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The start of it all
A celluloid film which could hold images was invented by a man named H.W. Goodwin. It was made of gum cotton and gum camphor. -
An early moving-picture production
A theatre using an invention called the Praxinoscope was opened by Emil Reynaud. It used turning mirrors to reflect images and produce a 10 to 15 minute "moving picture." -
Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope
Using the celluloid film developed by H.W. Goodwin, Edison was able to produce moving film pictures on the wall. The film moved over a series of wheels to produce the pictures. -
Sound is captured
Using a magnetic recording device, sound was recorded for the first time. Animation enthusiasts would latch onto the technology. -
The Enchanted Drawing
Animation techniques was used by James Stuart Blackton to produce a short film. It documented the drawing process of characters, without ever showing the artist; this made it seem that the drawings simply appeared. -
The first official animated film
A film called "Fantasmagorie” was produced by a Frenchman named Emile Cohl produced It was a hit, and is known today as the first true animated film. -
Gertie the Dinosaur
This short animation film became popular quickly. It was created by Windsor McCay. -
A patent on the process
A streamlined process for creating animated films was developed and patented by John Bray. He tried, unsuccessfully, to force other companies to use his designs. -
Felix the Cat
A man named Otto Messmer, who had been working in animation for a few years, created a character named Felix the Cat. Felix was very successful and even ended up including dolls and watches. -
Laugh-O-Grams
Twenty-year-old Walt Disney began his first animation film studio called Laugh-O-Grams. It failed after only a short time. -
Steamboat Willie
Walt Disney didn't give up on making animated films. In 1928 he released a short film called Steamboat Willie featuring Mickey Mouse and using sound for the first time, and it was an instant hit. -
Warner Bros. Studio is born
Looney Tunes was supposed to be a spin off on the Silly Symphonies produced by Disney. It soon took on a life of its own and became very popular. -
Other popular charters
Throughout the 1930's, several now-iconic characters were created. This included Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, and Daffy Duck. -
New technologies
Walt Disney developed the use of 3-strip Technicolor animation. In 1935, Len Lye created a method of painting directly on film strips; he used it in his animated film "Color Box." -
The first full-length film
Walt Disney produced the first ever full-length animated film. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a major hit. -
Iconic characters grow
The next decade brought several new popular characters to life. This included Woody Woodpecker, Mighty Mouse, and Tom and Jerry. -
Computer generated movies
At the University of Utah, and man named Ed Catmull developed a method of creating computer generated movies. It used scripting language. -
3-D and beyond
Apple computer company produced a method for creating 3-D films, and in 1995 Toy Story was released as the first full-length 3-D film. The animation industry would never be the same. -
Recent movies
