Disney has released three new photos from their upcoming animated short Paperman, debuting in front of Wreck-It Ralph in theaters November 2. This innovative black-and film, directed by John Kahrs, blends traditional hand-drawn animation with CGI. The story centers on a man who discovers that the woman of his dreams works in the building across the street. Armed with a stack of paper, he tosses paper airplanes towards her window, in hopes of getting her attention. Take a look at these photos with the mystery woman, and read on for more details about the project from director John Kahrs and producer Kristina Reed.
Most animated productions these days are made primarily with CGI technology. The filmmaker, who served as an animator on The Incredibles and Tangled, spoke about the power of hand-drawn animation, and how it may make a comeback.
"Drawing can have a really powerful, visceral effect on the viewer. You can create anger and surprise or anguish with just a few lines of a pencil. But it can't just be the same thing it was. I think for 2-D to be revitalized, you have to figure out a way to make it new again."
Producer Kristina Reed also spoke about using this hybrid of hand-drawn and CGI animation to make a more photo-real image.
"CG has stomped to the forefront, and completely owns the space of the photo-real image and all the surrounding area around that. Paperman is, for us, a part of the larger conversation: 'How can visuals look - other than moving slowly, more and more, toward photo-real?'"