Pencils Vs Pixels co-directed by Bay Dariz and Phil Earnest
Pencils Vs Pixels co-directed by Bay Dariz and Phil Earnest

Strike Back Studios shared a clip from the new animation documentary hybrid “Pencils Vs Pixels” from Hideout Pictures and acclaimed animator Tom Bancroft; and narrated by Ming-Na Wen (“Mulan,” “The Book of Boba Fett”).

Co-directed by Bay Dariz (“Hypochondriac,” “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes”) and Phil Earnest, the project will make its world premiere at the acclaimed Annecy International Film Festival in their Annecy Classics Program in France June 15th with Strike Back Studios releasing the film later this fall.

Pencils Vs Pixels is an exhilarating celebration of 2D hand-drawn animation and an exploration of how the Disney renaissance of the late 1980s and early1990s led to an animation boom that was quickly upended by the computer animation revolution that followed. This incredibly complex and controversial industry change is discussed in depth, alongside the resurgence of hand-drawn animation with recent films like “Disenchanted,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “The Bob’s Burger Movie” and beloved multi-Oscar nominee “Flee.”

The production released a clip from the opening of the documentary along with a still image of the animated version of the narrator Ming-Na Wen. The documentary features interviews with industry veterans from in front of and behind the camera, including Pete Docter, Leonard Maltin, John Musker, Tony Bancroft, Jorge R. Gutiérrez, Seth MacFarlane, Glen Keane, Tina Price, Lorna Cook, Kevin Smith, and Sergio Pablos, among many others.

“Because of my 34 years in the animation industry, mostly as a Disney animator, I still meet people that ask me: ‘What ever happened to 2D animation- why did it go away? “Pencils Vs Pixels” finally answers that question” said animator and producer Tom Bancroft. He adds, “Through passionate stories by artisans that made the films that people still treasure today, this film will give viewers the never-before-told answers of what happened to the hand-drawn artistry that is 2D animation.”

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