Adobe's AI push a major blow to animators
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Last night my daughter spent 20 or so minutes with the letter J. We recently introduced her to the app ABC Reading Eggs (a longtime app that has a partnership with ABC Commercial) and within a few weeks, her reading capability has leapt forward dramatically - it’s very cool to see.
While she was using the app last night, I watched some animated characters singing a song which delighted her enough to watch it a second time. The animation reminded me of cartoons I was watching back in the early 00s on a short-lived platform called Icebox.com.
An early Internet media platform, Icebox.com featured Flash-based animation from the not-yet-disgraced John K, among other animators. The cartoons were a mix of genre, but were often pretty adult in nature. Being Flash animation, the animated shorts could be streamed online in pretty good quality despite early 00s-era broadband speed restrictions.
I’ll admit, I haven’t really thought all that much about Flash animation in the years since. But that was ignorance on my end because animators working with Flash never quite went away - the product evolved into the popular tool Adobe Animate (branded in 2016) following Adobe’s acquisition of Macromedia in 2005.
Earlier this week Adobe announced it plans to discontinue Adobe Animate, with sales ending March 1 and support for the platform running for just another 12 months. A huge backlash from the animation community followed and now Adobe has said the platform will remain in ‘maintenance mode,’ which means it will still push out the occasional bug fix.
I never appreciated just how many people were still animating using Flash. According to Cartoon Brew, there were around three million people actively using it as recently as 2023 (who likely continued using it as Adobe shifted to accounts to Creative Cloud in the years since).
A lot of the 2D animation we see in television is produced using Adobe Animate.
As per Cartoon Brew:
As Flash evolved, it also legitimized itself. Studios began using it for television production, including shows like My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Total Drama, Metalocalypse, and El Tigre. It proved that a tool born online could scale up to real-world production demands.
Animators are apparently concerned that there’s no like-for-like tool that they can go on to use instead of Animate. This is going to create huge headaches for the independent sector and smaller studios who now have to contend with crucial tools being deprecated mid-production.
At least Animate will be in ‘maintenance mode,’ but changes will still need to be implemented.
Again, from Cartoon Brew:
Anything currently in development or mid-season must now factor Animate’s end-of-support timeline into their planning. Even with Adobe’s tiered shutdown schedule, our readers are feeling like the rug has been pulled out from beneath them. Pipelines that were expected to remain viable for a show’s lifespan now have an expiration date.
Migrating away from Animate is far from straightforward. Studio leads are now having to plan to retrain artists, adapt or rebuild rigs, convert large asset libraries, and rethink export and delivery workflows. Several artists told us they expect to lose the ability to revise older material without significant additional work.
The challenges are particularly brutal for small-scale studios and independent productions. Budgets and schedules are typically built around existing tools with very little margin for disruption. Being forced to move away from Animate creates a logistical nightmare for work already being created on razor-thin margins.
Adobe is going to be pushing users to its AI animation platforms, which is a pretty big disincentive to meet animators requests to make Animate open source going forward.
News Desk
The search continues for Nancy Guthrie, mother of the US Today show host Savannah Guthrie. The FBI are offering $50k for significant leads. Read: THR
Dark Winds has been renewed for a fifth season by AMC ahead of the season four return. Read: thefutoncritic
With Michael Atkinson just announced as the permanent co-host of Australia’s Weekend Today as co-host, all eyes will be on him as questions swirl around the future of current weekday Today host Karl Stefanovic.
Apple TV exec Jay Hunt, the European creative director at the company, has been approached about becoming the next director general at the BBC. Her name has regularly been put forward as a viable contender by media pundits. Read: Deadline
John Higgins offers a look at what TV manufacturers are offering brand by brand, defined by their market identity. Read: The Verge
The Australian made comedy (made for Stan) Sunny Nights, starring US actors Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden ,will debut in the US on March 11. Read: thefutoncritic
Tubi reports that it now has almost 75,000 movies and TV shows in the UK library. But, being Tubi, one has to ask how many of those titles will ever be watched. Read: Deadline
The post late night career of Craig Ferguson has been one odd project after the next with an industry which clearly didn’t know what to do with the guy. For the first time since The Late Late Show finished up, he’s involved with a project that actually sounds like a good fit. He’ll host CNN series Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose in which he travels across the US to explore the topics and people who make up modern America. Read: Deadline
Peppa Pig’s brother George will be revealed to be moderately deaf and fitted with a hearing aid in a new storyline. Read: Radio Times
Trailer Park
Rooster debuts on HBO March 8.
Rooster is a comedy set on a college campus centering on an author’s (Steve Carell) complicated relationship with his daughter (Charly Clive).
Young Sherlock debuts March 4 on Prime Video.
When a charismatic, youthfully defiant Sherlock Holmes meets none other than James Moriarty he finds himself dragged into a murder investigation that threatens his liberty. Sherlock's first ever case unravels a globe-trotting conspiracy, leading to an explosive showdown that alters the course of his life forever. Unfolding in a vibrant Victorian England and adventuring abroad, the series will expose the early antics of the anarchic adolescent who is yet to evolve into Baker Street's most renowned resident.
The Dinosaurs is a documentary series on Netflix, EP’d by Steven Spielberg and narrated by Morgan Freeman. It debuts March 6.
The Miniature Wife debuts Feb 9 on Peacock.
THE MINIATURE WIFE, based on the short story written by Manuel Gonzales, is a dramedy examining the power (im)balances between spouses Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) and Les (Matthew Macfadyen) after a technological accident induces the ultimate relationship crisis.
Rivals returns for season 2 on Hulu May 15.
The Forsytes debuts on PBS March 22.
The Forsytes have built their empire on the pursuit of wealth, power and respect. But now they are dangerously out of control. As they struggle to maintain their supremacy, they are forced to answer the most profound question of all: "Can we afford to be human?"
This Is I debuts on Netflix Feb 10. Make sure you watch this trailer.
Bullied for wanting to be an idol, Kenji finds belonging in a cabaret and help from a trailblazing doctor, emerging onstage as her true self, Ai Haruna.
Boyfriend on Demand debuts on Netflix March 6.
Seo Mi-rae is worn out by work. Love? It's the last thing on her mind. But a virtual dating service sparks feelings - and maybe a real shot at romance.
Predator: Badlands will stream on Hulu from Feb 12. It isn’t clear if this is US-only.
American Classic debuts on MGM+ March 1.
American Classic tells the story of Broadway star Richard Bean who suffers a spectacular public meltdown and returns home to the family theater where he first became aware of his own brilliance. Once there, his extreme behavior sets off a series of crises among those closest to him: his ex-girlfriend (now the town's mayor) married to his brother, his brother himself, and his beloved niece who dreams of a life in the theater. As old loves resurface and buried secrets emerge, Richard must confront the consequences of his past actions and the family and town he left behind for fame and glamour. Each season follows a different Richard Bean production that will reflect the stories unfolding in the lovable but flawed Bean family and the transformative power of making art.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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The timing on this is rough for anyone mid-production. 3 million users getting pushed from a stable tool to "maintenance mode" while Adobe steers them toward AI platforms feels like a pretty naked business move. Had no idea shows like My Little Pony were still built on Flash/Animate tho. The lack of a proper migration path is probly gonna hit indie studios hardest.