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Evolution of Animation

Animation has come a long way from its beginning. According to Kehr (n.d.), one of the first devices used for animation was the phenakistoscope which was just a spinning cardboard disc with multiple images to create the illusion of movement. In 1906, J. Stuart Blackton experimented with stop-motion. Stop-motion is technique where a picture is taken of an object in one position then the object is moved to the next position, and a picture is taken of the new position. The process is repeated until the scene is done. In 1928, Steamboat Willie was released. It was the first animated film to have a complete accompanying soundtrack according to Jamie (2018). Rotoscoping was made by the Max and Dave Fleischer. Adobe (n.d.) describes rotoscoping as a technique where real life sequences are traced as a cartoon to make a realistic animation. Animation nowadays is dominated by computer animation (Britannica, n.d.). The use of computer programs for animation simplifies animation and reduces the amount of effort needed for drawing each frame of an animation. Computer programs can be used to create models of objects and characters, simulate the behaviour of different objects and materials, and produce different effects for different scenes. Pixar experimented with animations when John Lasseter joined the company. They eventually made Toy Story. They started with the story and made storyboards to guide them through the production process. From the storyboards, computer models of the characters were created. The models are then tested to make sure that the animation variables are working. When everything is in place, the music is recorded and added to the animation. 24 years later, Toy Story 4 is released with much better details and effects. The production process is pretty much the same. The story is made first with storyboards made with it and is edited to have temporary audio to make a rough draft of the film. Models for the characters are then made and rigged (Desiderio & Phillips, 2020). The producers research about the materials and how they are produced and how they age to know what details to add to different objects. With the advancement of technology and computer programs, they added more details and started simulating the behaviour of objects like fur.

References

Adobe. (n.d.). What is rotoscoping animation and how to do it. https://www.adobe.com/sea/creativecloud/video/discover/rotoscoping-animation.html#:~:text=Rotoscoping%20explained.,people%20in%20the%20real%20world. 

Britannica. (n.d.). Computer animation. https://www.britannica.com/topic/computer-animation

Desiderio, K., & Phillips, I. (2020, May 20). How Pixar’s animation has evolved over 24 years, from ‘Toy Story’ to ‘Toy Story 4’. Insider. https://www.insider.com/pixars-animation-evolved-toy-story-2019-6

Insider. (2019, July 9). How Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 4’ Was Animated | Movies Insider [Video]. YoutTube. https://youtu.be/fT_LdcWFHkA

Jamie. (2018, November 6). The evolution of animation – a timeline. Fudge. https://www.fudgeanimation.com/2018/11/the-evolution-of-animation-a-timeline/

Kehr, D. (n.d.). Animation. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/animation

VHSFx. (2013, February 12). The Making of Toy Story - (1995) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1VdERcRJ3jI