Will Animation Be Replaced by AI?
Written by James Finlay
Creative Director
Writing in late 2024, the AI revolution is no longer a complete shock for creatives. AI image generators like Midjourney are now fairly commonplace, and the big technological advancements are being made in AI video, the development most feared by animators.
However, the tools are largely too inconsistent to create films professionally. Legal and ethical frameworks haven't been established, and it's unlikely that large brands will have clearance to use existing AI video platforms. There's also significant backlash when AI ads appear, as we saw with the Coca-Cola controversy. For any animation studio in London or anywhere else, the question is not whether to engage with AI, but how.
The Collaboration Problem
There's one huge, irredeemable aspect of AI: the temptation to reduce team sizes, sometimes down to a single person, eliminates the magic that happens when large teams collaborate well together.
Single prompt animators re-rolling AI videos in their bedrooms late at night will never be able to create The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, a product of a huge crew, budget, the landscape of New Zealand and most importantly, a legendary 20th Century writer.
Stop motion productions and great movies have a legendary quality that's never the product of one brain. Even auteur directors are backed by entire crews, actors, and writers. Great collaborative work in film, TV, and gaming requires human teams.
How AI Can Help Animators
That said, AI is already proving useful as a tool within creative workflows. Here are some of the ways animators are using it today:
Textures
Tools like Midjourney create seamless textures for 3D materials, saving hours of manual work.
Concept Generation
Combining AI with Photoshop and After Effects can enhance the ideation process significantly.
Time Savings
Automating tedious tasks lets animators focus on character design and storytelling, the parts that actually matter.
The Ethics Question
Once AI's technical limitations are addressed, ethical questions remain. Artists' work is being used to train algorithms without compensation or permission. Animation studios must decide where they stand on AI ethics. Using living artists' work as prompts or for training should be off-limits.
Myth Studio's Position
- Animators should never be replaced with AI for the sake of efficiency.
- Using living artists' work to train algorithms or as prompts without permission should be strictly off limits.
- Myth encourages team members to use AI innovatively to empower their own workflows, explore new techniques, and have fun!
The Simple Answer: No, But...
Will animation be replaced by AI? No, but it will fundamentally change how animation is created. The winners will be those who can adopt new technologies, but do so with style, artistic flair, and above all, tell a brilliant story.
What Animators Need to Do
Be open to new tools
Those who combine AI tools with traditional software will harness the greatest power.
Develop taste
As AI speeds up the production chain, having inspiration, vision, and great taste will define the winners.
Gain an understanding of art history
Experience as much as possible in life. The best creative work comes from lived experience.
The Future
AI will continue causing fundamental changes in animation and entertainment. An animator's taste will become the most important factor. New roles are emerging: AI Prompt Animators, AI Asset Creators. Animators need proficiency in AI-powered tools for storyboards and previsualization.
Animation has always evolved with technology, from Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie (the first film with synchronized sound) to CGI replacing 2D blockbusters. AI is just the next chapter.
The focus should be on skills that leverage AI's strengths and compensate for its weaknesses. Human creativity, collaboration, and taste cannot be replaced by solo AI operators. The future belongs to animators who embrace AI as a tool while maintaining the collaborative, creative spirit that produces legendary work. For more on how studios are navigating this in practice, read How Can Artists Use AI Without Losing the Craft.
The winners will be those that can adopt new technologies, but do so with style, artistic flair and above all, tell a brilliant story.
Key Takeaways
- AI is a tool, not a replacement. It will change how animation is created, not eliminate the need for animators.
- Large-scale collaboration produces legendary work that single-person AI operations cannot replicate.
- Ethical frameworks around AI usage in creative work are essential and overdue.
- The most valuable skill in the AI era is taste: inspiration, vision, and artistic flair.
