In a global landscape increasingly dominated by 3D productions, animator and art director Rodger Liukane keeps the tradition of 2D alive with a sensitive, handcrafted, and deeply personal approach.
Born and raised in France and leading AwAzing Studio alongside illustrator Virginie Diaz, he works across all stages of the creative process—from concept art to compositing—firmly believing that the hand-drawn line still holds an expressive power that digital tools can’t replace. For him, “2D animation has soul, it has imperfections—and that’s exactly what connects us on a more human level.” Merging influences that range from Glen Keane to Craig McCracken, Rodger crafts visual narratives that transcend borders and reaffirm the cultural power of a language that stands the test of time.
You’ve built a career that spans different areas of the audiovisual field — from concept art to art direction in detailed and emotionally resonant animations. What was it like for you to realize that you wanted to leave the game industry and fully dive into more personal projects with total creative freedom?
The main reason to leave the video games industry simply was … childhood passions. I have three life-passion: Drawing / Animation, Video Games & Dancing (yes, you have well read, dancing). Arrived at 30 years old, I realized that I had achieved professional work in two of these domains: video games and dancing, since my previous position combined these two. To complete my professional life objective, I only missed one: Drawing and Animation! To avoid any regrets in my old-days, I decided to quit my job in the company and become a freelance 2D animator! It’s never too late to realize your dreams!
The video games company that I worked for was very huge (more than 15.000 worldwide employees) so your work and decisions were part of a giant gearing. Pretty similar to being in an anthill! By working on a smaller scale, I have the advantages to experiment many positions from Concept Art to Art/Animation direction, have direct contact with my clients and try different workflows (or manners to work). Each day is different! Which is a great source of motivation and discovery.
Founding AwAzing Studio with Virginie Diaz seems to have been more than just a professional decision — it was also an emotional and artistic move. What is the process of co-creating like with someone so emotionally close to you? Have you ever been surprised by how your individual visions complement each other?
Mixing professional and personal projects with your life partner is not easy for everyone. I think that the most important points are: listening and being open-minded with your partner. We (her and I) have worked together in the same company and specifically, in the same team. So, it was much easier to establish a safe place to work and found our creative studio! Even more when we are both artists.
To be honest, we weren’t surprised by our synergy since we are very fusional, as much in everyday personal tasks as professional projects! We mutually push each other to progress, each day is a new step to better understand each other.
Your art style evokes a nostalgic yet contemporary feel, reminiscent of shows like Steven Universe and Hazbin Hotel. How do you see your visual identity today? Did it come to you intuitively, or did it develop over time through references and personal growth?
I’m a 90’s guy, so my main inspiration was all these old cartoons, long-length animation films such as 1990’s Disney movies or Warner Bros characters (Bugs Bunny, Animaniacs, The Road Runner Show…) and Japanese Anime (Pokemon, Dragon Ball, Evangelion…). Moreover, I was born and live in France, which has a strong and unique identity through the well known french/belgium comics. If I have to describe myself today, I think that I am a perfect mix between these three visual identities: US cartoons, French comics and Japanese Anime.
When I was younger, I mostly drew in Japanese “manga-style” that I have kept in my strokes and drawing today. As an anecdote, we all know there is always a “manga-nerd” at school. I was this guy, ahah!
However, as we grow and become older, our influence and reference are evolving, that impacts my work and more generally, my vision and perception of the world, of course. Even on the smallest scale, I feel that all these things I’m interacting with, video games, movies, music or a simple walk, have or can have a positive influence on my work!
You often share incredible reinterpretations of classic Disney characters, which reveals a genuine passion for traditional 2D animation. How do you feel about the near-total dominance of 3D animation in commercial cinema, and why do you think we see so few 2D projects nowadays?
It’s true that 2D animation seems to disappear and people tend to believe traditional animation is dying and replaced by 3D animation, which I’m not totally agree with! I truly believe that both are necessary to work! All the best 3D feature-films are based on 2D principals and knowledge. It’s not the same shape but has the same substance! Did you know that the famous Disney’s movie “Tangled” was based on 2D Animation to create their very dynamic and expressive characters? The legendary traditional animator Glen Keane (Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Tarzan) had designed the greatest and memorable poses for the character of Rapunzel!
Nowadays, 2D Animation hasn’t disappeared, it’s simply moved on to more fields: TV series, video games, independent short movies and projects, music video clips… I will be straight in my opinion but I think that 2D projects are suffering from the following outsider investor rule “Cheap and Fast project for Big incoming money”. That undeniably results in less interesting projects on the industry scene (artistly saying), depressive artists and so on. However, I remain very positive when I’m seeing all the independent artists, projects and creative studios that are emerging more and more to break the wall street wall!
Beyond the art style, your projects show clear narrative care. They’re not satisfied with just being beautiful — they want to tell something that resonates. What stories or themes do you feel you still need to explore as an artist? Is there an idea that silently follows you, just waiting for the right time?
A golden rule in animation is “We don’t only animate, we are communicating an idea”. The best drawing doesn’t work if you don’t have a great story following. I try as much as I can to give the audience my point of view, to find the graphic equivalent for an emotion, how I feel it.
If there is a specific theme that I want to explore more, it will be “Be yourself in art”. Society dictates to us what we should do at every moment, so travel outside of the conventional stuff! If you want to draw a cat with a unicorn horn, frog legs, blasting giant rainbow lasers through his eyes, just go on! Whatever people say, just have fun in your work and believe in it!
I have some great ideas for the future but I will keep them for myself, ahah! And no, unfortunately, it won’t include a giant cat with frog legs blasting lasers.
You often mention your passion for beetles, dinosaurs, and elements of Japanese culture — all rich in detail and symbolism. How do these passions influence your work? Do you feel they help build more complex worlds, or do they act more like portals to your imagination?
I’ve been truly passionate about Japanese culture since my childhood. Not only with anime but the whole japanese culture in general: cooking, tradition, music, video games… I feel all these have a great influence in my work and even lifestyle. Japanese folklore, such as yokai, the japanese ghosts and spirits, often helps me to create but also be part of my imagination.
When I’m lacking inspiration, I simply take a breath of fresh air into books, series and music to better come back to my pencil!
Beetles and dinosaurs are more like hobbies that I want to keep personal. I think that it’s always nice to have some passions that don’t interfere with your professional work, or your brain won’t never stop thinking of new projects and working, ahah! But why not do some projects covering these two themes in the future!
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