MLP should stop using flash!

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,853]

I'm probably the only person who thinks this, but I hate flash animation. I've seen my favorite show, Arthur ruined by flash animation and so I would do anything for the next gen to go back to hand drawn animation. What do you think?

[Moonlight 7,279]

Nah, MLP is fine the way it is now. Flash can be used both good and badly, depending on the show itself and its quality. I prefer flash for a show like MLP since it looks smoother and cleaner. If it's not broken, don't try to "fix" it. You're perfectly entitled to your opinion though, of course, these were just my personal thoughts. 

[~Silver Essence~ 2,622]

Flash animation is very great, if not, better, at least from CGI.

 

Flash isn't for every cartoon, but it works well for the most part, especially since it has improved over the years.

[Philosoft 32]

Flash is just a tool there is nothing wrong with the flash itself. The animation in the end is the result of the skills of the animator. There is actually a lot of stuff that flash can do that Cell animation "hand drawn animation" cant do quickly or at all.

[Floris 287]

It all depends on how it is executed.

[Philosoft 32]

Flash is just a tool there is nothing wrong with the flash itself. The animation in the end is the result of the skills of the animator. There is actually a lot of stuff that flash can do that Cell animation "hand drawn animation" cant do quickly or at all.

 

 

It all depends on how it is executed.

Pretty much that in a nutshell.

[lardbobobo 1,591]

@, now personall I agree with you on Hand Drawn being better than Flash, but that's more so of an opinion. What the pony team does with Flash is actually really damned nice compared to most shows that are done with flash. Now in all brutal honesty I've never seen an episode of Arthur once in my life (yeah I know I had a poor childhood huurrghhh) but the thing with flash is that if they still put the same amount of effort they do in traditional animation it will look just as good if not better as things are just easier to do digitally.

And before someone says that "OMG DIGITAL WILL NEVER LOOK AS GOOD AS TRADITIONAL YOU CAN'T EVER MAKE IT LOOK AS GOOD" this was all done digitally with flash and photoshop and everyone I've shown this to thought it was traditionally done.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,853]

Flash works very well when you're animating not very realistic toons. But I say again watch s16 of Arthur and the flash just ruins it! They walk around as if they're made of cardboard!

[Scootaloodle 1,621]

As for the next gen I don’t mind either way, but for this gen I’m used to it as flash and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, as I recall Rainbow Dash saying “don’t mess with success right?”

[lardbobobo 1,591]

@, lol that's because they got lazy. You can animate realistic looking things in flash, you just gotta put the effort into it.

[Moved to Elsewhere 11,329]

Just because that show switched to flash animation, doesn't mean mlp should, especially since fim has always been in flash. Arthur I can kind of understand but not this. Also mlp is one of the few cartoons that looks good in flash.

[UserNotFound 964]

Flash works very well when you're animating not very realistic toons. But I say again watch s16 of Arthur and the flash just ruins it! They walk around as if they're made of cardboard!

What's realistic about pastel ponies and anthropomorphic aardvarks?

[Mlpfan185 1,763]

Something was here. Something was here. Something was here. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by NONAME

[Philosoft 32]

Flash is just a tool there is nothing wrong with the flash itself. The animation in the end is the result of the skills of the animator. There is actually a lot of stuff that flash can do that Cell animation "hand drawn animation" cant do quickly or at all.

There is a technique that cell animators "hand drawn animators" use to add depth in a cartoon what they do is to layer 3 to 4 different panels in a row feet away from each other and take pictures. This takes sooooo much time and money to do this if you stick to this and can be very tricky, usually people take a lot of pictures and move the panels again and do it again to get only 5 to 10 seconds of animation.

 

Flash makes it a lot easier and quicker to make this effect and really makes a lot of difference in art in a good way in the end.

 

If you watch MLP a lot and look hard, you can se this effect being done a lot to make the world look bigger and more dynamic. Cell animation "hand drawn animation" techniques would of been impossible to do over and over again like MLP wants to do.

 

To really see this effect make a real impressive  show from flash animation, look up the MLP episode "Putting your Hoof Down" around the end there is a short moment in Fluttershy's cottege that this happens when she is tied up.

As an animator, I can say this is simply nonsense. It comes down to how much work you are willing to put into a project. If you wanted to, you could perform traditional animation in flash. If they are using shortcuts, it is to make deadlines, and keep production cost down. Would you like to see the time it takes to make an episode tripled? Quadrupled?

 

For example, I despise 3D animation. Yes, Invader Zim pulled of a hybrid quite nicely. One last note, this, is not possible (or at least is VERY difficult) in traditional 2D animation:

 

 

Oh, and forget about all those background ponies moving, and keeping the scene alive. Just a couple of fore-characters is difficult enough in traditional.

 

 

There is a technique that cell animators "hand drawn animators" use to add depth in a cartoon what they do is to layer 3 to 4 different panels in a row feet away from each other and take pictures. This takes sooooo much time and money to do this if you stick to this and can be very tricky, usually people take a lot of pictures and move the panels again and do it again to get only 5 to 10 seconds of animation.

 

Flash makes it a lot easier and quicker to make this effect and really makes a lot of difference in art in a good way in the end.

 

If you watch MLP a lot and look hard, you can se this effect being done a lot to make the world look bigger and more dynamic. Cell animation "hand drawn animation" techniques would of been impossible to do over and over again like MLP wants to do.

 

To really see this effect make a real impressive  show from flash animation, look up the MLP episode "Putting your Hoof Down" around the end there is a short moment in Fluttershy's cottege that this happens when she is tied up.

You beat me to it, and that video sums up what I wanted to say.

[PinkiePieJr 122]

I do enjoy classic animation, but it has been provin in statistics, that the animation of MLP:FiM, is in fact a major reason why so many watch the show (characters are number one if wondering). So with that in mind, I don't think Hasbro will change that. I highly dought there will be a 5th generation, because why fix what isn't broken.

[Red Diamond 549]

Adobe Flash is one of the greatest animation tools ever, their animation is the one of the best of the show. Lurk moar.

[lomk 20,663]

I don't know why you wouldn't want this show to remain in flash. Sure, Arthur may have been ruined by flash for you (I haven't watched Arthur since I was, like, 14) but MLP has always been in flash. And they've done some amazing things in flash much like the video posted here by showed. That scene with Fluttershy is beautifully done. And in the end that's what it comes down to. MLP is an example of how good flash can be. Sure it sounds cheap, but it's something that has worked for them thus far and I don't want them to change what they've been doing because the show's animation is beautiful

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,853]

What's realistic about pastel ponies and anthropomorphic aardvarks?

Okay, apart from the fact that Arthur's an aardvark, it's totally realistic. No magic, no evil doer's, just kids having fun in a average American city. Plus it's got an MLP parody!

[Page.Turner 940]

Taking a flash animated cartoon and suddenly making it traditional animation is just the same as "ruining" a traditional cartoon by suddenly making it computer animation.

[Philosoft 32]

Well Thomas Rampling123 what do you think about the idea of flash now? Me, Space Woonda, and Detective Butler (and his video) pretty much gave you some good points to the topic, what do you think?

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,853]

Well Thomas Rampling123 what do you think about the idea of flash now? Me, Space Woonda, and Detective Butler (and his video) pretty much gave you some good points to the topic, what do you think?

Sorry, even though FIM does look good, my opinions will always be based on Arthur. Unlike Bronies, I grew up with Arthur, have EVERY episode saved to a hard drive and it upsets me to see it desecrated by a cheap animation method.

[UserNotFound 964]

Okay, apart from the fact that Arthur's an aardvark, it's totally realistic. No magic, no evil doer's, just kids having fun in a average American city. Plus it's got an MLP parody!

That doesn't answer what's realistic about pastel ponies who can fly and do magic...

 

And my guess is flash isn't cheap... Have you seen the price of the software? Plus there's all the power bills that go into it... It may not be a traditional art form but it is still time consuming and takes lots of talent to get right... Now the people who work on Arthur with flash probably do a decent job... But because you're used to hand drawn Arthur it feels odd to you... For all of us who are used to MLP being flash animated... Converting it to hand drawn would feel odd...

Edited February 26, 2014 by JellyBean

[Cyan Blue 946]

I'm probably the only person who thinks this, but I hate flash animation. I've seen my favorite show, Arthur ruined by flash animation and so I would do anything for the next gen to go back to hand drawn animation. What do you think?

Wait, Arthur? What? Why Arthur?

 

But, as long as the animation is good. I couldn't care less.

[Jammo 986]

Hand drawn animation might give the show a vibe more similar to the IDW comics. There are strengths and weaknesses to this. Bodies can be less rigidly defined and geometric using the hand-drawn method, but I don't think this show would retain it's clean smooth feeling if they did.

 

I'd keep the Flash. Flash has evolved a lot since cheesy animutations on albinoblacksheep.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

Sorry, even though FIM does look good, my opinions will always be based on Arthur. Unlike Bronies, I grew up with Arthur, have EVERY episode saved to a hard drive and it upsets me to see it desecrated by a cheap animation method.

So how do you feel about Flash in shows that are not Arthur?