Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s new animation style has received a great deal of negative attention. When Toei Animation first showed off its new 3D model of Goku, it was believed that this new CG approach might end up applying to the entire movie. This was recently confirmed to be the case by the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero teaser trailer.
The second Dragon Ball Super movie and the sequel to Broly has generated a tremendous amount of hype. Previous reveals have already made a number of promises about the plot, including a bigger role for Piccolo, a sizable time skip, the return of the Red Ribbon Army, an appearance from the Legendary Super Saiyan, and more. But arguably the biggest talking point at this juncture isn’t really the story or any of the movie’s confirmed characters. Instead, what seems to be the most eye-catching detail is the animation style. For Super Hero, Dragon Ball Super has shifted away from the traditional 2D art in favor of 3D animation for the first time in franchise history.
This approach hasn’t exactly been universally welcomed. Conversations about the art style online have been flooded with negativity. Many have likened the look of the movie to the computer-animated cut scenes in Dragon Ball video games, and have maintained this style simply doesn’t work for a Dragon Ball movie or show. Based on what's been said, it would seem that most of the criticism hinges on the popularity of the traditional 2D anime and the significance of the change. While animation in the Dragon Ball shows has evolved quite a bit over the years, it’s stuck to the 2D feel, and hasn’t veered too far away from that.
Response to Super Hero’s animation stands in stark contrast to Dragon Ball Super: Broly’s, even though the latter movie offered some changes of its own. There were scenes in Broly’s action sequences where it used 3D models, but these ended up meshing with the 2D style. Though this gave it a slightly different feel at times, it was still met with considerable praise, with many arguing that it made Goku and Vegeta’s fight with Broly more epic. Super Hero, on the other hand, has totally overhauled its animation. The movie looking so different to everything that’s come before it hasn’t been easily accepted by those who expect a Dragon Ball show or movie to look a certain way.
Of course, it’s worth noting that much has yet to be revealed about Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. As time passes and more information is released, the general consensus of the art may slowly move in a much more positive direction. After all, there was some skepticism about Broly too before it hit theaters. Only glimpses of the new movie’s action have been previewed thus far, so a full fight scene between the Z-Warriors and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s villain has the potential to change some minds.