Japan Computer Graphics Lab

1983 Demo Reel of Japan Computer Graphics Lab.

1978, Mits Kaneko of MK Company obtained from MGM Studios the animation rights to Marjorie Keenan Rollings' Pulitzer awarded "The Yearling". Mits Kaneko decided to use computer animation on the 52 episodes of 30 minute television series because of rapidly rising cost of animation artists and film recording process. After two year's development and artist training, in April of 1980, JCGL was established with Mits Kaneko, Toho Company(a movie distribution company), Kodansha (a book publishing company), Toppan (a printing company) and Telework (a television production company) .. 38 artists, 4 programmers and 3 hardware maintenance persons.

JCGL's system for television animation production consisted of a huge custom designed optical printer to print extra frames of the same image for reducing rendering time, 2 Dicomed 48-S film recorders, 2 Vax 780 super mini computers , 4 PDP 44s, 8 PDP 11s for ink and paint stations, two DeAnza scanners for scanning animation papers, 18 Genisco frame buffers for image buffering and one PS 300 for vector drawing. The software "MK-1" was based upon NYIT's Tween and Tweep

JCGL lead Japan's CG production for 7 years but came to its dissolution in 1987 when its VAX based system could not compete any longer with cheaper more modern systems.