This article aims to break down the origins of the NPR trend, its impacts on productions, as well as how 3D artists might be able to better adapt to it.
The shift to non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) in animation represents a major industry trend moving away from hyper-realistic 3D graphics towards stylised, artistic visuals that often mimic 2D art, paintings, or illustration. These styles appear in many areas such as games, VTuber content, music videos and more, allowing creators to stand out visually and connect emotionally with audiences. Hybrid animation that combines 3D environments with 2D effects is also now being used widely across the industry (3D Animation Trends 2026: How AI Is Redefining Animation Careers, 2026).
NPR has many applications. Animated films, TV shows, and games often use stylised graphics to create imaginative worlds, while brands might opt for stylisation to showcase their uniqueness and communicate their identity memorably (3D Animation Trends: What’s next in Visual Storytelling?, 2024).
The recent popularity of NPR can be traced back to Sony’s 2018 “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” film. Critics had largely judged the merit of animated films based on the realism of shots since Pixar’s 1995 film “Toy Story,” leading to a push for photorealism that led animators to lose sight of the stylised aspect of animation that made their work distinct from live action. However when the animators of the Spider-Verse film paid homage to the original illustrated material by including speech bubbles and crosshatch shading used in physical comics, they were able to create an experience that would never have been possible in a real or realistic film. Their success motivated other studios to experiment further with stylised animation in works such as “Puss in Boots: The last Wish,” “The Willoughbys,” and Riot Games’ “Arcane” (Kumar, 2023). According to 3D artists Dillon Gu and Wyatt Hall from DillonGoo and Winterstellar Studios respectively, the decreasing profitability of 2D as animation in the West also meant that Japanese anime has become one of the more accessible sources of NPR and stylised animation in the West, especially for younger audiences that did not have works like older Disney films to fill that niche (CG Cookie, 2025).
By principle, successful NPR relies on strong art direction and communication (Curtis, 1999). In recent times studios have begun to prioritise certain skills to better execute their vision. Stylisation rewards strong fundamentals with a heavy focus on drawing skills, composition, colour theory, and motion principles, which means that traditional art skills continue to carry value alongside the ability to use digital tools. Programs that teach both 2D and 3D thinking help students become artistically versatile, and this flexibility is increasingly valuable to studios seeking unique art styles (3D Animation Trends 2026: How AI Is Redefining Animation Careers, 2026).
This shift largely seems to suggest that studios experimenting with NPR are opting for an “art over tech” workflow, where artists are not required to be proficient in software alone as much as they are expected to find the most expressive way to break it.
References
3D animation trends 2026: How AI is redefining animation careers. (2026, May 3). Visual College of Art & Design. https://www.vcad.ca/about/spotlights/3d-animation-trends-2026-how-ai-is-redefining-animation-careers/#gsc.tab=0
3D animation trends: What’s next in visual storytelling? (2024, October 9). Digitech Resource Group. https://www.tdtrg.com/3d-animation-trends-2024/
CG Cookie. (2025). What is NPR? An exploration of why stylisation is important — Dillon Gu panel [YouTube video]. In Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/m190vop47PU?si=um4snxi2vXTYPdxo
Curtis, C. (1999). Non-photorealistic animation. Otherthings.com. http://otherthings.com/uw/npr/early_version.html
Kumar, A. (2023, May 26). Helios Magazine Vol. 3 Issue 2. Helios, 3(2), 4. Issuu. https://issuu.com/gunnheliosmagazine/docs/helios_spring_issue_2023/4
Screenshots of stylised animation. (n.d.). [Online Image]. In Elevation. Retrieved May 8, 2026, from https://blog.thisiselevation.com/style-over-realism-latest-3d-animation-trend