The Rise of Digital Ink and Paint Systems REVISITED (2026 Edition)+My reiteration on why I will stay with TOONBOOM for my 2D animations
A revisited take on my DIGITAL INK AND PAINT post from December 2023 but with more professionalism and less Frustrations due to no WRITERS or ACTOR'S STRIKES souring my mood and letting it linger in my soul for several months.
Digital Ink and Paint, The modern system we use nowadays.
Many of us animation fans tend to think it started back when DISNEY purchased a large backlog of P-II Image Computers from PIXAR which jumpstarted the CAPS System used from 1988 to 2006.
But the reality is that the tech goes all the way back to the 1970s.
An early version of Digital Painting goes as far back as 1972 when RICHARD SHOUP, who worked at XEROX, developed a paint system called SUPER PAINT.
This system, which was proprietary to a DATA GENERAL NOVA 800 minicomputer, was among one of the very first to be made for use in art, animation, etc.
The system was quite rudimentary.
The Interface looked hand drawn like it was made using a Graphics Tablet.
Which made sense considering the GRAPHICS TABLET that was made to work with
And because of the expense of RAM chips as well as a slow Buffer, it was just a proof of concept.
It did inspire artists and Computer enthusiasts after it's initial reveal.
There's this video made by the COMPUTER HISTORY MUSUEM and it was narrated by ALVY RAY SMITH which I'll the embedded Video for you:
Around the same time SUPERPAINT was being developed, another prototype was created by ALEXANDER SHURE at the NEW YORK INSITUTUE OF TECHNOLOGY that he called TWEEN where the artist draws a scene on the computer using completed pencil animation on paper and puts a stylus between the tablet and stylus to translate the drawings into the Computer.
In 1979, a certain computer scientist named MARC LEVOY
developed a similar system to SHURE's TWEEN software where it used a more OFF-THE-SHELF UNIX approach using whatever accessible UNIX-Based hardware was available from DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPERATION.
And not the Custom-Proprietary Hardware that systems like SUPERPAINT Used.
At first, under the encouragement of one DONALD P. GREENSBERG, He wanted to sell the system off to Disney to help facilitate the ailing FEATURE ANIMATION department that was falling apart after both WALT AND ROY'S deaths as well as the impending revolt of animators led by DON BLUTH, GARY GOLDMAN, AND JOHN POMEROY.
As well as introduce new tools that would be seen as the next revolution in the field of animation not seen since XEROGRAPHY in 1961.
However, LEVOY's tech was rejected by a handful of the then still living members of the NINE-OLD-MEN who've been with the company since the days of SNOW WHITE.
The NINE OLD MEN's arguments against the digital method was that they worried that the Computers would automate the process of animation and therefore take away their jobs.
Disgruntled and Disappointed,
LEVOY instead pitched the systems over to Hanna-Barbera.
You heard me right!
That HANNA-BARBERA
Famous for their Television Animation such as YOGI BEAR, FLINTSTONES, JETSONS, etc.
While also infamous for Cutting Corners in order to deliver their animations in an economic fashion.
Which meant limited animation as well as Outsourcing to other countries to cut down on the costs.
Despite Hanna-Barbera's animators also resisting the Digital System,
Unlike Disney, Hanna-Barbera's staff reluctantly accepted this new system as it allowed for the animators to allow for some more full animation while also lower down the labor costs.
The system that Hanna-Barbera used however is not in the same vein as today's x64 architecture uses.
Like I said, Marc Levoy's System was based on hardware catering to UNIX Users who often used DEC's VAX lineup of Minicomputer systems.
Minicomputers.
When I mean that, I really mean those Big Computers that are the size of a closet
or the size of a refrigerator
that would making wheeling the systems from room to room much easier than mainframes from the time period and earlier thanks to using wheel casters.
And rather than have the work area be almost an entire desk,
The Terminal could just by a stand-alone peripheral.
Even though the original terminals for these Mini-Computers where the Teletype and their built-in punch tape readers,
By the 70s and early 80s, the teletype had been supplanted completely by the GLASS-TYPE-TERMINAL, often manufactured by DEC.
And by then, the storage changed from Punched Paper Tape to the more malleable disk cartridge
This system was mostly used for shows such as a few episodes of
THE FLINTSTONES,
PAC-MAN,
To this day, I still can't find screenshots so I'm settling for Pac-Man's
portrait from Smash Bros Ultimate.
THE SNORKS,
THE JETSONS(1985 Revival)
& most importantly A PUP NAMED SCOOBY-DOO.
While Marc Levoy's system worked very well for Hanna-Barbera's television units, this did however mark a problem.
The system was limited to Mini-Computers which meant that it used terminals, custom boards, high res camera scanners, Quadruplex Magnetic Storage Tape, Small desk circumference sized Hard Disks, etc.
So most likely, the files were proprietary to this system and the LEVOY COMPUTERS have long since been dismantled so they weren't backed up.
And the only way to source the masters is to go through the tape masters which makes a 4K-Remastering a nightmare.
Learning from these limitations, Disney decided that under new management from Michael Eisner, Jeffery Katzenberg, and Frank Wells that they will create their own take on Hanna Barbera's ink and paint system but instead of having hardware the size of a closet or refrigerator
the system would be based on a Server & Client System of Desktop Workstations
and RAID Storage.
But who manufactured Disney's UNIX Computers?
It was a combination of 4 Manufacturers.
The First was the PIXAR IMAGE COMPUTER from PIXAR obviously,
This provided the required Imaging and CGI Hardware that met Disney's criteria.
But the IMAGE COMPUTER required a Host Workstation in order to work with Mouse and Keyboard inputs.
The workstations that Disney used for their PIXAR COMPUTERS were these three:
Sun Microsystems SUN-3,
Silicon Graphics IRIS 3100 Series of Desktop Tower Workstations,
and/or
DEC MICROVAX III Workstations.
These would eventually form what is known as the
COMPUTER ANIMATION PRODUCTION SYSTEM.
Or CAPS for short.
This was a system of Custom Desks with SGI Workstations connected to the PIXAR IMAGE COMPUTER SYSTEMS to provide the THEATRICAL WORK ENVIROMENT that Disney wanted in their films.
Here's an example of said work environment for one of their films.
This was pulled from THE SWEATBOX,
A documentary about the production of THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE.
But this post is not exclusively based on the System that DISNEY used from 1987 to 2006 as I have already made a post about this back in January 25 2025 so here's the link to that post:
So getting back into topic of the DIGITAL INK AND PAINT System....
?????
Well in my old December 2023 post, I made mention of how scared and repulsed the Mystery Gang was about the use of Computers to color the animation cels.
(Ironically using a screengrab from Season 1 of A PUP NAMED SCOOBY DOO which used Digital Ink and Paint.)
The early industry apprehension was indeed understandable.
Many studios didn't want to make the switch due to issues like:
Being too synthetic for the Artist in hand.
The other issue could be the cost of the machine required to make a high definition picture required for 35mm or 70mm filmstock because RAM back in the 80s and 90s was INSANELY EXPENSIVE, unlike today's DDR5 RAM......
If only SAM ALTMAN didn't mandate DATA CENTERS......>:(
And some animators at the time were upfront about their refusal to embrace computers for coloring their drawings.
DON BLUTH was well known for his Early Refusal to use DIGITAL INK AND PAINT tools.
After the release of ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN,
DON BLUTH refused to allow his films to be made with Computers in mind even after his former employer DISNEY released THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER.
To him, it was more important to feel the back of the acrylic paint than to take advantage of an infinite amount of colors in a UNIX System's 24bit True-Color System.
How do I know this?
He admitted it on 2 Featurettes in the ANASTASIA DVD where he states he fought against the system before he eventually conceded with the film during it's production.
Why did BLUTH concede to computers with ANASTASIA?
Because he had no choice due to cost as well as versatility.
That and he got sick of EXECUTIVES forcing him to water down his movies after the success of Disney's films since 1989.
In fact, not only did he left production of the infamous THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN but he also requested to have his name completely removed off the project.
Another animator who refused Digital Ink & Paint throughout the 90s was also JIM JINKINS, creator of DOUG on both NICKELODEON & DISNEY.
Even when the show moved to DISNEY,
JIM JINKINS absolutely refused to allow computers to be used to color the animation cels for the characters of DOUG despite the advantage of versatility.
This also applied to his other shows 101 Dalmatians & PB&J OTTER.
I'm guessing computers were used but only for editorial, animatics, and the writing but animation cels, that's where JIM drew the line one when it came to photography.
You have to understand that PLUS ONE ANIMATION still obliged to make sure DOUG did not touch a Paint Program for the animation cels because even with BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD, that show, plus the movie DO AMERICA, also didn't touch Paint Software.
So for a while during the 90s, Only DISNEY had access to Digital Technology as either the other studios couldn't afford the hardware required for feature films,
or the studios refused to make the switch until the time is right.
One of the very first films that's NOT DISNEY to finally make the 100% switch to DIGITAL INK & PAINT was AMBLIMATION's...
This 1993 film,
advertised as an adaptation of the 1988 book as well as a more family-friendly companion to the mega-popular JURRASIC PARK,
Was the first NON-DISNEY film from UNIVERSAL STUDIOS to make the commitment to DIGITAL INK & PAINT.
However, the main difference between WE'RE BACK!
vs.
DISNEY's CAPS produced films from the 90s...
is that
Unlike DISNEY's CAPS produced films which were made on PROPRIETARY Hardware & Software,
WE'RE BACK!'s Digital Ink & Paint was outsourced to another company.
Specifically
AMERICAN FILM TECHNOLOGIES.
And despite the digital look of the cels,
The presentation looks rough.
And the cels look as Filtered as the Presentation of THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER
Though RESCUERS has a more cleaner look with thinner outlines.
As for television animation,
Digital Ink & Paint was limited to mostly commercials for a while.
And Disney's Television Animated shows didn't' touch Computers for the cels probably due to the mantra that the Digital Ink and Paint tools are more suitable to Theatrical features instead of Television.
One of the very first projects to use Digital Ink & Paint outside of Disney would be actually be within Nickelodeon.....
What Nicktoon you ask?
THE REN AND STIMPY SHOW!
And what episode they started using the tech?
MAN's BEST FRIEND...... sort of.
This was the first episode from the SPUMCO studio to start using DIGITAL INK & PAINT after a test was made in the famous STIMPY'S INVENTION for just one scene.
But you all know the whole story about how NICKELODEON banned the episode for years due to the network's fierce apprehension against the GEORGE LIQUOR character.
So OUT WEST ended up being the one REN & STIMPY episode to be the first to use DIGITAL INK & PAINT.
As mentioned in the Original 2023 Post,
DOUG was one of the shows that even after it moved to DISNEY in 1996, JIM JINKINS' company JUMBO PICTURES refused to allow the show to use DIGITAL INK & PAINT tools for coloring the Cels, instead preferring if the characters go through the traditional ACRYLIC PAINT process.
Which I think may have worked too well for the 1996-1997 Season if the heavy saturation and cel drop shadows were any indication.
Only times that DOUG ever used DIGITAL INK AND PAINT was during a 1995 Fruit Rollups commercial
And the opening title sequence to DOUG'S 1ST MOVIE in 1999
and one scene where he's drawing his Junior High School.
Yes. Even when Digitally Colored just for one scene,
DOUG's still Left-Handed just as we love him.
The rest of the series and even 95% the entirety of DOUG'S 1ST MOVIE strictly prohibited the use of Computers for coloring though I have a hunch they were used for final editorial on AVID before shipping the episodes to ABC affiliates in the late 90s.
Enough talking about DOUG's refusal for Digital Paint.
What about the JAPANESE ANIME side of things?
Well it's not that the animators or the anime fans of the time would be fiercely against the use of computers for the sake of artistic aesthetics, but the real culprit behind why ANIME did not use computers for coloring until late into the 90s is because in the early 90s, JAPAN was hit with a heavy RECESSION Period which affected the cost of computers.
Because the computers required for Digital Ink and Paint cost in the hundreds of thousand US Dollars which can translate into millions in YEN in JAPAN, the costs were too much for most studios so they couldn't afford the computers required to capture the aesthetics of the animation acetate cels.
Some major attempts were made besides commercials.
One was a remake of AKIRA TORIYAMA's DR. SLUMP
Another was COWBOY BEBOP
But that was limited only to a few select scenes, often with Holograms or fast paced action due to production costs.
I could be wrong but maybe FLCL(Pronounced FOOLY COOLY) could be the first anime not based on legacy works to be produced entirely with Computer coloring
And it's always a treat to look back at these late 90s/early 2000s digital anime to see how far we've come since then.
What was only just coloring the drawings with paint tools
Nowadays, Coloring is not enough. Lights and diffusions are a requirement
So far, only the JAPANESE Side of things remained committed to keeping their Animations in 2D with their Paint software because in the NORTH AMERICAN side, Executives demand that animation has to be all CGI NO-IFS-ANDS-OR-BUTS.
A mantra that does not sit well with animation fans.
Another thing that does not sit well with animation fans is the executives continued VETO Power to make 2D Animation all PUPPET RIGGED and BEAN MOUTHY in the designs which I've seen vitriol on SOCIAL MEDIA against this design aesthetic.
No wonder why many people in my age group and younger want to ditch the AMERICAN side of Animation in favor of the JAPANESE.
There are some people, especially on Social Media, that desperately missed the era of when all 2D Animation was photographed using Cameras, Acetate, Acrylic Paint, airbrush, and plexiglass,
And they voice their fierce opposition to the digital method and wish studios would go back to the original tools.
However, that's not going to happen.
The reasons is the cost of materials.
Acetate and Animation Paper not only costs money but it also costs the amount of trees required to make the paper which doesn't sit well with environmentalists.
Second, some paints are hard to acquire to the point you are forced to mix your own paints to get the desired color you want. Fine for one Cel you make in your own time but if it was for a production?
And while you can still do all that with Digital Cameras as your Animation Camera Setup, does anybody still do that anymore?
There's a reason why the industry has long since embraced the digital tools:
You get an infinite amount of colors, all your master files are stored in your HARD DRIVES or SSDs for ease of access, and software with use of Nodes allow for effects such as masking, shadows, or even light diffusions.
Now, some software can still be pricey depending where you look at them. And some software are not as versatile as others.
For example, I use TOONBOOM HARMONY as my 2D Software of choice but some others, especially average schmucks, choose ADOBE ANIMATE because it's easiest to acquire despite ADOBE's business practices in the recent years.
The reason I need to mention that is because ANIMATE fans were in an uproar earlier in 2026 when ADOBE decided to not further update the software and people misinterpreted this as END OF LIFE for the software.
ADOBE had to reiterate that while the software won't have new features like A.I for example for the foreseeable future, the software will still be updated slightly for security patches.
I literally have not used ANIMATE since late 2020 as I've since moved on to TOONBOOM due to better versatility with the colors, nodes, etc..
Plus, it doesn't open ADOBE MEDIA ENCODER every time I export my final animations unlike what ANIMATE did, and that I can live without.
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