A Brief History of Animation

Here's a nice overview of the History of the Animation Studio System

1800s - early Optical Toys demonstrate animation effects

1900s - early Animation experiments at the Library of Congress

Gertie the Dinosaur - Winsor McCay, Comic Strip pioneer, creates the first popular Animated character

• One person’s labor of love - McCay and his assistant drew all 10,000 frames

• Illusion of life

• Vaudeville performance - audience is stunned

1920s - Felix the Cat

• 1st animated star, reused in multiple films

• Animation as part of cinema show w/newsreel, etc

• the "rubber hose" style of body animation.

• Some Felix sites: 1 2 3

Walt Disney

• capitalized on rise of "talkies" with Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie."

• Animated action tightly synchronized with soundtrack

• Fordist Studio system - production line

1930s - 1950s Golden Age of Cartoons

• Warner Brothers, Looney Tunes, etc

• Wildly creative period - many notable directors: Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Walter Lantz, Tex Avery, etc

• Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Donald Duck, etc.

1950s- 1960s Rise of Television

• Decline of cartoons due to pressures of TV production schedule

• Hanna Barbera is dominant studio in 1960s and 1970s

• Cheesier, less artful animation, such as Scooby Doo

• The Flintstones, the Jetsons, the Smurfs, etc

1990s - Rebirth of Animation

• Rise of Computer Animation

• Return of the Disney feature

• Renaissance in artistic, historically-aware animation (ie Ren and Stimpy)