History Main / CelShading

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLongLongHoliday'' is maybe, if the end goal is to look like a traditionally animated series, the best execution of this style thus far.

* The ''VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokai'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallZBudokaiTenkaichi Budokai Tenkaichi]]'' series, starting with the second one. (The Gamecube version of the first ''Budokai'' had something ''like'' cel-shading, though.) This continues into ''VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ''.

* ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}''

* ''[[VideoGame/TheFairlyOddparentsBreakinDaRules The Fairly Oddparents: Breakin' Da Rules]]'' used this.

* ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' used excellent cel shading on the CG Tachikomas. Other CG vehicles tended to be rather more {{conspicuous|CG}}.

While the style is not exclusive to VideoGames, it is often used there since this is the only way to produce a hand-drawn look via computer polygons. In other media, Cel Shading can be useful to render specific items in a hand-drawn production, if a given scene would be too difficult to animate by hand, such as a rotating object or an EpicTrackingShot traveling down the length of a massive vehicle. There are also animated series produced exclusively via cel shading, usually for similar reasons. When mixing cel shading with traditional animation, it's important to calibrate the renderer to avoid [[ConspicuousCG visually clashing with the rest of the production]] (i.e. being ''too'' detailed or smoothly animated).

* ''Manga/InitialD'' Fourth Stage uses cel shading to great effect, compared to the ConspicuousCG of earlier stages.

* Some scenes in ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' are rendered in cel-shaded 3D. [[ConspicuousCG The show alternates between traditional animation and cel-shading a lot]].
* In ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal,'' the switch to 3D animation used for team shots during the opening and for the heroine's TransformationSequence is cel-shaded, but that doesn't prevent it from being fairly ConspicuousCG, due to the flatter aesthetic of the traditionally animated NoodlePeople character designs. Complaints about this causing UncannyValley lead to [[AuthorsSavingThrow Season 2 and beyond switching to using traditional animation completely]].

* The wildebeest stampede from ''Disney/TheLionKing'' was created this way, and took about ''two years'' to animate.
* Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'' was originally supposed to look like an oil painting on canvas, but the technology was never perfected, so it ended up being done with conventional computer animation. However, the look is much softer and more fluid than any movie that's come beforehand, and the character designs are a very good translation of Disney 2D. That said, the oil painting look can be seen in some of the backgrounds. It's especially evident in some of the forest scenes.
* "Literature/TheSteadfastTinSoldier" segment of ''Disney/Fantasia2000''.
* The Hydra in ''{{Disney/Hercules}}''.
* On ''Disney/TreasurePlanet'', cel shading was used for John Sliver's cyborg parts and for the RobotBuddy character B.E.N. CG backgrounds were specially rendered to look like moving oil paintings.

* At the time Disney made ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'', a method for placing [=CGI=] directly into an animated film didn't exist. The clock innards were created as wire-frame graphics, printed out and rotoscoped onto the animation cels. Retroactively, this achieves exactly the same look as modern-day cel-shaded

* ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear Xrd'', uses this in place of traditional 2D sprites. In addition to cel shading the character models, Creator/ArcSystemWorks also animated them with minimal tweening making them move just like traditional 2D sprites would (or as close as is possible with 3D models).

* "Literature/TheSteadfastTinSoldier" segment of ''Disney/{{Fantasia 2000}}''.

* Some scenes in ''Anime/KirbyOfTheStars'' are rendered in cel-shaded 3D. [[ConspicuousCG The show alternates between traditional animation and cel-shading a lot]].

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and its direct sequel ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' both used cel-shading in cutscenes that at times looks almost exactly like traditional animation. This returned for ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Fates]], and appears to be the franchise style nowadays. A still from one of the cutscenes could pass for hand-drawn animation.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' is revealed to use a Cel Shading style as well, though it uses a much more powerful graphical engine, stylistically reminiscent of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gouache gouache]] watermedia.
* ''https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' and its direct sequel ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn Radiant Dawn]]'' both used cel-shading in cutscenes that at times looks almost exactly like traditional animation. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' does this even better and based off the trailer of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates the next game]] this appears to now be the franchise style in terms of cinematic scenes. A still from one of the cutscenes could pass for hand-drawn animation.

* ''{{VideoGame/The Wolf Among Us}}'' does this in a manner similar to a graphic novel, mostly so it can look like its source material, ''{{ComicBook/Fables}}''.

* Toon Link in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' has the exact same shading as everyone else, yet was frequently said to be cel-shaded.

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem: Path Of Radiance]]'' and its direct sequel ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Radiant Dawn]]'' both used cel-shading in cutscenes that at times looks almost exactly like traditional animation. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' does this even better and based off the trailer of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates the next game]] this appears to now be the franchise style in terms of cinematic scenes. A still from one of the cutscenes could pass for hand-drawn animation.

* ''Franchise/SlyCooper''

%%* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks''
* Creator/{{MTV}}'s ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'', produced by Creator/MainframeEntertainment was computer animated, but done using cel shading.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'' had an episode in a game based on ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' and the entire world was cel shaded, even the main characters when they rebooted into game characters.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Skyland}}'': A weird middle ground between [[{{anime}} cartoon]] style and {{realism}}, leading down into the UncannyValley.
* The CGI parts of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', such as the Planet Express ship and the New New York backdrop, are cel-shaded so well that in some scenes, the ''animation staff'' (in the DVDCommentary) can't tell what's CG and what's hand-drawn.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' is animated in CG, but the overall look of the show emulates elements of both regular CG and cel-shaded graphics. What is done is in addition to the "hard line" shadow they also added a third level, a reflective highlight to the metal forms, and so achieving a "cel shaded but not quite cel shaded" look to it. The regular humans have a bit more of a traditional CG appearance, but the hard shadow is still apparent and they have slightly exaggerated proportions to better blend with the hyper-stylized robots.
* The sequel series to ''Prime'', ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'', uses more cel-shading than its predecessor.
* The 3D segments of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' use cel-shaded spaceships, planets and stuff.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' episode "Sandy, [=SpongeBob=], & The Worm", this was used in one shot when Sandy & [=SpongeBob=] were running away from the giant worm.
* ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''. Helps considering that the show takes place in a digital world with digital characters, which helps invoke UncannyValley in a good way.

* ''Anime/FutureBoyConan''

* Creator/PolygonPictures uses this for the second ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' movie, ''Manga/KnightsOfSidonia'', ''Manga/{{Ajin}}'', and ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky''. They're also responsible for the cel-shading of American animated shows ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' (Where their style originated from) and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'', as well as the less obvious ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''.

* Creator/PolygonPictures uses this for the second ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' movie, ''Manga/KnightsOfCydonia'', ''Manga/{{Ajin}}'', and ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky''. They're also responsible for the cel-shading of American animated shows ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015'', as well as the less obvious ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' and ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars''.

* ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures'', whose animation is outsourced to French company Method Animation in cooperation with DQ Animation. Method Animation would later provide CGI to Creator/{{Zagtoon}} shows including ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' and ''WesternAnimation/ZakStorm'', and DQ Animation would later provide CGI for ''WesternAnimation/MilesFromTomorrowland'', ''WesternAnimation/CasparsScareSchool'', and a few conspicuous rip-offs of Disney films.

* ''VideoGame/TinyAndBig'', which leverages the effect to emulate comic books.

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' [[TropeCodifier famously used this,]] (although it was mixed with slightly realistic lighting and effects as well as relatively detailed textures) causing a huge backlash from the {{Fandom}}/FanDumb before and shortly after release, when some games grew fonder of the style. Nintendo used a similar cel-shading style with the Nintendo DS Zelda games (namely ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]''), tailored for the DS's lower hardware capacity.

[[caption-width-right:312:Picture taken from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cel_shading Wikipedia]], representing a spacesuit from ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}''[='=]s "Destination Moon" saga.]]

* Creator/PolygonPictures uses this for the second ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' movie, ''Manga/KnightsOfCydonia'', ''Manga/{{Ajin}}'', and ''Manga/FistOfTheBlueSky''. They're also responsible for the cel-shading of American cartoons ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising'' and ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2015''.

* ''WesternAnimation/IronManArmoredAdventures''

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'' is animated in CG, but the overall look of the show emulates elements of both regular CG and Cel Shaded graphics. What is done is in addition to the "hard line" shadow they also added a third level, a reflective highlight to the metal forms, and so achieving a "cel shaded but not quite cel shaded" look to it. The regular humans have a bit more of a traditional CG appearance, but the hard shadow is still apparent and they have slightly exaggerated proportions to better blend with the hyper-stylized robots.

* ''WesternAnimation/TronUprising''

* In ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal,'' the switch to 3D animation used for team shots during the opening and for the heroine's TransformationSequence is cel-shaded, but that doesn't prevent it from being fairly ConspicuousCG, due to the flatter aesthetic of the traditionally animated NoodlePeople character designs.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wild ARMs 3}}'', done to hide the fact that the models are almost [=PS1=]-quality. All subsequent ''WildArms'' games utilize it much better, however.

* The second and third ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'' video games on the PS2 use cel shaded graphics, and look a lot better than the first one for it.