FAQ: Do you still use construction paper to animate the show?

Fan Question: Do you still use construction paper to animate the show?

Answer: We actually haven’t used real construction paper since the pilot episode “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe.” After that, South Park made the big switch to big ‘ol fancy computers. We use a number of programs to make the finished product, but most of the animation is done in Maya (a powerful 3D animation program).

It should be noted, however, that the construction paper used in that pilot episode was then scanned into a massive computer database, which animators now use to create the show. This allows us to continue to animate with construction paper textures, even though they were using computers. And they’ve used those SAME TEXTURES for the past 16 years.

So basically what you’re seeing is digitally reconstructed construction paper. Pretty cool, huh?