When using any image altering program on a computer, changing the color palette from RGB to CMYK will produce a noticeable shift in the colors. While blues will still be blue, and reds will stay red, the hues and saturation will be visibly changed. A similar but equally inexact transition usually plagues the process of creating animation.
The only way to have a true, specific, artistic vision embodied in any artwork is to have the one with the vision do 100% of the work, and to be an expert in each and every aspect of the medium. Given the amount of man-hours it takes to finish an animated project, it is quite difficult to achieve this goal for a film more than a few minutes in length, and even then, it could take years to see a finished product. However, it is not necessary for an artistic vision to be fully represented for the work to be enjoyable, or even to become a true work of art. Additionally, some true artistic visions are still unappreciated by people anyway, so our industry has accepted the shortcomings of its own imperfect transitions.
In any artistic process, there is a core vision seen by the creator (or creators), and the first challenge is to communicate this vision to the staff that will make this project a reality. At this stage it doesn't matter if the vision is good, or bad, or purple, because the quality is irrelevant to the process. To see how this works, picture a scene from any live-action or animated program. Envision the colors, the motion, the backgrounds, character details, etc.
Now, grab a piece of paper and a pencil and describe it for someone else to capture every detail. Remember its not enough for you to say Madoka's hair blows in the wind. You must specify how much of Madoka is in the frame, how each segment of hair moves, what direction the wind is blowing from, her position in the screen, her pose, etc. Then you have to describe the colors of her hair, the highlights, her facial tones, the positions of her eye highlights... Pretty soon, you should come to the conclusion that given the limitations of the written word, it would take thousands of words to describe a simple scene, let alone any fighter sortie from MACROSS PLUS! While using a pencil to draw out what you envision is much more effective, hence the use of drawn storyboards, there is still not enough information in a drawn picture to describe motion or color. Just as with a computer, each word or drawn line is a bit of information of the overall image, and the more information you can supply, the better the image. However, in the same vein, no matter how much information you supply, you only get a closer and closer approximation of what you are trying to depict.
This is the first imperfect transition - communicating the vision.
Now comes the second imperfect transition - production limitations. Assuming the creator has adequately communicated his ideas to the staff, and that the staff is not completely daft, the limitations of technology, time, talent, money, and luck act as a filter for the vision. Just as a typical scanner from 1991 will still produce a lousy picture on your best computer from 1998, a single flawed element of production can severely limit the final product. However, on a more positive note, there have been several cases where the artistic vision of the creator has been embraced, and even enhanced through the inspired contributions of the staff. It is important to note that being inexact is hardly a bad thing if the change is for the better!
When the production is finally finished, the production studio delivers the master and the audience is allowed to view the finished work. Now the third transition takes affect - into the eyes of the audience. Many times, due to cultural or personal backgrounds, multiple interpretations are possible from a single work. Often, these interpretations do not have anything to do with the artistic vision and are completely out of the hands of the creator or the staff. For example, THE JOY LUCK CLUB is the tragic tale of four Chinese women and the struggles they had in their life. I personally believe the story was uplifting and intended to celebrate and examine a slice of Chinese culture, as well as inspire those who face intimidating burdens. However, my friend's mom went to see the movie and could only complain that her story was more tragic and that they used a Vietnamese actress for one of the moms. Thus a personal filter changed the original artistic intention to something completely different.
As if this wasn't removed enough, our beloved Anime shows must endure a fourth transition - translation. Naturally, for those of us who are less than fluent, this fourth transition is necessary, yet we risk losing all of the meanings of double entendres, fail to grasp the importance of historical references, and rarely feel the full impact of certain cultural settings. Just as eating a beef hamburger means something completely different to a rancher (financial security, tasty vittles) than to a devout Hindu (sacrilege!), the frame of reference and the past history of the viewer can greatly effect the interpretation of the work, as can a misread line of dialog, or ignorance of the cultural or historical references. Although hopefully the interpretation is not quite as different as the example, it obviously can make quite a difference. Therefore, at best, anything we see is at least four generations removed from the original vision, which can get progressively more distant if, for example, the animation is based upon a Manga which was based upon mythology.
In light of all of the difficulties that are encountered to present a finished product, it is a testament to the creative vision, the talented staff, and wonders of technology that we are able to enjoy any final product at all. So let us raise a collective toast to everyone who makes our beautiful entertainment, from the most arrogant producer to the lowliest cel painter: even though its probably not what you thought or hoped you'd see, thank you for delivering a few sparkling hours of entertainment to brighten my life.
Finally, as a toast to everyone who makes our worst, most embarrassingly bad entertainment: I forgive you for wasting a few hours of my precious life and better luck next time!