History of Animation

By john1234

  • Thaumatrope

    A thaumatrope was a simple toy used in the Victorian era. A thaumatrope is a small circular disk or card with two different pictures on each side that was attached to a piece of string or a pair of strings running through the centre. When the string is twirled quickly between the fingers, the two pictures appear to combine into a single image. The thaumatrope demonstrates the Phi phenomenon, the brain's ability to persistently perceive an image. Its invention is often credited to Sir John Hersch

  • Phenakistoscope

    The phenakistoscope used a spinning disc attached vertically to a handle. Arrayed around the disc's center were a series of drawings showing phases of the animation, and cut through it were a series of equally spaced radial slits. The user would spin the disc and look through the moving slits at the disc's reflection in a mirror. The scanning of the slits across the reflected images kept them from simply blurring together, so that the user would see a rapid succession of images that appeared to

  • Zoetrope

    The earliest known zoetrope was created in China around 180 AD by the inventor Ting Huan (丁緩). Ting Huan's device, driven by convection, hung over a lamp and was called chao hua chich kuan (the pipe which makes fantasies appear). The rising air turned vanes at the top, from which translucent paper or mica panels hung. When the device was spun at the right speed, pictures painted on the panels would appear to move.

  • Flip Book Animation Introduced

    InfoThe first Flip Book animation appeared in September 1868 and it was patented by John Barnes Linnett, he patented it under the name kineograph.
    (actual date unknown)

  • Creation of the Praxinoscope

    The praxinoscope was invented in 1877 by Charles-Émile Reynaud. It was made by using strips of picture around the inside of a circle, and a set of mirrors on another circle inside the original. If the wheel is turned the image appears to be moving. The praxinoscope is the successor of the zoetrope.
    (actual date unknown)

  • One of the First Motion Picture Film Cameras Made

    Although the date of the first movie camera is unknown the one made by Louis Le Prince was definately one of the first. He used a single lens camera and Eastmans paper film. He was not granted a patent for his single lens camera due to an interfering patent. He was granted a patent for his 16 lens camera that combined a motion picture camera with a projector

  • Stop Motion Animation

    Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton were the first people to use stop motion animation in 1898 when they created The Humpty Dumpty Circus.

  • Sherlock Homes Baffled

    Arthur Marvin was the first person to use Arthur Conan Doyle's detective character in a short feature film. Since the show includes a detective it is also considered the first detective film recorded. The show has a running time of 30 seconds.

  • J. Stuart Blackton Directs Humorous Phases of Funny Faces

    This was one of the first films that used stop-motion. It is a silent film that was produced by J. Stuart Blackton in 1906.

  • Émile Cohl Releases Fantasmagorie

    This film was released in 1908 and was considered one of the first fully animated films ever made. It was made using 700 drawings and had a running time of only 2 minutes.

  • Gertie the Dinosaur

    Gertie the Dinosaur was released in 1914 by Winsor McCay. It was not the first animated film but is considered the first cartoon that had a character with an appealing personality. It was made using keyframe animation and it has a running time of 12 minutes.

  • Walt Disney Brings Out Alice's Wonderland

    Alice's Wonderland was the first Disney film featuring Alice. It was a black and white, silent film with a running time of 12 minutes and 29 seconds.

  • Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio Opens

    The Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded on October 16,1923 by Walt and Roy Disney. The company was opened during the "silent era", and the creation of the Alice Comedies began

  • Mickey Mouse is Introduced

    Mickey Mouse was introduced and voiced by Walt Disney in 1928 after he lost his character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Mickey's first debut was in Plane Crazy. The first Mickey cartoon with sound was Steamboat Willie.

  • Betty Boop Introduced

    Betty Boop made her first appearance in 1930 in a cartoon called Dizzy Dishes. She was created by Max Fleischer with help from various animators. The film series was produced by Fleischer Studios and then released by Paramount Pictures.

  • Tom and Jerry, the First Installment

    Tom and Jerry were first introduced in 1931 by Van Beuren in a short film called Wot a Night, lasting 8 minutes and 19 seconds. The series only lasted 2 years. In 1940 Joseph Barbera and William Hanna re-created the series using a cat and a mouse.

  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

    In 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became the first full-length animated movie. It was also the first produced in full colour and the first to be produced by Walt Disney.

  • Elbert Tuganov Founds Puppet Animation Division

    After his staff grew to 20, it was decided that puppets would make their way into his studio. He made a number of films for both adults and children.

  • The Smurfs are Introduce by Pierre Culliford

    Pierre Culliford introduced the Smurfs first in a comic strip in a Belgian magazine, Spirou. Later it was translated into English and was made into a childrens cartoon by the Hanna-Barbera Productions

  • Star Wars Brings Great Special Effects

    Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is the first of 6 films in the Star Wars film series. It was written and directed by George Lucas. It relied heavily on the computer for its special effects but in the end came out with impressive results.

  • Jurassic Park Creates Realistic Animals

    In 1993 the first Jurassic Park film was released. It was praised for its use of CGI and being able to create realistic animals.

  • Toy Story Begins

    Toy Story was released in 1995 by Disney/Pixar. It was the first Disney/Pixar film made, as well as the first feature film made entirely with CGI (computer-generated imagery) basically meaning, it was made 100% on the computer.

  • Shrek

    shrek was invented and went on to win Best Animated Film Oscars in 2002