Understanding Animation Genres and Styles

 

Understanding Animation Genres and Styles

After watching different short films for inspiration, I wanted to research the genres and styles used in animation. I realised that before starting my own film, I need to know what kind of story I’m telling and which style will work best for it.

I began by looking at common short film genres: comedy, fantasy, slice-of-life, and experimental. Comedy shorts often rely on exaggerated motion and timing for humour. Fantasy uses imaginative characters and worlds, while slice-of-life focuses on everyday moments told in a creative way.

I also compared animation styles. 3D animation (like Pixar) is impressive but requires complex software and rendering, which isn’t realistic for my project. Stop-motion looks great but takes too much time and resources. Which obviously leaves me with 2D animation, which I can create in Clip Studio Paint.

                                                       (All these short films can be found on Youtube)

Within 2D, I noticed two main approaches: detailed art with shading and backgrounds, or minimalist styles that focus on movement and expression. For a student project, a simpler style seems more manageable, while still giving me room to be creative.

This research made me realise that my film will likely fit into the slice-of-life or fantasy genre, since both work well in short formats and don’t require complicated storytelling. I also decided to stick with a 2D, hand-drawn style because it matches the tools I have and fits the time limit.

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