Learn the History of Animation: Ancient to Modern World

Did you know that humans made their first animation way back in ancient times?

YES! Using what they had during those times, they set the foundation for the cool animations we see today.

Animation has changed a lot over time. It's now better, faster to make, and more fun to watch.

This post will give you a quick look at how animation has grown up - from ancient times, the role of Disney and to the fancy stuff we see in the 21st century.

• Ancient - First and basic motion depicted in Egyptian murals and Greek pottery.
• 19th Century - Invention of the thaumatrope, Zoetrope, and Phenakistoscope.
• Early 20th Century - First animated film - Émile Cohl's "Fantasmagorie" (1908)
• Golden Age of Animation - Walt Disney Introduces Mickey Mouse
• World War II Era - Animation used for propaganda and training
• 1950s-1960s - Hanna-Barbera pioneers TV animation with "The Flintstones"
• 1970s-1980s - Rise of adult-oriented animation like "Heavy Metal"
• Disney Renaissance (1989-1999) - Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (1989) and "Beauty and the Beast" (1991)
• 1990s-Present - CGI revolutionizes animation with Pixar's "Toy Story"
• 2000s-Present - Streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Originals enter animation production

Émile Cohl gets credit as the animation pioneer or the father of modern animation. He made "Fantasmagorie" in 1908 also known as one of the first hand-drawn cartoons ever. This quick flick showed basic stick people changing in funny ways proving Cohl knew how to bring drawings to life.

Even though Émile Cohl's "Fantasmagorie" is a big deal and considered the backbone of modern animation, the real and first footprint of animation started way before that.

Animation goes way back to ancient times. One example is Old Egyptian wall paintings that showed wrestlers moving step by step. Another example is the Greek pots which had the pictures of people in motion, too.

However, people couldn't see those moving pictures until gadgets like the zoetrope and phenakistoscope came around in the 1800s. These gadgets let folks watch a bunch of pictures fly by really fast, making it look like pictures were moving.

Way before we had cartoons, fancy computer graphics, or even the legendary Emile Cohl's work, ancient people had their own methods to make pictures seem like they were moving! Some of the examples are given below.

i) Cave Drawings and Picture Stories: A really long time ago, cave artists drew animals or other pictures on walls that looked like they were moving on cave walls. They'd just create different parts of the movement in a sequence, which was kind of like a super old version of animation.

ii) Ancient Egyptian Murals: The Egyptians were big on telling stories. Their wall paintings often showed step-by-step actions, like wrestling moves, to narrate a tale picture by picture.

iii) Greek Pottery: The Ancient Greeks come next. They painted figures and pictures in various poses around their pots. Then, after spinning the pot - It tricks your eyes into seeing movement!

Let's talk about some ancient gadgets and methods that ancient folks used to create some basic animation and laid the foundation of modern animations with simple tools and tricks.

i) Zoetrope: It's a circular cylinder-like gadget with with tiny slits cut into its outer shell. Inside, you'd find drawings showing different stages of a character's movement. When you give it a spin and peek through those slits, it's like magic - the pictures seem to come alive!

ii) Phenakistoscope: It is similar to a Zeotrope, this gadget has a spinning disk with different pictures on it. When you looked through the slots as they spun in front of a mirror, you'd see the images come to life.

iii) Flipbooks: A common method that is used even in the modern world. These are tiny books with a picture on every page. Each picture is a little different from the last one, in order. And, If you flip the pages fast, the pictures seem to move!

Then, there comes the silent era. And like the name suggests, animation started to gain popularity without any sound - Silent animations. This might be the result of influence by Charlie Chaplin.

i) Émile Cohl: People call him the father of animation. He made "Fantasmagorie" in 1908. This quick movie featured stick people who changed into different shapes and characters, and it amazed the viewers.

ii) Winsor McCay: McCay, another trailblazer, came up with "Gertie the Dinosaur" in 1914. Gertie was one of the first cartoon characters to have a personality and to interact with the audience, which made her a massive success.

iii) No Sound Just Fun: These old cartoons had no sound. They told stories using big movements and silly situations. Most of the time, live music is played in theaters in conjunction with cartoons.

Then, comes the Golden Age of Animation. It was a special time when animated movies became super popular, and people created many iconic characters that we love today.

In the world of cartoons, both in the past and even in the modern world, Disney is a huge name that has a significant contribution. Walt Disney changed animation forever. In fact, it made many unforgettable characters and amazing movies.

i) Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie: Disney brought Mickey Mouse to life in 1928 with "Steamboat Willie." This cartoon had a big impact on the industry as the first one to have a sound that matched up with the action. Mickey became a hit right away.

ii) First Full-Length Animated Film: Disney put out "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937, which was the first movie-length cartoon.

Disney might be at the front, but other studios also had a big impact and influence on cartoons. For example -

i) Warner Bros. and Looney Tunes: Warner Bros. made the funny Looney Tunes series, with famous characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. These characters became super popular because of their smart jokes and silly actions.

Animation was evolving, but there was a problem of Global reach. Because, even if the quality is improving, if it doesn't reach the audience, then what's the point? Here, comes the television era. Animation got a new platform on TV as tech and cartoons got better. This brought popular characters and tales straight to folks' couches.

TV got big in the 50s and 60s, so animation companies started to focus on TV and it's future influence. So, they started creating shows for it. Companies like Hanna-Barbera began to create cartoon series just for TV, and they made characters like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo super famous.

To give Kids what they want and at a specific time, there comes a concept called Saturday Morning Cartoon - A holiday, when Kids can enjoy their cartoons as much as they want. You can say, Saturday mornings turned into cartoon time for kids, and it became a huge deal in the 60s and 70s. TV channels set aside chunks of time filled with fun characters and exciting stories, which turned into a tradition that families all over the country loved.

Now, animation is getting quite popular, but it needs a boost in popularity and a unique element to keep the audience engaged. During the so-called Rebirth Era, animation got a new life with cool techniques, concept and ways to tell stories and better technology to make it happen.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Disney got its groove and influence back with what people call the Disney Renaissance. Movies like "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "The Lion King" came out during this time and became a massive hit. These films didn't just tell stories in a new way - they became a big deal in pop culture that everyone loved - even in 2024.

With the evolution of technology, animators started to blend animation techniques and technology to speed up the process and enhance the quality. And then computer animation changed everything in the movie world, and Pixar was at the front of it all. In 1995, "Toy Story" hit theaters as the first movie made with computers. It showed everyone just how much you could do with CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) to make characters and worlds that looked real and pulled you in.

Every few years, technology and effort cause a revolution in Animation. It keeps changing with different styles, new ways to do things, and online platforms that shape its future.

These days, animation has lots of styles and ways to make it, from old-school hand drawing to stop-motion and computer stuff. Japanese anime, with its special look and way of telling stories, is now loved all over the world. At the same time, places like Laika are trying new things with stop-motion in movies like "Coraline" and "Kubo and the Two Strings."

Streaming sites like Netflix, Disney+, and YouTube have made animation more accessible, giving chances for small animators and studios to show their stuff to people all over the world.

1. Why is it called animation?
Answer: The word "animation" comes from the Latin word "animare," which means "to bring to life." Animation creates the illusion of movement by showing a bunch of still pictures or frames one after another.

2. What was the first animation style?
Answer: Hand-drawn animation came first. Artists drew each frame by hand. "Fantasmagorie" by Émile Cohl shows this early style well.

3. Who is the founder of modern computer animation?
Answer: John Lasseter has had a big impact on modern computer animation. He worked at Pixar Animation Studios. His work on "Toy Story" caused a revolution in the animation world. It was the first movie made with computers.

Animation has come a long way from its humble beginnings with flipbooks and early optical toys to the breathtaking CGI marvels we enjoy today.

Throughout its past, animation has kept changing, bringing happiness, fun, and new ideas to people of all ages.

As tech gets better, we can guess what's next for this awesome art. Keep checking out and having fun with the cool world of animation!