Animation software used by the likes of Studio Ghibli, the legendary studio behind animated movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke, is set to become available for free before the end of the month.
A free version of Toonz will be available on March 26th, the company has announced in an official statement, presenting a major opportunity for would-be animators to begin honing their craft. The news comes after Toonz was purchased by Japanese company Dwango from its previous owners Digital Video, with Dwango now publishing and developing an open source version of the software. Dubbed Toonz Ghibli Edition, this version will include features developed by the Japanese animation studio.
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With animation software typically being expensive to purchase, it has been difficult for budding animators to get their hands on these tools without it costing them an arm and a leg. While Toonz will still offer a premium service for those who want the additional features it provides, this free edition will open the doors to many artists who have been unable to afford programs such as the ones sold by Flash and Toon Boom.
Atsushi Okui, the Executive Imaging Director at Studio Ghibli, said of this new development: “During the production of ‘Princess Mononoke’ in 1995, we needed a software enabling us to create a certain section of the animation digitally. We checked for what was available at that time and chose ‘Toonz’. Our requirement was that in order to continue producing theatre-quality animation without additional stress, the software must have the ability to combine the hand-drawn animation with the digitally painted ones seamlessly. From then onwards we continued to use the software while going through major updates to make it easier for us to use.
“We are happy to hear that this open source version contains the Ghibli Edition. We hope that many people inside and outside of the animation industry will utilize this software for their work. We would like to extend our gratitude to the staff of Digital Video.”
Animation previously used to be a big hit on YouTube, with many amateur artists eventually forging lucrative careers out of posting their work to the video-sharing site. However, with YouTube paying out more money to channels that upload frequently and post lengthier videos, animation has proven to be cost-ineffective given that these videos will typically draw in less revenue than Let’s Play videos or other such content that takes significantly less time to produce.
However, with the cost of entry now eradicated for prospective animators, hopefully this will convince more people to give it a shot. You can download the free version of the software on March 26th from its official website.
