Walt Disney Animation Studios may bring back 2D animation among experimentation with different styles.
- Will We See Disney 2D Animation Again?
- Disney Animation Will Continue to Surprise
- The Possibility of Disney 2D Annimation in the Future
- What’s Next for Disney Animation?
- More About Disney 2D Animation
Will We See Disney 2D Animation Again?
Chief Creative Officer Jared Bush discussed animation styles in an interview with TheWrap at Annecy International Animation Film Festival. He repeated comments he had made to Variety about needing a “deep narrative reason” to switch animation styles, as well as keeping familiar character designs consistent for sequels.
Disney Animation Will Continue to Surprise
“I think continuing to surprise is important,” Bush told TheWrap. He pointed to Disney’s 100-year legacy of animation, including revolutionary strides in the medium, adding, “Some of our characters, even in stories that are continuation stories, have to sit within that legacy – and that’s something other studios don’t need to worry about.”
Discussing some recent films, he said “Encanto” had a “vastly different art style” at one point, but they decided to go for a more traditional art style because it would better fit with audience expectations of a Disney musical.
That said, Bush “would love” to make “a visual shift.”
“You’re going to see some thing in ‘Zootopia 2’ that pushes into some of that, actually,” he said, referencing the film’s use of the new Presto system. “But the biggest question is, why? You can’t just do it to do it.”
Addressing the stylistic “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” Bush said many wanted to copy the film’s style “as opposed to take the lesson, which is, they were bold and made a choice. And that was something very special but deeply tied to comic books. It wasn’t just, we want to do this stuff. It was deeply rooted in the world of comic book language.”
“As we’re stepping forward and wanting to continue to push those boundaries, is that organic to what this movie is?” he continued. “If [the audience feels] they’re just getting different for different sake, versus it’s a filmmaker’s vision or that story needs to be another step, that’s critical.”
The Possibility of Disney 2D Annimation in the Future
Bush brought famous Disney animator Ron Clements out of retirement to mentor young animators. Clements was a key player in the Disney Renaissance, which used Disney’s classic 2D animation style for films like “The Little Mermaid.” But Disney hasn’t released a fully hand-drawn Disney animated film since “Winnie the Pooh” (2011).
TheWrap asked about 2D potentially returning to Disney, and he said with a wink, “I love 2D. Right now we have 2D artists who are doing some bonkers amazing things. I’ll leave it at that.”
What’s Next for Disney Animation?
Bush became CCO last year, replacing Jennifer Lee, who remains at the studio focused on her work with “Frozen 3” and “Frozen 4.”
Bush co-wrote and co-directed “Zootopia,” wrote “Moana” and co-wrote its sequel, and co-wrote and directed “Encanto.” He wrote and is co-directing “Zootopia 2,” which comes out on November 26, 2025. He was originally going to direct the film solo, but brought in Byron Howard (who co-directed the first film) to help after his promotion to CCO.
Bush admitted to TheWrap that he was worried about stepping into the chief officer position at Walt Disney Animation Studios. “I love writing and directing. For me, thinking about, OK, that creative outlet is so important to me. Would I feel the same way in that new role? And to be honest, I don’t know yet.”
“It’s been really exciting to start to work with those teams,” he said. “And thinking about it as I’m not in the weeds with everybody, but I’m able to come in with an objective viewpoint. But also I think I’m in this job of transporting audiences somewhere – immersive worlds, characters that you fall in love with, more entertainment-forward [films], is something I really care about. In this new role, that’s been really fun for me to look at a project and say, ‘Man, this feels great, how about a tweak here, or tweak here,’ or encouraging teams that are already great at that to just follow that instinct.”
Bush has made it a priority to tell stories from diverse, young filmmakers. He revealed at Annecy that the studio’s 2026 film will be an original story from a new filmmaker. It has the release date of November 25, 2026, but no other details are public.
“It’s really critical that life experiences find their way into the story. I think it’s really important to continue to do that no matter what it is, because our movies have to be global and reach a global audience,” Bush told TheWrap. “That’s a lot of different types of people, so having different types of people lead those stories is crucial.”
Bush called himself “a planner” and said he is working on a “10-year slate, because it takes so long to make our movies.” For him, part of the fun is “hearing the nugget of an idea” and then asking, “Can this hold a giant movie?”
“Our movies have to be giant movies,” he explained. “That’s the kind of movies I love. I want to go and eat a giant bucket of popcorn and be entertained. And I want to go through all the emotions. I want to feel a deep connection. I want to cry, I want to laugh, I want to be excited. And not all premises can hold all of those elements. I feel like my biggest and most important job right now is to identify those things early, to find filmmakers that that’s their natural inclination, so they’re not fighting their own movie. And then looking at the health of the studio moving forward, and making sure that everyone at Disney Animation is on board for that ride.”
Pixar announced an original film “Gatto” at Annecy ahead of their release of “Elio.”
More About Disney 2D Animation
Does Disney still have 2D animators?
Disney dismantled most of its 2D infrastructure after 2103. However Disney still has a small group of 2D animators that it uses for shorts and Disney+ series like Tiana.
When did Disney go from 2D to 3D?
The very first Disney Digital 3D movie was Chicken Little, which was released in 2005.
What was the last 2D animated Disney movie?
Disney is known for its classic 2D animated movies like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. Disney’s last 2D animated movies were The Princess & The Frog in 2009 and Whinnie the Pooh in 2011.
Why did Disney abandon 2D animation?
In March of 2013, CEO Bob Iger announced there were no Disney 2D Annimation features left in development. A month later, its hand drawn division was mostly dismantled as many veterans were let go. Traditional animation had become too costly to produce.
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