Brittany
There are a number of 2D animated videos that capture my attention while I am browsing a web site. It’s not because they’re so loud. It’s not because they’re trendy. These pieces capture my attention due to the craftmanship (the decisions) that went into making them.
Examples are important when trying to select a 2D animation direction for a brand, product, or cause. They allow you to visually identify what you actually liked about a specific type of animation style. In addition, examples allow you to clearly direct an animator with specifics such as a description of an animation style as opposed to just saying something like “cool”, “clean”, etc.
This post will be reviewing some 2D animation pieces which appeared on various animation blogs in 2024 and 2025. I will also review the style(s) used in each piece, the creative choices made within the piece, and potential ideas you could draw from each piece for your own projects.
Before I decided whether a 2D piece is worthy of use as an example, I followed the below:
• A clear concept first. Visual elements supporting the point being made, and vice versa.
• Consistent design choices (line weight, texture, timing, camera movement).
• Staging which can be read easily. Action can still be interesting even if the sound is turned off.
• Intentionally placed motion. Eases, holds, and overshoots have all been considered.
I’d suggest when you go through each of the pieces listed below, ask yourself one thing. Would the piece still communicate if you took away the colors and the sounds?
Style 1: Hand-drawn frame-by-frame 2D
Hand-drawn is the most effective way to have the artist’s personality. Frame-by-frame is a type of animation that hardly allows shortcuts. I prefer using this style when performance is important, when the line needs to be able to “breathe,” or when I want the audience to feel the artist who made the film. It is quite costly to achieve by the way.
Example: Lark in a Sky Shop (Marie Lavis)
Motionographer published this music video which is made by a talented 2D animation service provider. It is a hand-drawn 2D musical. Definitely a good example of restraint and tension. The drawings convey emotion without over-animating everything.
[Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUM0-qSrRYk]
For your own project, what to steal:
• Do not animate too much. Use strong key poses instead. Busy motion is difficult to follow for most audiences.
• A little bit of wobble in your lines is good. That makes them seem like they were drawn by a person.
• Only add post effects if they enhance the beat, do not add them everywhere. Less is more!
Example: Oren’s Way (Greyscale Animation, Keika Lee)
The Cartoon Brew list of Oscar contenders was a great resource for current 2D filmmaking. Oren’s Way is an example of a recent 2D animated film where the emotion of the film is delivered through staging and timing rather than the amount of visual detail.
[Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQqI1HgAj_w]
For your own project, what to steal:
• Take the time to stage and hold moments. This allows the audience to feel the moment as well.
• Supportive backgrounds are better. Only add detail to the background areas that your characters interact with.
• The jump cuts should be in sync with the story rhythm. The edit is a form of animation.
Example: A Bear Named Wojtek (Iain Gardner)
The Cartoon Brew article features hand-drawn 2D animation that relies on clearness and a strong story. This is a reminder that you do not have to have many techniques to deliver impact, you just have to have some kind of discipline.
[Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jd901hoWWc]
For your own assignment, what to steal:
• Maintain legible silhouette designs for your characters. You should be able to read their shape quickly.
• Use limited colors to control the mood and reserve contrast for your main story beats.
• Do not move the camera unless it adds meaning to your animation.
Style 2: Rig-based 2D for series and branded storytelling
Rig-based 2D is where production requirements and creative design come together. In order to achieve consistency, speed, and reuse, you sacrifice some of the spontaneous line energy that comes with drawing directly onto paper. It is ideal for episodic storytelling, branding, and all forms of long-form storytelling that require multiple deliveries.
Example: The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball intro sequence (Jack Sachs + Studio Soi)
This is a master class in art direction and mixed media created specifically for a mass market audience. It’s Nice That examines how Jack Sachs developed the new intro sequence and how Studio Soi handled the animation.
[Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhvCZc3R5Do&t]
For your own assignment, what to steal:
• Develop your asset library early on. Consistency will help keep the look cohesive under pressure.
• Choose a typographic strategy that is specific to the world you are creating, not something you are adding after the fact.
• Add texture and ‘tactile’ imperfections to the image on purpose, not as a filter.
Example: Behavey Gravy (Kyle Platts)
It’s Nice That premiered this 2D animated short and the tone of the film is the lesson. It uses character acting and comedic timing to push the boundaries of what can be achieved without the need for heavy renderings.
Credit: Kyle Platts
For your own assignment, what to steal:
• Write the performance first and then create the shapes that will deliver that performance.
• Keep your rigs simple. Excessive complexity will fight speed and will likely appear stiff.
• Plan out your “hero shots” and allow the remainder of the animation to be less complex and quicker.
Style 3: Cut-out and paper-led animation with modern polish
Paper-Craft animation has evolved from being made on an old computer or hand-drawn into something that looks and feels modern; because of recent use of digital compositing and stop-motion techniques, paper-craft now looks “hand-made” again.
Example: PRIME (Shotaro Kitada & Hoji Tsuchiya for Tomoaki Baba)
PRIME was featured on Motionographer, which praised Tsuchiya’s paper-cut stop-motion background. Tsuchiya uses paper as both texture and structural elements of his stop motion film. He uses strong cuts to keep the animation feeling sharp.
How to Steal This for Your Own Brief:
1. Treat paper as an actual product choice, do not hide the shadow lines or edges of the paper.
2. Create fewer elements than you would for 3D animation, but make sure each element can be reused through all the shots.
3. Composit to enhance the continuity of your animation, but do not use compositing to remove the handmade quality.
Example: Burberry Winter 2025 Teaser stitched teasers (Blinkink – directed by Daniel Quirke)
While this example is not typical of 2D animation, it works using the same principles of frame-by-frame craftsmanship. It’s Nice That explains how Blinkink used stop-motion to stitch together 120 frames to create Burberry’s animated knight logo teaser.
[Video Link: https://vimeo.com/1060126352]
How to Steal This for Your Own Brief:
1. Pick one material and commit to it. Commitment will sell the concept.
2. Design shapes for readability at lower resolutions. If too many stitches are in an image, the shape will get mushy.
3. Allow enough budget for aligning fixes. Every handmade frame will require some form of registration work.
Style 4: Motion-graphics 2D for product and brand clarity
I tend to end up at this point when a client or potential client lets me know that what they are looking for is a clear story delivered as quickly as possible. With motion graphics in 2D, you have complete control of how fast or slow the pace of your project will be, as well as the hierarchy of information being communicated and ultimately the message(s) that you want to convey. This is also an area where clients see value quickly, because each individual frame of the project can be doing something and/or communicating something.
Example: Flamingo in the Garden (collaborative short with 100+ women animators)
Motionographer recently posted about a very bold animated short film that was created by a large collaborative pipeline. Even though the overall theme of your project may differ from theirs; their overall process is still relevant and applicable in terms of working with a large number of people, while maintaining a cohesive and consistent visual language.
What to steal for your own brief:
• Develop an easily understood style bible. Define how all lines will be drawn, colors used and what motion will look like.
• Build modular scenes. Give artists creative control over their shots while still maintaining continuity.
• Have a consistent method of compositing. Compositing is the “glue” that keeps a multi-artist animation together.
Example: Breachbunny “SH!!T HAPPENS. GET COVERED.” (Picnic Studio + Adouken)
This 2025 brand film was showcased by Motionographer and its credits section is essentially a micro-case study on modern 2D animation. The film combines 2D anime-style animation with motion graphic elements and quick visual changes (i.e., from one animation style to another), yet still maintains a connected brand identity.
Identify what you want to take from those references for your own brief:
• Choose one “Homely” style/look for the brand and deliberately break it to create the punchline (the joke).
• To keep a chaotic scene readable use high contrast staging. This will keep the reader reading.
• Treat sound as an element of the animation; this is where the animation can sell speed, impact and transition.
The Last Question To Keep Honest.
If I could take away anything that is in my animation (the style or the story), which one do I have to leave behind? The Style or the Story.
If your answer is the Story, then you’re really just buying Decorations. If your answer is the Style, then you are thinking as a Producer; That’s where Good Animation begins. Style is just a medium, what attracts the audience the most is the substance that comes with it.
