08/02/2026

ON SUNDAY February 8, 2026 II theSunday Special

A Malaysian animator proves classic methods still resonate in a digital world The revival of hand-drawn animation BY HANNEF ESQUANDER

I want to create animations that the audience loves, remembers and feels inspired by while living a peaceful life.”

R EMEMBER the cartoons that we used to wake up early to watch on Sunday morning? Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and the list goes on. These animation series were part of our childhood. No internet, no smart phones. Just these 2D animations kept us HQWHUWDLQHG RQ RXU GD\V R̆ IURP VFKRRO The 3D format has since replaced 2D animation. Disney, for instance, moved most of its big-screen projects to computer animation after Home on the Range in 2004. Movies like Frozen and Zootopia proved that the switch to 3D could be

OLPLWDWLRQV DUWLVWV KDG WR ¿QG FUHDWLYH ways to achieve certain results and those limitations often produced visuals that felt unique and incredibly cool. That spirit of creativity within constraints is something I want to bring into my own animation work,” Lim explained. At university, Lim took an animation class as part of his graphic design course. He discovered that drawing each frame brought him the same joy that he felt as a child. With every completed frame and press of the play button, watching the animation come to life made him feel like he could bring his drawings to life and create his own world through animation.

a massive hit. But that does not mean 2D is gone forever. Disney still brings it out for TV shows, special projects and WKH RFFDVLRQDO VXUSULVH LQ D IHDWXUH ¿OP such as The Princess and the Frog or the hand-drawn moments in Mary Poppins Returns. 2D animation is not dead. In fact, it has been experiencing a resurgence. With internet and tech fatigue, people are seeking escapism. Nostalgia is the perfect place to go. Suddenly, everybody wants to go back to experience the pure innocent joy of watching the Sunday morning cartoons again.

Michael Lim of Space Dawg is making a career out of 2D animation in 2026. Some might think it is like trying to sell skinny jeans to Gen Z or pushing the iPod to become a thing again, but 2D animation has its own charm. “There is no such thing as a 3D dominated or 2D-dominated industry. %RWK VHUYH GL̆ HUHQW SXUSRVHV DQG HDFK has its own beauty. The reason I prefer 2D animation is that I love to draw. I DP DOVR GHHSO\ IDVFLQDWHG E\ UHWUR VFL ¿ animation and the animation styles from the 70s and 80s. “Back then, with so many technological