COP Lecture 6 : Animation

A Historical Timeline of Animation:

Animation comes from the Latin word Animare, which means to give life to. The whole process is based on a series of images that give the illusion of movement, by fooling the eye through the persistence of vision.

It all started with sequential imagery from the Egyptians 4000 years ago.

In 1650 Christen Huygens designed the first candle light projector called the Magic Candle. The in 1824 the Thaumatrope was created a victorian toy with two discs on a baton that when spun form a moving image. This was then developed to the Phenakistoscope in 1831which is a flat circle with a slit in that shows a moving image. Then this developed to a vertical drum version called the Zoetrope. Then in 1868 the flip book was made and was patented. The Zoetrope was developed to a Praxinoscope Theater by Charles Emily Reynard, which was a more sophisticated version of the Zoetrope with mirrors.

Film developed, which led a major development to animation.

Norman Mclaren said in 1949: 'Animation is not the art of drawings that move by the art of Movements that are drawn.'

George Melies 1902 made 'a trip to the moon' which has since inspired the Mighty Boosh and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Emile Cole, Fantasmagorie 1908. Often considered the first french cartoon, a hand drawn on film character who morphs into several objects.

Winsor McCay, Gertie the Dinosaur, 1908. First use of compositing. A stilted and very primitive animation, one of the first to use registration marks and key frames.

Winsor McCay, Sinking of the Lusitania, 1918. A short reproduction of the boat crashing made news travel faster, an interpretation of telegraphs coming through, went round in seven days.

Lotte Reiniger, The adventures of Prince Achmed, 1926. A german silhouette fairytale, use of coloured lighting and slick movements.

By 1928 animation had developed it's own language and cartoons became mainstream.

Walt Disney began in 1928 with Steamboat Willie, the first animation to have synchronised sound. Then in 1929 the first animation was created to sound, The skeleton dance was created around the sound.

Alexander Ptushko, Novvy the New Gulliver, 1929. First stop motion to have tracking shots.

Ladislaw Starewicz, The tale of the fox, 1930. Took ten years to make.

Mark Fleisher, Dizzy Dishes/Betty Boop, 1930. Took Drugs and the nudity got censored. He also created Pop Eye in 1933.

Wills O'Brien, King Kong, 1933. Stop Motion.

Oskar Fischinger, Komposition in Blau, 1935. Fine art /abstract animation.

Toybox, Momotaro vs Mickey Mouse. Japanese propaganda where japanese folk fight off an evil Mickey and American Folk.

Len Lye, Colour box, 1935/1936. Painted directly onto the film stock advert for the post office, advert for the post office.

Disney, Snow white and the seven dwarves, 1937. Rotoscoping, stop motion techniques, and parallax animation. Then Fantasia in 1941 refreshed Mickey Mouse.

Wan Brothers, Princess Iron fan, first animated Chinese feature length that included over 70 artists and took 16 months.

From 1943-1945 Disney produced a lot of propaganda to get Americans involved in the war effort.

UPA, The brotherhood of Man, 1945. Regarding immigrants to america in the 40's portraying All men are equal trying to get rid of racism.

Gerald McBoing, Boing, 1951. Charming Characters.

Neighbours, 1952. Pixelation analergy for the Cold War.

Chuck Jones, Duck Amuck, 1953, First animation for a character to talk to the audience, very playful.

Animal Farm, 1954.
Animals rebelling against mean farmer, the masses facing the government. Halas and Batchelor worked on it and gained lots of commercial work from this.

Saul Bass man with the golden arm title sequence, Anatomy of a murder 1959.

During the next era Money was thrown at animation at the time. Cinemas Changed and decided they wanted to show more films therefore animation had to be cheaper.

Backgrounds became simpler and things like walk cycles were constantly reused.

Hanna Barbera, Flint Stones.

Bob Godfrey, Do it yourself cartoon kit, 1961, Manic Surrealist Humour.

Zagreb, Ersatz, 1961, about absurdities of the modern age. Simple.

Stan Brakhage, Mothlight, 1963, abstract animations, life, death and emotions.

Ray Harryhausen, Jason and the Argonaughts, 1963.

Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy, 1963, based on Pinocchio, Early Anime.

Jiri Trnka, the Hand, 1965, Social Commentary.

Chuck Jones, The dot and the Line, a romance in lower mathematics, 1965.

1966 Walt Disney does Gordon Murray, Camber wick green.

Terry Gilliam, Monty Pythons, Flying Circus, 1966.

Oliver Postgate, the clangers 1969.

Richard Williams, Christmas Carol, 1971, not a kids cartoon, a ghost story for christmas.

Ivor Caption, The pinch life Grand Prix, 1975. First one to use a bit of robotics in Armateurs.

Bob Godfrey, Roobarb and Custard, 1977.

Martin Roosen, Watership down, 1979.

Rogermainwood, Autobahn, Music Video, 1979, first computerised animation.

Yuri Norstein, tale of tales, 1979.

Tim Burton, Vincent, 1982,

Don Bluth, the secret of nimh, 1982, used colour photocopies in the animation,

Steven Lisberger, Tron, 1982,

Gerald Scarfe, Pink Floyd the Wall, 1982,

Cosgrave Hall, Wind in the Willows, 1983, also made Dangermouse, very well crafted.

Jimmy Murakami, When the Wind Blows, 1986, Surging Nuclear Holocaust.

Brothers Quay, Street of Crocodiles, 1986, channel four funded,

Joanna Quinn, Girls Night out 1987.

Jan Svankmajer, Alice 1988. Combined techniques such as pixelatioon and stop motion.

Disney, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, 1988.

Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, 1988.

Studio, Ghibli, My Neighbour Totoro.

Beauty and the Beast, 1991, computer generated backgrounds.

Barry Purves, Screenplay, 1992, Bedroom Shot.

Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park, 1993. Dinosaurs, big parks, computer generated stampede scenes.

John Lasseter, Toy Story, 1995.

Dave Brothewick, Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb, 1995.

Aardman, Wallis and Grommit, 1995.

Mamoru Oshii, Ghost in the Shell, 1995.

Lasseter and Stanton, Bug's Life.

Micheal Dudok de Wit, Father and Daughter 2005.

Narayan Shit, Freedom Song, 2000, Indian 2D and 3D.

Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz, Clint Eastwood, 2001.

Run Wrake, Rabbit, 2005.

Pleix, Plaid Itsu, 2006.

Semi Conductor, Magnetic Movie, 2007.

Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis, 2007.

Henry Selick, Coraline, Stop Motion, 2009.

James Cameron, Avatar 2009, 3D Stereotopic. Reference to Pocahontas.

Cyriak, Flying Lotus, Pretty Boy Strut, 2012.

Dumb Ways to Die, advert for train safety for metro.

Not an exhaustive list, but a list to provide examples of all types of animation through the era.