distinct designs–the elongated pupils and distinct face proportions. The animation style lends itself well to the pokemon. But on the whole, XY/XYZ felt more polished. It evolved from the original’s limited animation. Sun and Moon broke from it altogether, which could well be the intention.
Considering the series debuted in 1997, it remains impressively popular. At this point, parents introduce their children to Pokemon as a way of sharing their own childhood. Pokemon has to balance its old fans while still evolving to attract new generations of fans. XY/XYZ capstones the old style of Pokemon while raising the standard of animation for everything that will follow. We will see what will follow Sun and Moon‘s break in style.
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I’m glad you found it interesting.