Animation software used for Futurama and Spirited Away to go open-source

The tool behind some of the animated films from acclaimed movie-maker Studio Ghibli will soon be free for devs to use.

Toonz was used in Ghibli titles including Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Ponyo and Tale of the Princess Kaguya, as well as TV series Futurama and 1997 film Anastasia.

In the world of games, Psygnosis used it in Terry Pratchett adaptation Discworld 2 and Monolith utilised the tech in its second-ever release, Claw.

The tool, which launched back in 1993, translates hard-drawn and rasterized art into vector graphics, which can subsequently be animated by creating virtual character skeletons.

Toonz Ghibli Edition will be released under an open-source licence following the acquisition of the software from Digital Video by Japanese publisher Dwango.

A more full-bodied version will be offered for a premium cost.

Thanks, Cartoon Brew.