ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at how some of independent animations best and brightest have soldiered through, whether going it alone, deals with creative concessions, managing teams, or being literally separated from their codirector by the ocean. With the advent of Pixar features and the rise of computer-generated processes ousting stop-motion, animatronics, and similarly practical processes from the world of visual effects around that time, it most likely seemed a reasonable theory that within 5 years, the medium would have died off altogether. Mainstream television shows and features are still proving lucrative and critically successful, competing for Academy Awards alongside their digitally animated brethren. For many younger animators presently working in the industry, an era in which digital processes take care of the areas of production that would have proved physically or financially challenging is all they have ever known. Moving forward while having the wisdom of hindsight is doubtless the best option for filmmakers eager to continue to produce new work.
