animation history

Animation has been used throughout history as a way of telling stories, entertaining people and leaving their mark on history.


The earliest form of animation was the Egyptian drawings in their tombs. They used these drawings to show people how they did certain things like mummification and the history of their country. Considering their writing was very difficult to understand the drawings on the walls were their best alternative even though it is a poor form of animation. the target audience was anyone interested in history. it is important in the history of animation because these drawings were the first sign that animation was possible. the techniques used in this animation were the normal techniques used by the Egyptians in the drawings on stone walls and the people who done this animation had to keep there hands steady when they were engraving the walls. there was no technology used in the stone drawings in the pyramids.


The bird in a cage was the earliest form of animation and is the easiest to make but sometimes difficult to make work. To make the bird in a cage work you need a picture of a bird on a small cut out of paper, a cage on another cut out and a piece of string to hold the 2 pieces of paper together and then spin the string and it looks as if the bird is in the cage. To make this animation work you need to get the bird in a cage spinning fast enough to make the illusion that the bird is in the cage. the bird in a cage only works well for entertaining children and it didn't offer anything else. there are no technologies in making or using a bird in a cage all that's needed to make it is 2 pieces of paper and some string.





flipbooks became the main form of animation and was created for an adult theatre but could be used by all ages. when flip books were originally created they were aimed for adult use. there weren't any technologies used in flip books and it was and still is a very simple form of animation. to make a flip work you needed to draw the image and have it change slightly on every page. nowadays flipbooks can be used by anyone and now have some of the most impressive forms of drawn animation. it is not clear when flipbooks first appeared but they were very popular by the end of the 19Th century and is believed that before cinema was created flipbooks were used allot by creators and gave inspiration for a more advance animation after the invention of cinema.


the phenakistoscope was created around 1832 and was an optical toy invented by Joseph plateau. the phenakistoscope was used for a quick animation because of the limit of animation had at this point in time. the phenakistoscope didn't use much in the way of technology and was very simple in how it worked and how it was built. the phenakistoscope was important in the history of animation because it showed what animation could do and how far it could go.



chalk animation was created in 1906 and was used to create humorous phases of funny faces which has been seen as the worlds first cartoon. the creation of humorous phases of funny faces is believed to be what started off the process of modern day animation. chalk animation was important to the history of animation because it created the first cartoon and proved what animation could do and the possibilities for the future. the animation was good at the time because it was new and this type of animation was used for a few years but the way chalk animation was created was used for along time and a cheaper alternative to computer animation when technology became more advance.


22 years after humorous phases of funny faces was created Walt Disney released steamboat willy staring Micky mouse. this was the first cartoon synchronized with sound but didn't feature any dialogue. there wasn't a specific audience for this animation but it seemed later productions from Disney were targeted at children. this was important because it continued to prove that through time and effort animation could be better than ordinary films. steamboat willie only ran for 8 minutes but it was the first time animation like this had been done.


in 1937 Disney released snow white which was Disney's first full length production. Disney made this film aimed at people of all ages to show that animation can be enjoyed by everyone. this film is important in the history of animation because it was Disney's first full length production and Disney went on to become the largest animation company in the world. Disney used drawing drawing techniques and and a relatively basic form of animation by today's standards. there wasn't much technology used when they made this animation but Disney used what they could and made a very popular film in any one's opinion. the film itself has been outdone by other films on an animation level but the story to the film has always been a classic.


3 years later Disney brought out Pinocchio and fantasia. both films by today's standards are classics and are hard to beat but when they were brought out the public didn't like them. they saw the film as shoving upper class down peoples throats and with the war in Europe reaching a very destructive point a film that appeared to glorify the upper class was the last thing people wanted. the target audience for these films were children but Disney made them with hopes that everyone not just kids could enjoy these films. this is important in the history of animation because it showed that animation films, like regular films, had to be careful of when they were released to the public because what is happening in the world at time will influence the publics reaction to the film.


in 1982 the flight of the dragons was released and was targeted at more adult teenage audiences at the cinema. the flight of the dragons was about a a young Boston writer who goes back to a time where wizards and dragons rule and science is almost unheard of. the film was target at a more teenage adult audience than most animation films in the hopes of attracting a bigger audience. this film was important in the history of animation because it showed that teenagers and adults could enjoy animation as well as kids.


in 1984 Nauicaa of the valley of the wind was released. the film was set a millennium after a war called the 7 days of fire and a new type of fungus called the fukai, has grown across the planet with giant insects living on and inside it. The film targeted a more teenage adult audience and it was important in the history of animation because it showed the world Japanese animation and brought it into its own area of animation. the techniques used in making this animation were the Japanese drawing styles. the technology used in this film was a still shot animation style. the film was on for a total of 52 days in japan and and 914,787 people saw the film at the cinema and is one of the most popular Anime films of all time.


in 1988 the simpsons made there first appearance on the Tracey Ullman show and the year also saw the release of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit was a film targeted to attract people of all ages to come and enjoy the film and the Simpsons was originally created for the Tracey Ullman show which was a more adult show but the Simpsons later went on to become a children's show. Roger Rabbit was very important in the history of animation for 2 reasons: 1) it was the first and currently the only time Disney and Warner Bros worked together and 2) it was the first film that featured live actors and animated cartoons. the Simpsons was also important in animation history because it went from a few quick scences on the Tracey Ullman show and went on to become one the most popular TV show in history. the techniques used in the Simpsons was are the still shot animation while Roger Rabbit used green screens to make it look like the cartoons were in the real world.



1 year later Wallace and Gromit appeared for the first time in Nick Park's A Grand Day Out and the Simpsons gained its own TV series. in A Grand Day out Wallace and Gromit run out of cheese and decide that this is a perfect opportunity to go to the moon and get more cheese while the Simpsons first official episode was a Christmas special. A Grand Day out was targeted for kids and the Simpsons also targeted kids. Wallace and Gromit was important in the history of animation because its the most successful Clay animation in history and was nominated for an Oscar for its first production.