Animation Timeline

Ok so here's some key dates in animation running through the 1800's to the early 90's


1824: Peter Roget presented his paper 'The persistence of vision with regard to moving objects' to the British Royal Society.

1831: Dr. Joseph Antoine Plateau (a Belgian scientist) and Dr. Simon Rittrer constructed a machine called a phenakitstoscope. This machine produced an illusion of movement by allowing a viewer to gaze at a rotating disk containing small windows; behind the windows was another disk containing a sequence of images. When the disks were rotated at the correct speed, the synchronization of the windows with the images created an animated effect.

1906: J. Stuart Blackton made the first animated film which he called "Humorous phases of funny faces." His method was to draw comical faces on a blackboard and film them. He would stop the film, erase one face to draw another, and then film the newly drawn face. The Ôstop-motionÕ provided a starting effect as the facial expressions changed be fore the viewerÕs eyes.

1908: In France Emile Cohl produced a film, Phantasmagorie which was the first depicting white figures on a black background.

1910: Emile Cohl makes En Route the first paper cutout animation. This technique saves time by not having to redraw each new cell, only reposition the paper.

1911
• Winsor McCay (1867- Spring Lake, Ohio -1934) makes his first film, "LITTLE NEMO." McCay, who was already famous for his comic strips, used this film in his vaudeville act. His advice on animation was:" Any idiot that wants to make a couple of thousand drawings for a hundred feet of film is welcome to join the club."

1912
• Winsor McCay's second film "THE STORY OF A MOSQUITO" ("HOW A MOSQUITO OPERATES") is released.

1914
• Winsor McCay's "GERTIE THE DINOSAUR" was the first major triumph in character animation (it is still a marvelous film). It was shown as a film in the theaters and also as a multi media event on stage with McCay interacting with the animated Gertie.

1926: The first feature-length animated film called "El Apostol" is created in Argentina.

1930:  The Warner Bros. Cartoons are born. The First Warner Bros. short was SINKING IN THE BATHTUB with the character BOSKO who was a take off on Mickey Mouse. Harman, Ising, and Friz Freleng, who were old Disney people, started the studio with Leon Schlesinger as the producer. He was a cousin of the Warner BrotherÕs and had helped back the "Jazz Singer". As a condition for the studio each short must contain a Warners song. So Looney Tunes series, a take off on the Silly Symphonies, began. "Our policy has always been laughs, the more the better", was the Warner's philosophy (Schlesinger).

1932:  Walt Disney wins his first Academy Award for "FLOWERS AND TREES." This film was the first to use 3 strip Technicolor (color) in animation.

1933:  Walt Disney wins his second Academy Award for "THE THREE LITTLE PIGS."