THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION

KRISTEEN CHASE
DANIEL DUNCAN
ADRIAN CONNELLY
WHAT IS ANIMATION?

THE TERM ANIMATION IS ONE THAT T I ON

USUALLY ENCOMPASSES ONE A

M
DEFINITION: ANIMATION IS

I
DEFINED AS THE

A N
CREATION OF AN
ILLUSION OF
MOVEMENT USING
A SERIES OF
IMAGERY OR
VIDEOGRAPHY
KEY IT IS NOT UNKNOWN OF ANIMATORS

TECHNIQUES
TO BORROW THEIR TECHNIQUES
FROM OTHER BRANCHES OF STUDY,
PARTICULARLY PHYSICS, WHICH IS

UTILIZED
SEEN AS A RECURRING THEME
THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF
ANIMATION.

THROUGHOUT HERE ARE SOME KEY TECHNIQUES

THAT TRENDED OVER THE YEARS OF
ANIMATION.

THE YEARS
• HAND DRAWN OR CEL ANIMATION IS CONSIDERED
TO BE THE TRADITIONAL FORM OF ANIMATION. THIS
TECHNIQUE IS DONE BY DRAWING EACH FRAME
SEPARATELY, COMPILING THEM TO CREATE THE
ILLUSION OF MOVEMENT.
• THE STOP MOTION ANIMATION TECHNIQUE IS
DEFINED BY ITS USE OF THE MANIPULATION OF REAL
WORLD MODELS. THIS TECHNIQUE IS DONE BY
PHOTOGRAPHING THESE REAL WORLD MODELS AND
COMPILING THE FRAMES TO CREATE THE SCENE,
SIMILAR TO CEL ANIMATION. STOP MOTION CANNOT
BE DEFINED AS EASILY AS THE TRADITIONAL
ANIMATION STYLES, THOUGH. STOP MOTION IS
CATEGORIZED BY THE TYPE OF SCALAR MODELS
USED. SOME OF THESE CATEGORIES INCLUDE
CUTOUT ANIMATION, CLAYMATION ANIMATION AND
MODEL ANIMATION.
• ADOBE FLASH ANIMATION OR SIMPLY FLASH
ANIMATION IS A TECHNIQUE USED FOR
CREATING 2D (TWO-DIMENSIONAL) ANIMATIONS.
THE TECHNIQUE MAKES USE OF THE ADOBE
ANIMATE PLATFORM. IN 1997 WHEN IT WAS
CREATED, MOST USERS POSSESSED AN INTERNET
BANDWIDTH OF 56KBITS/S WHICH ONLY
ALLOWED FOR SHORT ANIMATIONS. THIS TREND
OF SHORT ANIMATIONS CONTINUED UP UNTIL
THE 2000S WHEN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY • Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) is, as the
BECAME MORE AVAILABLE TO A WIDER name suggests, an animation or still that was
AUDIENCE, AND THUS BEGAN THE LARGE SCALE generated by computer programming. The use of this
USE OF FLASH ANIMATION. definition does not quite cover the specifics, as it is
well known that there are many ways to apply CGI to
animations. For example
 The use of a pixel- based editor to create 2D
images
 The use of algorithms to generate fractals (a
non-regular geometric shape).
 THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION: A TIMELINE

In 1832 Joseph Plateau created a

phenakistoscope. It used the persistence of
motion principle to create an illusion of
motion. Arrayed around the disc's center
were a series of drawings showing phases of The zoopraxiscope, invented Eadweard
the animation and cut through it were a Muybridge and first shown in 1879, worked
series of equally spaced radial slits. by showing a sequence of still photographs
Invented by John Ayrton Paris in 1825,
The thaumatrope was a toy built from a in rapid succession.
simple disk or card containing a
different picture on each side and
attached to two pieces of string. When
the strings are twirled rapidly the card
rotates on its axis and the two images
appear to combine. Kineograph – commonly known as the flip
book, appeared was created on September
1868 by John Barnes Linnett . They were
the first form of animation to use a linear
sequence of images.
The praxinoscope was invented in 1877 by Charles-Emile Reynaud. It was a
Animation is adapted into the film industry during
toy which functioned to create a series of images that regularly changed and
approximately 1895 after the introduction of the
consisted of drawings that follow an order and sequence which were placed
cinematograph by Lumiere. The cinematograph is a
on a rotating drum, precisely on its internal wall, which simultaneously
machine used to display (or what at the time had
are reflected by another drum that has unlike sides provided with a set of
come close to) stop motion animation. It worked by
mirrors in equal quantity to the number of drawings being presented. The
arranging the images on a film and speedily passing
drawings rotated in opposite form so that, they can be seen through
through them, creating the illusion of movement.
special lens designed for that purpose.

In 1888, Charles-Emile Reynaud patented a

highly develop praxinoscope called Theatre
Optique. This was a large room-sized In 1897, German inventor Gebrüder Bing
praxinoscope, equipped with transparent  patents the small scale version of the
subject paintings, separated landscape Cinematograph called the
paintings and occasionally live audio. Kinematograph.
 In 1900, J. Stuart Blackton creates the “Enchanted
Drawing”. In this silent film, an actor is hired to draw a
The 1900s simple animated face. Then, using stop motion animation,
the face begins to change facial expressions and mock the
actor infront of him.

J. Stuart Blackton creates the first

ever standard picture film, this time
Cartoonist Windsor McCay appears disregarding any live actors but using
on the scene in 1911 with animations the similar concept. In this animation,
In 1917, the first known animated feature
surrounding his popular character “Humorous Phases” the artist draws
film “El Apostol” was created by Quirino
“Little Nemo”, acknowledged for his multiple faces who interact with each
Cristiani
fantastic use of detail in his films. other.

In 1919 Otto Windsor McCay returns in 1914 with his film

Messmer creates “Gertie the Dinosaur”, the first ever film to In 1908 Emile Cohl creates he legendary
“Felix the Cat”, combine live action and animation. It is also and widely recognised silent film
the first cartoon notable for setting the standard of the “Fantasmagorie”, the first cartoon. It did
series. Felix animation industry by utilising key framing, not possess real life basis, like the others
became a star inbetweening, registration marks and until now, featuring characters who morph
himself with animation loops. and humour the audience.
inspired
merchandise and
pop culture.
 Dave and Max Fleischers create 16
cartoons, “Song Car-Tunes”, the first ever to
In 1923, the feature sound. This was done using
legendary Walt Phonofilm (that is, mapping sound on to a
Disney Production sheet of film to accompany the original
Studios was created animation) from May 1924 to September
in collaboration 1926.
with Ub Iwerks in
the first attempt to In the upcoming years, competition
create the world The Fleischer Studios added begins to stir as successful and still
After losing rights of smaller yet successful works like the “Alice more characters to their cartoons
famous Mickey notable companies such as Warner
Comedies”, Walt Disney started on creating the famous Mickey such as Betty Boop and Popeye,
Mouse. Brothers, Walter Lantz Productions
Mouse. Production of this character was put off due to the audience’s keeping up with the arising and the Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer
disinterest in the film. Trying to figure out how to better this film, competition from Walt Disney Cartoon Studios join the world of
Walt Disney had tested techniques for years and had resulted in the Studios. animation.
lovable and noticeable “Steamboat Willie” in 1928. This had been the
first animated film to feature synchronised sound.
Animator Ub Iwerks,
who had been
collaborated with
Walt Disney from the
time of its creation, After it flopped, Walt Disney attempts to
produces the first Two strip colour was invented bring back his “Silly Symphonies” series
animated film to and utilized for animation. by pioneering a new technique for Disney added newer characters to
feature colour and coloured animation cleverly labelled the Mickey Mouse Universe
sound “Happy 80th Technicolor. between 1930 and 1933.
birthday to
Fiddlesticks” in
19301.
 Scientists and Programmers alike
become interested in the idea of CGI.
In 1967 the first CGI animation was
made by Charles Csuri and James
Shaffer
Snow white and the Seven Dwarves,
the first full length animated feature
101 Dalmatians becomes the
film was created by Walt Disney in Using stereoscopic technique, the first 3D animated
first animated film to use
1937. Disney dominates the market with film “Abra Cadabra” made its way to stages in
xerography, which clarifies
six (6) new films in the years the images and produces 1983, accompanied by the first CGI animated film,
proceeding WWII. bold and clear lines. “Rock and Rule”.

Dolby Sound Technology takes the The “Adventures of

The Hanna-Barbera Studios created stage and assists in the production of
the “Flintstones” in 1957, the first Mark Twain” becomes
World War 2 develops in 1939, declining the market for the animated film “Watership Down” the first feature length
animated feature film, dropping two of Disney’s following ever prime time animated show, in 1953.
starting trend of animated television Claymation
features and one belonging to the Fleischers Studios. Later, animation, a trend that
Disney regains its composure with the economically shows which still lasts up to this day.
had passed years
sensitive Dumbo. before.
 It is worth noting that while some techniques had
fallen out of trend, that did not mean that they were In 2000, the first commercial use of
no longer in use. cel-shading was recorded. This In 2002, flash animation
version of cel shading was used to had made its way into
make a 3D animation appear flat.

The 2000s
home screens with the
This was done by using less colour in television series “!
areas that were supposed to appear Mucha Lucha!”. It had
darker rather than the use of tints and then proceeded to enter
tones. This was first commercially the big screen in the
Following the creation of the
used in Sega Dreamcast game Jet Set following year with the
film “Jurassic Park” came the
Radio although the patent for the movie “Wizards and
“Rescuers Down Under” released in 1990 had first completely CGI
technique had belonged to Earl Hudd Giants.
been the first of many films to be produced animated film “Toy Story” in
in 1914.
with the use of digital ink and without camera. 1995.

In 1988, “Who Framed Roger 1997: Flash animation is introduced In 2002, Lord of the Rings’ Gollum
Rabbit was produced and it 1993 brought around advancements to amateur film makers. With it showcases animation’s first completely
became the first film to feature in CGI, with CGI animation being comes the first flash animated film CGI animation character. The credits for
both animation and live action spread to television and the “The Goddamn George Liquor all animations in the Lord of the Rings
film. creation of the legendary film Program”. goes to the visual effects supervisor Jim
“Jurassic Park”, which utilised Rygiel.
CGI, stop motion and animatronics
to produce realistic dinosaurs on
film.
 2016’s “Moana” had been the first 3D animated film to
feature water as an individual character. The creation of
A short film, “Paperman”, this feature had required multiple computers to complete
was created by Disney in the processing, regardless of the advanced technology
2012 had been created by available of the time. In order to make features such as the
CGI made another technological mapping 2D animation water and Moana’s curly hair as realistic as possible, the
breakthrough as the movie Avatar over 3D forms and animation team had to create separate algorithms for
In 2005, the “Corpse spaces, combining the use these. The result had been a realistic 3D animation film
came out in 2009. This movie is
Bride” had been the first of both traditional and which had been made with a record breaking 80% of CGI.
recognized as the first film featuring
movie to be shot entirely modern animation
real life actors in a completely
with the use of digital techniques.
animated world.
cameras.

In 2008, the world saw its first feature

film designed, created and released “Paranorman” of 2012 had revolutionized
In 2014, Disney yet again accomplished a
exclusively in 3D. This feat was stop motion filming, becoming the first
brilliant feat with the creation of the film
presented in the full-length film “Fly Me film to use mass 3D printing to create its
“Big Hero 6”. The filming consisted of a
to the Moon”. characters. Every character possessed
programming system, Hyperion which
unique qualities and heavily detailed
allowed for complex lighting systems to be
facial expressions. This project had ended
created in the completely animated film.
up utilizing over 31,000 3D printed parts
in total, creating a new standard for stop
motion films in the future To be continued
in years to come
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