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The Phenakistiscope
It was the first widespread animation device that created a fluent illusion of motion. The phenakistiscope is regarded as one of the first forms of moving media entertainment that paved the way for the future motion picture and film industry. The term 'phénakisticope' was explained in its introduction article in Le Figaro to be from the root Greek word 'phenakisticos', meaning "to deceive" or "to cheat". -
Stop Motion
It is a cinematographic technique whereby the camera is repeatedly stopped and started, for example to give animated figures the impression of movement. The first instance of the stop motion technique can be credited to Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton for The Humpty Dumpty Circus in 1897. Some example of films using stop motion is The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), and Clash of the Titans (1981). -
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Silent Age of Animation
Animation had existed for a long time in some form of another before this era came about, but this era is when large numbers of people actually started taking notice of the medium. This is owed in part to the rise of the motion picture during this time period. Some examples would be Gertie the Dinosaur, Felix the Cat, Phantasmagorie, Little Nemo, etc. -
The Enchanted Drawing
The Enchanted Drawing is a silent film directed by J. Stuart Blackton. It is best known for containing the first animated sequences recorded on standard picture film, which has led Blackton to be considered the father of American animation. It is a combination of a silent film and stop motion animation. -
Warner Bros. Animation
In 1903, the brothers began in the film business as traveling exhibitors, moving throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania with their portable projector. The Warner Bros. Studios began when the brothers Warner (Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack L.) opened their movie company on April 4, 1923. In 1927, the release of the world’s first “talkie,” (synchronized-sound feature film), The Jazz Singer, set a character and tone of innovation and influence that would make the name Warner Bros known. -
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Warner Bros. vs Disney
The biggest difference between the two studios’ approaches is the difference between Wit and Humor, with the enjoyment of Wit relating to a general sadism in the viewer, just as the enjoyment of Humor relates to a general masochism. -
Little Nemo
Little Nemo is a fictional character created by American cartoonist Winsor McCay. Nemo was originally the protagonist of the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. The strip was renamed In the Land of Wonderful Dreams when McCay brought it to William Randolph Hearst's New York American. -
Cel Animation
A cel, short for celluloid, is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for hand-drawn animation. The invention of the technique is generally attributed to Earl Hurd in 1914. A large "pan" cel depicting numerous characters from the finale of Who Framed Roger Rabbit sold for $50,600. Disney Stores sold production cels from The Little Mermaid at prices from $2,500 to $3,500. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was also made by using cel animation. -
Gertie the Dinosaur
It is an animated short film by American cartoonist and animator Winsor McCay. It is the earliest animated film to feature a dinosaur. Gertie was the first film to use animation techniques such as keyframes, registration marks, tracing paper, the Mutoscope action viewer, and animation loops. -
Cut Out Animation
A form of stop-motion animation using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs. The world's earliest known animated feature films were cutout animations. -
Walt Disney
In 1919, Disney moved to Kansas City to pursue a career as a newspaper artist. His brother Roy got him a job at the Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he met cartoonist Ub Iwerks. Disney worked at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he made commercials based on cutout animation. Disney began experimenting with a camera, doing hand-drawn cel animation, and decided to open his own animation business in 1923. -
Bouncing Ball
The animator's most important exercise for building a strong foundation. It uses the squash and stretch animation principle. It was pioneered by Max Fleisher, a Polish-American animator. Fleischer invented the "Follow the Bouncing Ball" technique in his Ko-Ko Song Car-Tunes series of animated sing-along shorts. -
Steamboat Willie
It was a black and white short film. It was directed and animated by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.It was the first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound, including character sounds and a musical score. Steamboat Willie became the most popular cartoon of its day. -
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The Golden Age of Animaiton
A period in animation history that is generally agreed to have begun with the release of Steamboat Willie. Many memorable characters from this period included Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Daffy Duck, Popeye, Betty Boop, Tom and Jerry, Droopy and a popular adaptation of Superman. Feature length animation also began during this period, most notably with Walt Disney's first films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi. -
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Dark Age of Animation
The theatrical short slowly died off, and cartoons moved to television. This era would leave a lasting impression on American culture as the primary target audience for cartoons became children. Some examples would be Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Looney Tunes
