2D animation software Toonz will be free and open source from March

2D animation software Toonz, used by animators to produce features such as Futurama and Princess Mononoke, is set to become free and open source from March 26, 2016, according to Wired.

The software, used by Studio Ghibli and created by Italian studio Digital Video, has been acquired by Japanese telecommunications and media company Dwango, which has decided to release it to open distribution, making it more accessible to the public. The free version of the tool, called OpenToonz, is expected to change the game for the international animation community, and aims to “make of Toonz a world standard for 2D animation,” according to Digital Video managing director Claudio Mattei in a report by The Verge.

Toonz was first released in 1993 and since become a powerful tool for 2D animation, aiding in the creation of features such as Princess Mononoke, Futurama, and Asterix, in addition to others.