Latest trends in the AI animation industry
Explosive growth in the AI animation market
The first thing that's surprising is the speed at which the AI animation market is growing. According to a report by a market research company, the market, which was worth about $1.3 billion (about 200 billion yen in Japanese yen) worldwide in 2023, is predicted to reach $13,386.5 million (over 2 trillion yen!) in 2030 [1] [2]. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR, roughly speaking, the annual growth rate) is an astonishing 40.3%, and it is growing rapidly [1].
Looking at it by region, North America, which has advanced technology, is currently leading the market, but the Asia-Pacific region, especially Japan, China, and Korea, is also growing rapidly [3]. It's exciting to think about what would happen if Japanese anime culture and the latest AI technology were to be combined!
Major players and evolving technology
In this field, major players include Adobe, which is famous for its creative software, Stability AI, which developed the image generation AI "Stable Diffusion," and Runway, which has advanced video generation technology [4].
In terms of technology, various approaches such as "creating videos from text (Text-to-Video)," "creating videos from images (Image-to-Video)," and "creating another video from a video (Video-to-Video)" are rapidly evolving. For example, it is now possible to create videos with real people talking just by entering text, or to completely change the atmosphere of an existing video.
AI is changing things! Revolutionizing the animation production flow
The past and present: The production process has changed so much
Traditional animation production involves many steps, such as planning, storyboarding, key animation, animation, coloring, filming, editing, etc., and is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process involving many experts.
However, with the advent of AI, this process is starting to change dramatically.
- Idea generation: AI will suggest story ideas and lines.
- Storyboard creation: When you communicate your image in text, AI will quickly turn it into a picture.
- Drawing: AI automates the work of character movements (in-between) and finishing rough drawings beautifully.
- Background: AI will draw a full-fledged background from a photo or a simple sketch.
This shortens production time and reduces costs. Creators are freed from repetitive tasks and can focus on more creative aspects.
The forefront of AI use in Japan: The concept of "supportive AI"
AI use is also progressing rapidly in the Japanese anime industry. What is noteworthy is the movement to think of AI as a partner that helps creators (supportive AI) rather than "AI will take over our jobs" [5].
Case Study 1: 60 times more efficient rendering!? "ULTRAMAN"
In the production of the CG animation "ULTRAMAN," AI was introduced to the video finishing process (rendering). The AI learned the style of art desired by the director, and generated the final image based on information on color, lines, and light. As a result, the process, which usually took one hour per frame, was completed about 60 times faster! This is an astonishing increase in efficiency [6].
Case Study 2: "Twins Hinahima" Popular on TikTok
The "Twins Hinahima" project, a twin high school girl VTuber, makes full use of AI. First, the characters are created using 3DCG software (Maya), and dance and other movements are added using a game engine (Unreal Engine). After that, AI (Stable Diffusion) converts CG images into anime-style illustrations. In addition, a technology called "LoRA" (a technology that allows AI to learn specific art styles and characters) is used to maintain consistency in the appearance of the characters. This method efficiently mass-produces high-quality short videos, which are gaining popularity on TikTok and other platforms [5].
Case Study 3: Netflix is also paying attention! "A Dog and a Boy"
In the short anime "A Dog and a Boy," which Netflix collaborated with a Japanese animation production company, AI was used to create background art. It attracted attention as an attempt to show how AI can contribute to the field of background production, which is suffering from a serious labor shortage.
As you can see from these cases, AI is not just automating tasks, but is beginning to penetrate the Japanese workplace as a powerful tool for creating new expressions and efficient production workflows.
The new common sense of the smartphone era! Let's ride the wave of "vertical anime"
Why vertical now?
When you watch videos on your smartphone, do you tend to hold them vertically? In fact, data shows that more than 94% of smartphone users hold their smartphones vertically [7]. That's why vertical videos (9:16 ratio) that fill the screen are the norm on platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
Vertical videos have the following advantages:
- High screen occupancy rate: You can use 78% more of the screen than horizontal videos to feel more immersive!
- Easier to attract attention: It has a strong power to stop the finger from scrolling (stop scroll effect).
- High advertising effect: Vertical video ads are up to 9 times more likely to be watched to the end than horizontal ones!
Vertical anime and platform strategy
There are increasing cases where vertical anime content is distributed on platforms such as TikTok and gains popularity, such as "Twins Hinahima" [8]. Vertical animation, which can make an impact quickly and be enjoyed casually, is especially popular with younger generations (Generation Z and Generation Alpha).
In this trend, AI video generation tools like Vidu are a strong ally in vertical animation production. With the ease of quickly creating videos from text, you can efficiently create short animations and trailers for social media.
Try it out with Vidu! Next-generation vertical animation production
Why is Vidu strong in vertical animation production?
Vidu AI video generator is designed to strongly support the AI animation trend we have discussed, especially the production of "vertical format".
- Intuitive and easy: Just enter text to generate a video close to your image. No complicated specialized knowledge is necessary!
- Optimized for vertical format: It is good at generating videos with an aspect ratio of 9:16, so you can create content that is perfect for smartphone viewing.
- Customizable: You can adjust the characters and background of the generated video and link it with multiple tools to create a more detailed expression.
Steps to create a vertical animation using Vidu (for beginners)
Now, let's take a look at the steps to actually create a vertical animation using Vidu!
Step 1. Solidify your ideaThink roughly about what kind of characters and story you want to create. Having a simple character design (a rough sketch is fine!) will make it easier to give instructions to the AI later.
Step 2. Create a "magic spell" promptWrite the prompt to have Vidu create the video. This is the most important part!
- Key Points: Be specific about what kind of style, who/what, where, what they are doing, and what the atmosphere is, and make sure to clearly communicate that it is "vertical" by specifying "In anime style," "A girl with blue hair," "Dancing under the full moon," "Dynamic movements," and "In vertical frame." Don't forget to select "9:16" for the Aspect Ratio in Settings!
Step 3. (Optional) Upload an image
If you want to use a specific character or background, you can upload that image to Vidu for reference.
Step 4. Generate & Fine-tune
Enter the prompts to generate a video! You won't always get a perfect one in one go. Try generating it several times or slightly changing the prompts (e.g., "With more smiles" or "Make the movement faster") to get closer to your ideal. It's like having a conversation with AI!
Step 5. Combine short scenes
Vidu usually generates short videos that last about a few seconds. If you want to create a story, we recommend generating several short scenes and connecting them together using video editing software (Filmora, Canva, etc.).
Step 6. Add sound
Finally, adding background music, sound effects, dialogue, etc., will make the finished product look much more professional!
Try making a 60-second vertical animation with Vidu!
I actually used Vidu to create a 60-second vertical animation with the theme "Graveyard of Generative AI".
Animation I made: https://youtube.com/shorts/zxecANwPjTE
Examples of prompts I used:
- Scene 1 (city): Animation, looking up at city skyline at night, tall glass buildings with reflections, glowing windows and neon lights, deep blue sky with scattered clouds
- Scene 2 (man in suit): anime-style close-up of the businessman’s face in shock, eyes wide, slight sweat, background blurred with dramatic lighting, sense of revelation
Key points I worked on:
- Character consistency: First, I drew a simple illustration of a man in a suit, loaded it into Vidu, and used “Reference to Video” to make it look like the same person in every scene.
- Making the most of the vertical format: By being conscious of vertical compositions, such as looking up and down, we could create a powerful effect on smartphone screens.
- Trial and error: We adjusted the prompts and generated the animation many times until we could create natural movements and expressions of the characters.
You may be confused at first, but after a few tries, you will get the hang of it and it will be easier and more fun to create than you thought!
What does the future hold? Challenges and prospects for AI animation
There are still many challenges and solutions
AI animation is evolving at a great pace, but there are still challenges.
- Character consistency: Even if it's the same character, the face or clothes may change slightly depending on the scene.
- Unnatural movements: Sometimes the animation may be jerky or have physically impossible movements (flickering).
- Copyright: There are issues with rights, such as the possibility that copyrighted material may be included in the AI learning data.
But don't worry. Solutions to these challenges are also being developed one after another.
- Technology for stably drawing specific characters (LoRA, etc.).
- Technology for controlling movement and composition (ControlNet, etc.).
- Combine AI with traditional CG technology.
- The movement to train AI with rights-cleared data.
A wonderful relationship between creators and AI
Some people worry that "if AI evolves, will animators lose their jobs?", but I don't think so. Rather, AI should become a creator's strongest partner, a "supportive AI."
By letting AI take over time-consuming, repetitive tasks (such as "in-between splitting," which involves drawing the same picture multiple times), we humans can focus on truly creative tasks such as developing the story, deepening the character's emotional expression, and thinking up new directing techniques.
Of course, new skills will be needed to master AI (such as how to write effective prompts and knowledge of combining AI with other tools). But it's also an opportunity to further expand your possibilities as a creator.
Future Trend Predictions
The AI animation market is predicted to continue to grow at an astonishing pace of nearly 40% per year. And this future may come.
- Fusion of AI and game engines: Making interactive animation in real time, just like making a game.
- Vertical animation will become the norm: As smartphone viewing becomes the norm, vertical format will become one of the standards.
- Anime just for you: Personalized anime where the content changes to suit the viewer's preferences.
- AI cloud service: Anyone can easily create an AI animation on the cloud, even without an expensive computer.
With an eye to this future, Vidu will support your animation production by providing tools that are specifically optimized for the vertical format.
