3D animation and 2D animation both have places in our hearts. Cartoons and movies use both, but which do you think is better? 2D is used in various cartoons, anime, and films. 3D animation is used in many video games, films and some cartoons. While both are artistic forms of animation, they aren’t the same in the least. 2D has had the most success with anime, as most 3D animated animes weren’t as successful as their 2D predecessors, causing 3D not to overtake 2D. Where 3D did prevail was in the gaming industry, where most games released are all 3D animated in one way or another like Call of Duty.

While 2D games exist, they aren’t as majorly popular anymore, except for some exceptions. For example, Undertale and Cuphead are exceptions. Most of the time though, they aren’t as successful, an example being Castlevania. It wasn’t successful at all and so it bombed, despite the pretty good reviews. It did get more success with later games, but to me it shows how even if a 2D game is a masterpiece, it won’t matter if it doesn’t get the right audience.

3D however has had some majorly popular games, like the overarching franchise Halo. Halo has often been a major part of most starting gamers’ childhoods, most of the time being the first game they played. Halo has sold over 81 million copies overall, while indie game Undertale only has 3.1 million copies sold, even with it being a great game. However, sales can’t objectively say which is better, just which sells more.

The average cost for a 3D animation per minute is between $5,000 and $10,000 for little complexity. That’s pretty steep, but how much is 2D per minute? On average, it ends up costing between $2,000 and $25,000, depending on the complexity. These prices matter a lot as 2d animation is clearly less expensive. You can get more complexity in 2D for less cash compared to 3D, where even simple animations will cost you a pretty penny.

We have to look even further to see which is better artistically though. 3D has more depth in the literal sense with shadows, lighting, and perspective. You can attain more realism in 3D animation than you can in 2D. 2D might be limited, but it isn’t confined by how complicated 3D animation is. 3D animation needs a program to even start to learn it. A program doesn’t limit 2D animation, as it can be learned on a simple piece of paper if needed. If I had to say which is better, I don’t think I could. It all depends on what the animation is being used for. if it’s for a game, I’d say 3D is objectively better in my opinion. If it’s for a film, I like 2D better. In the end, I hope that with this information you can form your own opinion on whether 2D animation or 3D animation is better, because there is no true answer.