The new animation style of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was subjected to a plethora of opinions, mostly negative. Toei Animation presented the 3D model of Goku, which led fans to believe that the CG approach might be implemented in the entire movie. After watching the trailer for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the doubts of the fans were cleared.
Kyle Hebert, who voiced Aizen from Bleach, expressed his thoughts about this sudden change in the animation dynamics in a recent interview with Anime Hunch. He also voices Gohan in the subbed version of Dragon Ball Super. Even he wasn’t sure about the fate of the series since Dragon Ball fans are rooted in the authenticity of the anime and traditional 2D animation.
What was new about Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero animation?
The new animation style of Dragon Ball wasn’t taken in a good way by many. The art style has been bombarded with negative reviews online. There are people who liked and appreciated the movie as the movie looked like computer-animated cut scenes in Dragon Ball video games. The Dragon Ball series has always been perceived with traditional 2D animation so the sudden change resulted in so much criticism. The animation dynamics have evolved throughout the years but they always stuck to 2D format. Venturing into uncharted waters with this new approach to animation was very uncertain for the audience.
What was Kyle Hebert’s perspective on the animation of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero?
Anime Hunch interviewed Kyle Hebert, who is famous for his role as the voice actor of Gohan. Several questions were asked throughout the interview. Anime Hunch started with, “How does it feel knowing that DBS Super Hero is the 4th highest-grossing anime movie of all time in the US?”
Hebert replied, “It’s pretty amazing, first of all, being a part of such an iconic franchise for the past 23 years of my life. Dragonball was my first big voiceover role, and it opened up so many wonderful experiences and opportunities. I was already blown away to see it be number one at the North American box office upon theatrical release. I am so grateful to be a part of it.”
“The film is unique in terms of establishing the potential of 3D CG Animation. However, there were differing opinions on the animation style in certain sections of the fandom and the industry. As a long-time fan of the series, do you think it was the right approach for them to move toward the 3D sphere?” Anime questioned him further, to which he replied, “I was sceptical when I saw the first teaser trailer, but upon seeing the finished product, I think the style works very effectively and smoothly. It helps establish the grand scale of epic battles and see a grander view of that world. It’s one that you wouldn’t get on a TV show.”
Gohan’s VA was rather dubious regarding the change in Dragon Ball Super animation style. The drastic change in dynamic from planar 2D to CGI-infused 3D designs was something even fans weren’t in favour of. However, after the release of the series, Hebert was relieved that the final product came out better than expected.
Source: Anime Hunch
