History of Animation

Early Moving Picture

1892

Frenchman Emil Reynaud opened a theatre using an invention called the Praxinoscope. It utilised turning mirrors to reflect images and produce a 10 to 15 minute "moving picture".

Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope

1893

Thomas Edison produced a similar moving picture; using celluloid film moving over a series of wheels.

The Enchanted Drawing

1900

A man named James Stuart Blackton used animation techniques to produce a short film. It documented the drawing process of characters, without ever showing the artist; this made it seem that the drawings simply appeared.

First Animated Film

1908

A Frenchman named Emile Cohl produced a film called "Fantasmagorie." It was extremely popular, and is known today as the first true animated film.

Felix the Cat

1920

A man named Otto Messmer, who had been working in animation for a few years, created a character named Felix the Cat. Felix was very successful and even ended up including dolls and watches.

Steamboat Willie

1928

In 1928, Walt Disney released a short film called Steamboat Willie featuring Mickey Mouse and utilising sound for the first time,

Warner Bros.

1930

Looney Tunes was originally a parody of Disney's Silly Symphonies, but it's unexpected popularity saw it take on a life of its own.

New Technology

1932

Walt Disney developed the use of 3-strip Technicolor animation. In 1935, Len Lye created a method of painting directly on film strips; he used it in his animated film "Color Box."

First Full-Length Film

1937

Walt Disney produced the first ever full-length animated film: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Computer Generated Animation

1972

At the University of Utah, and man named Ed Catmull developed a method of creating computer generated animation, via scripting language.

First 3D CGI Film

1995

Pixar released Toy Story, the first ever CGI fim