Animation
ANIMATION HISTORY:
THE BEGINNING
Thaumatrope

This device was created in 1827 by English
physician John Ayerton Paris which has two
different drawings on opposite sides of a disk.
When the disk is spun, the images merge into one.

Paul Roget used the thaumatrope in 1828 to
demonstrate his persistence of vision concept.
Image 02. Used with permission.
Phenakistoscope

In 1832, Belgian physicist Joseph
Plateau and his sons introduced
the phenakistoscope ("spindle
viewer"). It was also invented
independently in the same year
by Simon von Stampfer of
Vienna, Austria.

The phenakistoscope used a
spinning disc attached vertically
to a handle. The user would spin
the disc and look through the
moving slits at the disc's
reflection in a mirror.
Image 03. Public Domain.
Zoetrope
This device was invented in 1834 by
William Horner, who originally
called it a Daedalum ("wheel of
the Devil"). Later, it was renamed
the "zoetrope," or "wheel of life."
 It was more convenient since it did
not require a mirror and allowed
more than one person to use it at
the same time.
 It consisted of a cylinder with slits
cut vertically in the sides. As it
would spin, the user looked through
the slits at the pictures across.

Praxinoscope
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The praxinoscope was invented in
France in 1877 by Charles-Émile
Reynaud.
This improved on the zoetrope by
replacing its narrow viewing slits with
an inner circle of mirrors, placed so
that the reflections of the pictures
appeared more or less stationary in
position as the wheel turned.
In 1889 Reynaud developed an
improved version capable of
projecting images on a screen from
a longer roll of pictures.
Birth of Photography

Animation on film was only
possible because of
invention of photography
in 1827 by Joseph Niépce.

Louis Daguerre, an
assistant to Niépce,
developed a new process
for developing images in
1837 called tin-type
photos, also known as
Daguerre-types.
Improvement of
Photography

The technology behind
photography improved
dramatically in the last half of the
19th century.

During the American Civil War
(1860-1865), New York
photographer Matthew Brady
became well-known by taking
photos of the war.

In 1885, George Eastman
introduced transparent, flexible film
and in 1888 marketed his Kodak
camera, bringing photography to
the average American.
Eadweard J.
Muybridge


Well known as a photographer in
California, Muybridge was hired
by former governor Leland
Stanford to photograph the
governor’s race horse. Stanford
had a wager that all four hooves
of a horse leave the ground
when running. Muybridge’s job
was to prove the theory.
Using twenty-four cameras, a
system of trip shutters, and high
speed film, Muybridge’s series of
still photographs gave the
impression of motion.
Muybridge Horse in Motion
Image 11. Public Domain.
Motion Pictures in
America

America’s premier inventor,
Thomas Alva Edison,
developed a motion picture
camera (the kinetograph)
and a projector (the
kinetoscope) in 1891.

Edison filmed random events
including haircuts, boxing
matches, Annie Oakley, and
the new Brooklyn Bridge.
Birth of Narrative Films

By the turn of the century, the
subject of motion pictures
evolved towards narrative
stories.

The Edison 1902 film, “Fun in a
Bakery Shop” was an early
example of movie special
effects.

In 1903, the landmark silent
movie “The Great Train
Robbery” debuted. It was
created by former Edison
cameraman Edwin S. Porter,
was a commercial success, and
led to the birth of silent pictures.
Motion Pictures in
France

Auguste and Louis Lumiere were
French inventors and pioneer
manufacturers of photographic
equipment who devised an early
motion-picture camera and projector.

In 1895, they created the film “Workers
Leaving the Factory” which is
considered the first motion picture.

In 1903, they turned their attentions
away from cinematography and
patented a color photography process
that launched in 1907.
Georges Méliès


After seeing the Lumiere’s new
invention in 1895, Georges Méliès
began making films. He had been a
magician and expert in special
effects for the theater.
In 1902, Georges Méliès made his
most famous film, “A Trip to the
Moon.” The film included the
celebrated scene in which a
spaceship hits the man in the moon
in the eye. It was loosely based on
works by Jules Verne and H. G.
Wells.
J. Stuart Blackton

Blackton started as a vaudeville performer
known as “The Komikal Kartoonist” who
drew lightning-fast sketches. After meeting
Edison, Blackton became interested in
putting his drawings on film.

“The Enchanted Drawing” was an early
attempt at animation and special effects.

In 1906 using a chalkboard, Blackton
created “Humorous Phases of Funny
Faces” which was known as the first
animated film.

“The Haunted Hotel” in 1907 expanded on
the use of stop motion in films.
Émile Cohl
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Eugène Jean Louis Courtet, who went by the
pseudonym Émile Cohl, was a French
caricaturist, cartoonist, and animator.
After seeing a screening of Stuart Blackton’s “The
Haunted Hotel,” Cohl began animating.
In 1908, Cohl created “Fantasmagorie.” This
animation was created using an illuminated
glass plate for his table while drawing black lines
on paper. The end result was printed in negative
to intentionally give the feel of a chalkboard.
The title referred to a fantasmograph, which was
an early animation machine similar to a
zeotrope.
Winsor McCay
McCay worked as a cartoonist for
several newspapers.
 In 1912, McCay animated “How a
Mosquito Operates.”
 In 1914, McCay brought “Gertie the
Dinosaur” to life on film. It was
included in his vaudeville act along
with camera tricks where McCay
appeared on screen with Gertie.
 McCay used animation to illustrate
the “Sinking of the Lusitania” in 1918.

Silent Movie Era of the 20’s

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In the 1920s, movie theatres popped
up around the country. Sound was not
added until 1927; all of the movies
were silent.
Before each movie, theatres usually
showed several cartoons as well as
news reels.
Because of the popularity of movies,
there became a strong demand for
animated cartoons. The first studios
were based in New York.
Most studios relocated to California to
take advantage of the good weather.
Celluloid



From 1914 through 1920, several film
and animation houses were started in
New York.
The John Bray Studio was one of the
most influential studios with its
cartoon series, “Colonel Heeza Liar.”
In 1914, Bray employee Earl Hurd
invented the process of inking the
animator’s drawings onto clear
pieces of celluloid and then
photographed them over a single
painted background. This simplified
the animation process.
Otto Messmer

In 1919, Otto Messmer created
Felix the Cat for the Pat Sullivan
Studios.

Unlike Winsor McCay’s “Gertie
the Dinosaur,” Felix the Cat was
a studio character. This meant
that audiences could look
forward to seeing him again
and again. Felix was also
exposed to audiences across
the country.

One good example of an early
cartoon was the 1923 release
of “Felix in Hollywood.”
Fleischer Studios
Max and Dave Fleischer created
“Koko the Clown” and the “Out
of the Inkwell” series in the
1920’s.
 Max Fleischer invented the
rotoscope; a machine that
allowed an artist to trace over
the live action from a movie film.
 The Fleischer brothers would
have success in the 1930s with
Betty Boop and her spinoff
character, Popeye the Sailor
Man.

Image 27. Public Domain.
Image 28. Public Domain.
Walt Disney
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In 1923, Walt Disney relocated to
Southern California, following the
lead of many motion picture studios.
In 1928, Disney was one of the first to
use sound with the release of
“Steamboat Willie.”
In 1929, he used an entire symphony
orchestra for the background music
in “The Skeleton Dance.” This was the
first cartoon in his series of “Silly
Symphonies.”
In 1932, “Flowers and Trees” was the
first cartoon released in color. It won
the first Academy Award presented
to a cartoon.
Walt Disney

In 1937, Disney released the first
full-length animated feature
film.

During his life, Disney released
19 animated feature films.

He came up with several
innovated techniques for
making animated movies
including:
o the pencil test
o the storyboard
o the multi-plane camera
The Golden Age of
Animation (1930’s – 1950’s)
By the 1930s, many film studios
were in California and had
their own animation
departments. The major
animation studios were:
 Disney Studios
 Warner Brothers (Leon
Schesinger)
 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
 Universal Studios (Walter
Lantz)
Academy Awards for Best
Animated Short (19321950)

1932 Flowers and Trees - Walt Disney Productions, United Artists - Walt Disney
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1933 Three Little Pigs - Walt Disney Productions, United Artists - Walt Disney
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1934 The Tortoise and the Hare - Walt Disney Productions, United Artists - Walt Disney
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1935 Three Orphan Kittens - Walt Disney Productions, United Artists - Walt Disney
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1936 The Country Cousin - Walt Disney Productions, United Artists - Walt Disney
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1937 The Old Mill - Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio - Walt Disney
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1938 Ferdinand the Bull - Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio - Walt Disney
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1939 The Ugly Duckling - Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio - Walt Disney
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1940 The Milky Way - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby & Rudolph Ising
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1941 Lend a Paw - Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio - Walt Disney
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1942 Der Fuehrer's Face - Walt Disney Productions, RKO Radio - Walt Disney
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1943 The Yankee Doodle Mouse - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby
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1944 Mouse Trouble - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby
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1945 Quiet Please! - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby
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1946 The Cat Concerto - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby
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1947 Tweetie Pie - Warner Bros. - Edward Selzer
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1948 The Little Orphan - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer - Fred Quimby
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1949 For Scent-imental Reasons - Warner Bros. - Edward Selzer
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1950 Gerald McBoing-Boing - United Productions of America, Columbia - Stephen Bosustow
Public Domain Films
Many of the early films are in the public domain and can be found online. It is important to note that
some cartoons made during this time period lack political correctness and depict racism. The films
listed below should be safe for students to view. Teachers should screen any video prior to showing it to
the class. Here is a list of public domain films listed in this lesson:

Various early Edison Films

Fun at the Bakery Shop – Thomas Edison

The Great Train Robbery – Edwin S. Porter

Workers Leaving the Factory – Auguste and Louis Lumière

Trip to the Moon – Georges Melies

The Enchanted Drawing – J. Stuart Blackton

Humorous Phases of Funny Faces – J. Stuart Blackton

The Haunted Hotel – J. Stuart Blackton

Fantasmagorie – Emile Cohl

How a Mosquito Operates – Winsor McCay

Gertie the Dinosaur – Winsor McCay

Sinking of the Lusitania – Winsor McCay

Colonel Heeza Liar – John Bray
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Felix in Hollywood – Pat Sullivan