Art history

    My ongoing look at the history of animation for critical study. This should sound good. I've read in articles from the internet and out of animation writing and development from Jean Ann Wright that animation started with cave drawings that would flicker in the early light. I've never seen the cave drawing myself but the thought of Homo sapiens children getting up early to watch Saturday morning cave movement. Blink and you miss it.

Then came the break through with the thaumatrope. A toy made around the beginning of the 1820. Not yet animation but was a start. It work to create an image from two different drawing by the principle of persistence of vision. That been the eye's ability to retain an image for a fraction of a section after the eye has seen it. Not to good for someone that has a blinking disorder or a fish. Thankfully dow the zoetrope was around, lucky kids those Victorian. Then was later improved with the arrival of the new hit kids toy, the zoetrope. Wow I hear you say. Not forgetting flipbooks too which even today can be an effective tool for an animator. Now these were ok, much like the video games of today. Being you can only play the same level so many times before your thinking what's new in the world of video games. That not including games with good online play.

The invention of the camera to capture images was a step in the right direction dow not yet able to hold an image as it would faded away. The studies of movement in animal motion by Eadweard Muybridge which used a camera with an electrical trigger created by a john lsaaes. That was able to capture the horse movement, showing that in a gallop for a moment that all the horses feet were airborne. Dow not animation would have help towards helping in the studding of movement for motion (for animation). Eadweard Muybridge who used zoopraxiscope to show his photos in motion. Showed his study of animal movement. In 1889 George Eastman began the manufacture of the kinetoscope which projected 50ft length of film in about 13 seconds. Then came the photographic film strips which used nitro-cellulose in it production.

Ok then looking at when and how animation began. From my research I've found that Charles-Emile Reynaud produced the first animation on celluloid. Then came stop motion with the short film called humpty dumpty circus (1898).     The first innovation into 2D animator was James Stuart Blackton who had started his career as an illustrator and journalist in New York. When he interviewed Thomas Edison who was so impressed with his cartoon drawings that he helped to make an animated film. The most famous of his films was humorous phases of funny faces.

From France came Emil Cohl who produced the film Fantasmagorie/ phantasmagoria( believed to be the same film but know by different names). Then the first film using paper cut out figures called En Route.

The arrival of Winsor McCay to the animation world buy with it new life, first in the form of an old idea Little Nemo. He also released how a mosquito operates in 1912 and Gertie The dinosaur in 1914 which had the first loveably animated character. McCay interacting with the animated character called Gertie who would react to McCay action. This won the heart and minds of the public. It was the first animation to use key frames.

    The introduction of celluloid sheets from which images of moving characters can be draw then added to the background. This allowed the animator to concentrate on the characters without having to draw the background every time. Earl Hurd is credited with applying for the patent of the clear celluloid sheet technique commonly know as cel animation.

Felix the cat the cat that caused a stir both on and off the screen with both Patrick Sullivan and Otto Messmer clamming to have created it. That aside Felix the cat grow to come a house hold name and by 1921 saw Felix in over 60 per cent of North America cinemas.

Introduce Walter Disney the most significant figure in graphic arts since Leonardo DaVinci. Not my words but the words of David Low the late political cartoonist. Still the contribution of Walter Disney and the Disney brand to animation back in the early 20's and 30's was pioneering to the industry. Founded in 1923 by Walter Disney and his brother Roy Disney. From what I understand Roy Disney was the main investor, but that Walter came up with most of idea, dow they were both equal partners in the company.

Although Disney was to pioneer many animation techniques it wasn't the first to release a feature length film. That honour goes to Quirino Cristiani writer and director of El Apostol which premiered in 1917, although most of my research back this up one date did say 1926. Quirino Cristiani who was born in Italy 1896 and moved to Argentina with his family as a young boy to join their father who moved to find work.

Back to Disney and the emergence of Mickey mouse which was to become the early face of the Walt Disney franchise. First introduced in 1928 plane crazy and then in steam boat willie which was to first film to include sound. Disney continue from that point to perfect the animation industry with Silly Symphonies which back in 1932 was to introduce Technicolor. The animation Flowers and tree was to win Walt the first of 32 Academy Awards. In 1937 Disney released The Old Mill which was the first film which used multiplane camera technique. Also in 1937 came show white and the seven dwarfs released on 21 of December. At the time costing $1,499,000 which back then with America still in the great depression was no easy task. Thankfully the film was a great success bringing in 8 million on its first release. It then went on to be released both at the cinema and video, DVD and blue-ray. In all it has knock up over a 100 million, not bad for a film made before the second world war.

Inter Paul Terry and Frank Moser who established Terrytoons in 1929. There first cartoon came out in 1930 which were distributed by fox pictures until 1935. I don't know who distributed them after but CBS took the mighty mouse cartoons, the most famous of Terrytoons creations and put them into a Saturday morning kids show. The Mighty mouse playhouse was born in 1955 and lasted foe eleven years.

Now for Looney tunes, one of my favourites with arguably some of the best character ever created (I'm sure you'll agree). Bosko was the first offering with the sinkin in the bathtub. A black and white film made in the 1930. It was only though this research that my perception of Warner brothers Looney tunes began not with bugs bunny or daffy duck as well as other well know characters like I always believed. Establish by Leon Schlesinger with Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising
which was distributed By Warner Brothres. Later Schlesinger move and set up a studio on sunset boulevard after Harman and lsing parted with him and
Warner brothers. Leon Schlesinger then went about recruiting new talent for his new studio looking to Disney as usual like most did back then.

This was to see the first official Loony tunes character, Buddy's day out 1933 not Bugs Bunny. Bug Bunny first to appear in the cartoon Wild Hare 1940 with Elmer Fudd. Although an earlier concept was tried in a Porky Pig cartoon called Porky's hare hunt. Thought that seems almost unbelievable to me that Bugs Bunny wouldn't be the main character. I had always perceived that Bug Bunny was the face of Warner Brothers cartoon and guy that always win but makes you feel sorry for the other guy. Yet Porky Pig and even Daffy Duck came before good old Bugs. Even the famous ending Porky Pig was used. Leon Schlesinger sold Looney Tunes in 1944 to Warner Brothers.