15 Best Animation Documentaries On The History & Process Of Animating

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The animation industry is pushing 100+ years old and information technology'south constantly growing. And there'south and then much to dearest virtually animation across the amusement.

Learning to animate is a huge undertaking that involves a lot of moving parts. Production companies oft hire hundreds of artists to help with all those animation jobs from storyboarding to background design.

Unremarkably this complex process is shrouded in Hollywood mystery, but there's one way to peek behind the curtain and learn about blitheness: with documentaries!

I've curated my top picks for the accented best animation documentaries out there. Yous'll find tons of variety from animated movies to Telly shows, from classics to modernistic-day tales of truthful animation magic.

1. The Pixar Story

Pixar first shocked the world in 1995 with its release of Toy Story. This was the biggest all-3D animated film of its day and since so Pixar has done nothing but grow.

The Pixar Story is a 2007 documentary chronicling the massive undertaking that is Pixar Animation.

It spans about 90 minutes long with rare never-before-seen footage of the coiffure including Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull and John Lasseter.

It'due south as well one of the most recent documentaries in this list so it's got some of the highest video quality you tin can find.

The interviews are phenomenal and this really takes you through the whole journey of Pixar'due south crude launch through their biggest breakthroughs and their 2006 sale to Disney.

I cannot recommend this enough to all animation lovers. Even people who prefer 2d animation(similar myself) can even so acquire a ton from this incredible moving-picture show.

Cheque out the principal site to acquire more or grab a digital copy to watch from Amazon.

2. Half dozen Days To Air

When information technology comes to longevity there aren't as well many shows chirapsia South Park's massive 2-decade run. Well, aside from our yellowish friends in Springfield.

Southward Park is such a fun prove to watch. Simply the most impressive function of Southward Park is the production where its two creators(and their team) plan, write, record voices, and animate an unabridged episode every week.

If that sounds insane information technology'due south because it is. About blithe Idiot box shows similar Family Guy or The Simpsons crave at least 5-6 months per episode.

6 Days to Air is the official S Park documentary offset recorded & released in 2011. It follows the squad through a typical season of the prove's product where they offset planning an episode on Th, work all the way through the week and need to have it over to Comedy Central by Midweek.

S Park's squad can move fast because the animation is simple and they piece of work overtime during product. Catching a glimpse of this madness is truly inspiring and horrifying at the aforementioned time.

This dr. is one of my absolute favorites and it'south something you lot'll find yourself watching many times over.

Unfortunately it'due south not released on Due south Park Studios and the just place I've seen it streaming is on Amazon.

Still it'due south a must-sentinel for whatever true primetime blitheness fan.

iii. American Feel, Walt Disney

PBS "American Experience" hosts a bunch of videos and smaller documentaries across various topics in United states history.

I beautiful animation-focused doctor is simply titled Walt Disney. The is pretty new first being released in 2022 with some incredible audio/video work.

Information technology's one of the more than detailed videos I've seen that looks into the life & times of Walt Disney.

This follows his massive ascent in popularity over the 20th century and the many films he released that changed the way animate.

In total this spans 4 hours long so it's one hell of a documentary.

Basically one of the coolest Walt Disney docs you'll find and it'south brimming full of rare footage.

And in that location's only two places I've institute to sentry information technology.

Kickoff is on the master PBS site where yous need to purchase a membership to get streaming access. This can be a cheap monthly fee and you can abolish correct abroad later watching.

Or you could grab the DVD on Amazon if you prefer to ain a copy.

Both routes work merely fine then it's really a personal preference.

If yous're serious nigh Disney and the history of animation and so at some signal y'all'll wanna make time for this 240-minute Disney documentary.

4. Foursquare Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants

It's surprisingly rare to discover documentaries on blithe TV shows. But one of the about iconic shows in the history of animation stars Nickelodeon'due south yellow sponge who'south lucky enough to have his own documentary.

Foursquare Roots: The Story of SpongeBob SquarePants is a 45 minute documentary about the full creation and production of SpongeBob.

This used to be on the VH1 website but I cannot find it streaming there anymore. Actually, I can't find this streaming anywhere!

It was originally released in 2009 as part of the First 100 Episodes box set containing all of SpongeBob flavour 1-5. The medico was more than of a bonus feature that, in my opinion, got drastically undersold.

This covers everything like interview with board artists, animation directors, background painters, voice actors and enough of content with Nick execs including Stephen Hillenburg himself.

If you tin can observe this anywhere online and so be sure to check it out.

If you tin can't detect it anywhere and so save yourself the grief and selection upwardly a re-create of the DVD prepare.

I know it seems weird to buy a whole DVD set only for the documentary. Just I've seen this so many times I've lost count and to me it'southward hands worth the price tag. SpongeBob & Nickelodeon fans will likely concord.

5. Frank and Ollie

Moving back to Disney we have this absurd 1995 documentary nigh two of Disney's original Nine Old Men .

It's called Frank and Ollie which follows the life of Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. These are two of Disney'south oldest animators and at the time of filming they still appear quite chipper!

All of the nine onetime men accept long since passed just Ollie lived the longest from 1912 up until 2008(that's 96 years onetime!)

I really enjoyed this doc more for the background into old school 2D animation techniques.

You won't learn much about modern animation from this documentary. And then actually, it's not for everyone.

Simply if you're a fan of Disney Animation Studios or only a fan of Hollywood history this is well worth grabbing.

6. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

Far from Hollywood across the Pacific Bounding main sits the land of the rise sun with its wildly popular Studio Ghibli blitheness studio.

This studio has published some of the about iconic works in Japanese animation, many of which came from chief animator & managing director Hayao Miyazaki.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness is a 2013 documentary released but in Japan. This follows a behind-the-scenes look at Studio Ghibli with intimate details on their animation process.

Thankfully it was ported to the English language-speaking earth—with English subtitles.

I'll admit, this tin can brand information technology difficult to watch if you lot're not used to videos with subtitles. It'southward a lengthy two-hr documentary so there'southward a lot to take in.

Just if y'all're a Miyazaki fan or just a faithful anime lover then you'll really enjoy this. True fans will basically fall in beloved with this!

I've yet to discover it on any major streaming service as well Amazon but at least with them you get it totally advertizing-complimentary.

7. Ed, Edd N Eddy Backside the Scenes

Now here's a really obscure documentary focusing on the 1999 cartoon Ed, Edd n Eddy.

This was Drawing Network'south longest-running original series spanning a decade from 1999-2009 until Take chances Fourth dimension claimed that trophy.

But the Eds are an iconic function of Boob tube animation history and this documentary is perhaps the best wait you'll e'er get into A.k.a. Cartoon.

Creator Danny Antonucci shares plenty of tips for animators along with a detailed process of the show'due south development. Near episodes start with a script, then move to boarding where jokes & visual gags are added.

Danny checks these boards until the episode gets his stamp of approving to send overseas for animating.

If you loved this show as a kid y'all'll be floored past this documentary. Information technology's a quick watch likewise(about 30 minutes) and so I call back anyone with a passion for animation would really savor this.

8. The Sweatbox

I'm non sure why this 2002 documentary is so unknown just it'south one of the roughest and near brutally honest videos in the animation globe.

The Sweatbox follows the gruesome trials & tribulations that arose from the creation of Disney'south early on 2000s flick The Emperor's New Groove.

It's a gritty doc without whatsoever hi-def video or audio.

Merely it's definitely watchable and should keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

Last I checked the full moving picture is bachelor on Annal.org for complimentary so hopefully it stays up there under its CC iii.0 license.

ix. The Manus Behind The Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story

Disney paved the mode for modern blitheness so it should be no surprise that and so many documentaries follow his works.

But this documentary actually follows i of Disney's animators Ub Iwerks, the original creator of Mickey Mouse.

This full medico was first created in 1999 and it's ane of the best for going behind the scenes at Walt Disney.

Very few people fifty-fifty know about Ub Iwerks which just goes to show how murky the blitheness industry has been with promoting their hardest-working artists.

If you want a beautiful ninety-infinitesimal detailed view of a top Disney animator and so requite this flick a chance.

Y'all can also check out a small preview on Amazon just to see what it's like.

10. Where No One Goes: The Making of How to Railroad train Your Dragon 2

I all the same have no thought why this documentary is so hard to find. It was an official doc from Pixar yet this has basically been wiped off the face of the earth.

I swear Pixar really did create this documentary offer a deeper look into the making of How To Train Your Dragon ii.

It was originally hosted on this folio which now merely shows upwards blank. If yous're lucky you lot might detect some copies in Google but many of them are simply smaller clips.

With a release of 2014 this is one of the newest movies to characteristic a behind-the-scenes documentary. Then if you honey the animation manufacture and even want to phone call entertainment art your fulltime career then I actually suggest trying to observe a copy of this doc.

Edit: after some research it looks like this documentary(or something very like) tin can be found every bit a special feature on the Blu-ray version. It may as well be on the DVD likewise.

Many people are maxim at that place's an hour-long backside the scenes feature as an extra if you purchase the picture show and so this may be the aforementioned documentary. I don't have the DVD or Blu-Ray then I tin't say for certain. May be worth looking into!

11. Chuck Jones Extremes and In-Betweens – A Life in Animation

Blitheness manager Chuck Jones shaped and then many of the classic cartoons we know & love.

He truly is a legend of the Looney Tunes era working on the best cartoons with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Roadrunner & so many other iconic characters.

This Chuck Jones documentary is pretty short but besides packed with great info. Nearly of the videos are spliced with rare never-before-seen footage of the WB animation lot.

And at that place's plenty of commentary from modern animators along with studio executives who share their thoughts on Chuck's work.

This first came out in 2002 but it's tough to find online.

If you search effectually you may discover a copy on YouTube but the surefire fashion to grab a re-create is through Amazon.

12. Imagining Zootopia

Walt Disney's Zootopia was outset released in 2022 to widespread praise.

It has since gained a cult post-obit and even got its own documentary "Imagining Zootopia".

This offers a behind-the-scenes look at all the work involved in modern 3D animation. You'll hear from many different artists who specialize in character pattern, vis dev, and 3D modeling to create what you eventually see on the screen.

I'd say this video is a huge eye-opener for anyone who wants to piece of work in animation as a career.

The best way to nab a copy is through Amazon or on iTunes.

And considering all the older blitheness documentaries I'm thrilled to run into this covering such a newer film.

13. Dream On Silly Dreamer

Walt Disney Studios saw a massive resurgence from the 1980s up to the early on 2000s. In that location was a driblet in quality after Walt died and that slump stuck with the company for years.

But their upswing is i of the virtually memorable in amusement history featuring amazing films like Aladdin, Panthera leo Male monarch, Hercules, and Fiddling Mermaid.

Dream On Airheaded Dreamer is a 2006 documentary that covers all of Walt Disney Animation's growth upwards to that point. It starts dorsum in the '80s and shows how the company started producing massive hits one after another.

You'll observe plenty of smashing interviews with lead animators, directors, inkers, and background painters who share their thoughts on the gold era.

I'd draw this documentary equally honest and true-to-life of what the company went through in those 2 decades from 1985-2005.

You can learn more about the film on the main website or grab a copy of the director's cut from Amazon.

14. Waking Sleeping Beauty

Waking Sleeping Dazzler also follows the biggest resurgence of Walt Disney'due south Animation Studios.

This md totals 90 minutes long and it's one of the few documentaries published in recent times(2010) detailing what it used to be like in the studios.

Strangely this documentary feels almost similar a fourth dimension sheathing rather than a planned moving picture. It doesn't take any on-screen interviews at all, instead opting for classic footage from Disney'southward golden years.

It outset debuted at the Telluride Film Festival in 2009 and was released to the public in 2010.

Whatever true blitheness lover will admire this documentary. Information technology'south got so much rare footage and it really takes yous back to the quondam school days of 2d animation.

15. I Know That Voice

To wrap the list I wanna share a documentary that'southward not super animation-focused, simply definitely covers a slice of the animation world.

I Know That Voice tells the ofttimes untold story of voice actors who speak your favorite blithe characters to life.

Some of the near infamous voice actors are featured in this doc include Tom Kenney, Yeardley Smith, John DiMaggio, and Billy West(among dozens of others).

Anyone who truly loves animation will be in their glory over this documentary.

The video is high quality with 720p/1080p HD options for viewing in how-do-you-do-def. Not to mention you get a full 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes recordings and interviews with some of the most prolific vocalisation actors of our day.

Exist sure to give this a chance if y'all're a fan of animation. Especially if you want to create your ain cartoons just to get a improve idea of how vocalization acting works.

Not to mention some of the clips in this movie are wildly funny and will proceed y'all brimming ear to ear long after it's over.

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Source: https://conceptartempire.com/animation-documentaries/

15 Best Animation Documentaries On The History & Process Of Animating