History of Animation

Hand Drawn Animation

1908

Fantasmagorie is considered the first film to use hand-drawn animation. It is also known as the first animated cartoon. This film was produced by Emile Cohl, a French animator.

First Appealing Character

1914

Gertie the Dinosaur is considered the first cartoon to feature an appealing character. Created by cartoonist and animator Winsor McCay, Gertie the dinosaur is the earliest film to feature a dinosaur. Gertie had a personality like no other cartoon, changing the way animated characters act.

First Animated Film with Sound

1928

Steamboat Willie was the first film to contain sound. With lovable Mickey, a cute story, and game changing sound, Steamboat Willie was an instant success. Although Mickey had been seen before, this was the first film to popularize Mickey Mouse.

First Full Length Animated Movie

1937

Snow White was the first full length animated movie. Snow White contained sound, color, and an interesting storyline, resulting in a massive success. This made Walt Disney want to be the world's most innovative storytellers.

First Full Length Film Using Xerography

1961

Xerography saves a large amount of time by eliminating the hand-inking process. This process was used in 101 Dalmatians. This was the first full length film made using xerography.

Creation of Computer Generated Films

1972

Ed Catmull developed the technique of creating computer animated films. This resulted in a series of animated blockbusters and successes. Ed Catmull used a scripting language to create computer animated films.

First Live Action and Cartoon Mix

1988

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the first film to combine real people with animated characters. This film consisted of a large variety of characters, creating a milestone in animation. Not only would one animated character be in a scene, but multiple animated characters with real people were all crammed into one scene.

First Full Length Computer Animated Film

1995

In Pixar's Toy Story, all of the characters and scenes were created using Computer Animation. The characters were all 3d, which had never been seen before. This film place Pixar above all movie studios.