Introducing 2D RIG ANIMATION
I’m thrilled to announce that our animation toolkit just got a major upgrade/addition for 2026: 2D Rig Animation “Digital Animation” has officially joined the lineup at Jeff Balke Studios!
For years, our studio has embraced the timeless charm of traditional cel animation, breathing life into characters one frame at a time. Today, we’re taking that artistry to the next level – blending the expressive warmth of hand drawn design with the efficiency and flexibility of modern digital rigging. While the characters will be rigged for smoother motion, key elements will remain hand drawn to preserve the authentic, traditional look.
So what does this mean:
- Smoother character motion: rigs allow us to create fluid, dynamic movement without losing that classic 2D feel
- Faster production cycles: we can deliver more content, more often, while keeping the high quality
- Expanded creative possibilities: from slapstick gags to dramatic scenes, rigging opens doors to new styles and experiments
- Collaborative opportunities: animators and storytellers can now play with a wider range of tools to bring characters to life
This step isn’t about replacing tradition – it’s about evolving it. Our studio remains rooted in the artistry of hand crafted cel animation, but now we can explore hybrid workflows combining both cel animation and digital animation that make our worlds more immersive, our characters more expressive, and our projects more ambitious.
Stay tuned for sneak peeks of upcoming shorts and clips featuring our new rigged characters. We can’t wait to show you how Stanley and Friends (and plenty of new faces!) move, groove, and surprise you in ways we’ve never been able to before.
Traditional frame by frame animation will always remain at the heart of our studio. It’s the foundation of our craft, and no matter how we evolve, this timeless technique will continue to define our work. We will always animate using traditional frame by frame animation.
