What was the experience like, showing a Tom & Jerry cartoon to a grownup animator for the first time?
They were amazed. It’s a whole different approach. Their animation was under-stated. They didn’t use lip sync, for example. They relied on the audience’s animation. The American approach has been and is now—even more than ever—the goal is to make animation as close to life as possible. We’ve gotten all the way up to Avatar and now we’re practically at the end of the road. Pretty soon they’re gonna have to realize that this is not where we have to go with it. Incidentally, because I won the Oscar and have five nominations, I became a member of the Academy very early—I think in 1961. The Secret of Kells got nominated this year, and I was delighted, because that was the only film that was purely graphic art. I hate the term “2D.” That’s bullshit. They put us in that category. They say they’re making 3D. They’re not 3D. What Pixar does is not 3D because it’s shaded. The screen is flat. It’s a flat picture. It’s just an illusion. There’s only one 3D, Brian, and that’s what you’re looking at
