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Late 19th century
The history of anime in Japan can be traced back to the late 19th century. In fact, it was a French art movement called "Japonisme" that helped inspire Japanese artists and create some of the first examples of modern animation. -
The beginning of the 20th century
The first-ever Japanese animation in its most basic form is thought to have been created in 1906. The short, animated film was called Katsudō Shashin depicts a young boy drawing the Japanese characters for Katsudō Shashin. There have been several claims that other films entered Japan around this time too, but none have been able to be fully verified.