#historyofanimation

[then-annnd-now]

“Animation can explain whatever the mind of man can conceive.” – Walt Disney

The Evolution of Film Animation

- By Animation Enthusiast (Anitth Andrea Tulod)

The art of making inanimate objects appear to move is an artistic impulse that predates the movies. Pygmalion, a sculptor, created a figure of a woman so perfect that he begged Venus to bring her to life. This sense of magic, mystery, and transgression still permeates contemporary film animation, which has made it a primary vehicle for exploring the emotions of childhood.

Due to early experimenters' discovery of the principle of persistence of vision, the theory of the animated cartoon was developed fifty years before the invention of the cinema.

Let's take a look at where it all started!

THEN: THE EARLY ANIMATION ERA

ZOETROPE

The earliest form of animation than was the Zoetrope, which was invented in 1834 by William George Horner. The device consists of a drum-shaped container with vertical slits cut into the sides. When the device is spun, the images inside appear to move. This was the start of what would soon become a powerful tool in the world of entertainment.

The evolution of animation has been influenced by technological advancements, cultural shifts, and artistic innovations. It has gone from simple black-and-white drawings to visually stunning animated movies that take your breath away.

In the early 1900s, the first animated films started appearing. Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" was the first animated film to use frames, and it opened the door for other animators to explore the possibilities of animation as a medium.

Early animations were simple and relied heavily on black-and-white drawings. However, as time passed, technology improved, and filmmakers began experimenting with color and sound to make their animations more immersive.

The 1930s saw the rise of Walt Disney Studios and the introduction of full-length animated feature films. The first full-length animated film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," was released in 1937 and was a massive success. Disney's films introduced new techniques, like cell animation, which allowed animators to create more fluid movements for their characters.

As animation began to mature as an art form, new styles, and techniques emerged. In the 1960s and 1970s, the counterculture movement in America influenced animators to experiment with bizarre, psychedelic imagery. Examples of these styles include the works of Ralph Bakshi, who created films like "Fritz the Cat" and "Heavy Traffic."

NOW: GOLDEN AGE ANIMATION TO HYPER-REALISTIC ANIMATION

The evolution from Golden Age animation to hyper-realistic animation has not been a simple linear process but has gone through several stages. One of the first steps towards hyper-realistic animation was the introduction of rotoscoping in the 1970s. Rotoscoping involves tracing over live-action footage to create animations that are more fluid and natural. This process was used in films like Disney's "101 Dalmatians" and "Robin Hood" to make the movements of animals and humans look more lifelike

The 1980s and 1990s saw the emergence of computer-generated animation, which allowed animators to create complex, three-dimensional images. Pixar, founded in 1979, was one of the first companies to use computer-generated graphics in their animations, resulting in films like "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo."

Today, animation has reached new heights of artistic and technical achievement. Animators can create lifelike characters with detailed facial expressions, intricate background designs, and stunning visual effects that immerse audiences in entirely new worlds. Animation is no longer considered just a medium for children's entertainment but is now appreciated as a legitimate form of art.

[ikno-io]

Explore how the domestication of animals began and how it has shaped human history. Learn about the key factors that influenced the taming of wild species and their impact on early civilizations. read the full article: https://bit.ly/4gO6Jsj #Domestication #HistoryOfAnimals #Pets read more: how did the domestication of animals start

[thehistoryoftoystory]

The History of Toy Story Animation

Image Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/toy-story-turns-20-years-old-brief-history-pixar-classic-a6744036.html and https://medium.com/@deconreconasia/toy-story-4-plays-around-with-the-question-of-purpose-and-happiness-in-joyous-ways-83261a093002

Toy story is a show that was released in November 22, 1995. The movie revolves around an old fashion toy named Woody that needs to accept his new companion a modern high-tech figurine named Buzz Lightyear. In the original movie the plot focuses on Woody getting jealous of Buzz because of the fact that he is becoming the favorite toy of their owner named Andy. By the end of the movie Woody learned to accept the fact that Buzz is no longer competition but a friend. For Toy Story 4 the plot shifts around the fact that Woody is no longer interested in becoming a child toy and wants to find meaning in his life. He leaves the gang and spends the rest of his days in a carnival branded as a “ lost toy” with the love of his life Bo Peep.

The story changed a lot for better or for worse, however a visible change is the animation. Compared to the original, Toy Story 4 has smoother movements, better visuals, more focus on detail, and scaling. 

The foundation of Computer Animation

Image Source: : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luxo_Jr. and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red%27s_Dream

The animation of Toy Story started with many trial animations such as Luxo Jr. which helped the animators study how specific movements tell who the character is, while animations like Red’s Dream helped them study on how the animated characters should move.  

Improvements Present in The New Movie

Attention to Detail

Image Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/toy-story-4-attention-details

The most interesting change shown in the movie is the amount of detail that is shown in the characters. A good example is the visible wear and tear shown in the sleeves of Woody. This is a very minor detail that could barely be seen however, it can be seen if you pause and zoom in the video. These very tiny details shows the amount of effort the animators considered to make the characters feel real. 

Texture and Shading

Image Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/toy-story-4-attention-details

The most visible change from Toy Story and Toy Story 4 is the texture of the objects, persons, and characters. The best example of this is image of the dog and cat. If you look closely the dog is well animated however, if you compare it to the cat you can visibly see that the cat has more details on its fur and the way the light glistens looks very realistic.

Lighting

Image Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/19/toy-story-visual-effects-renderman and https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/toy-story-4-all/

The last visible change that is worthy to mention is the use of lighting and the amount of realism it shows is amazing. Looking at the left image we can visibly see that the light is from the right side however, that is the extent of lighting and contrast used in the original Toy Story. For Toy Story 4, you can see that the light is coming from the right side but you can also see how the light reflects off Bo Peep’s head.  

References

Ankel, S. (2019). How Pixar's animation has evolved over 24 years. INDEPENDENT. https://www.indy100.com/ents/toy-story-animation-pixar-evolved-film-1995-2019-woody-buzz-lightyear-8970906

Desiderio, K., & Phillips, I. (2020).  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

Heeti, A. (2019). Toy Story 4 shows how far Pixar's animation has come. Cnet. https://www.cnet.com/news/toy-story-4-shows-how-far-pixars-animation-has-come-in-24-years/

Jesudason, D. (2019).  Lucidity and beyond: how Toy Story's visual effects transformed cinema. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jun/19/toy-story-visual-effects-renderman

Renée, V. (2019). Pixar's Animation: Then and Now [Video]. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/pixar-animation-then-now

Ro, C. (2018). The Attention To Detail In The "Toy Story 4" Trailer Will Actually Blow Your Mind. BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/toy-story-4-attention-details

Seymour, M. (2019). Toy Story 4 ALL. fxguide. https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/toy-story-4-all/

Tan, J. (2019). Toy Story 4 plays around with the question of purpose and happiness, in joyous ways. DECON RECON. https://deconrecon.asia/feature/toy-story-4-plays-around-with-the-question-of-purpose-and-happiness-in-joyous-ways/

Zorthian, J. (2015). How Toy Story Changed Movie History. TIME. https://time.com/4118006/20-years-toy-story-pixar/

[marisa-bg]

¡Día 8! Pues seguimos con el estudio Fleischer. 🌟 Y también he puesto una stock foto 👌🏻 me apetecía 💃 #ink  #inktober2020  #catoon  #toon #inktober  #shadow  #toontober  #sketchdrawing  #sketch  #historyofanimation  #historyofart  #traditionalart  #fanart  #clasiccartoon  #animationcartoons  #animation2d  #animationcartoons #animationfanart #animation #toontober #fleischerstudios #fleischer #animationcartoon #snowwhite #kokotheclown #bettybooplovers #bettyboop #toon #bettyboopcartoon https://www.instagram.com/p/CGGKZhqJP5K/?igshid=8y26uqdr7ndb

[lozandrt]

Straight ahead and Post to pose + Emil Cohl Research

Another animation principle is Straight ahead and pose to pose. Straight ahead is when you draw the first drawing, then the second drawing then the third etc. Animating as you go. The second method, Pose to Pose is where you draw the beginning and the end of each main pose and go back to fill the drawings in between. Pose to pose works out better because you have an idea of what the end is going to look like at the early stage so then you can work backwards.

Emil Cohl was a French cartoonist and animator and is often referred as "the father of the animated cartoon." He began his career as a caricaturist, cartoonist and writter in his 20s. In 1908 Cohl was hired as a scenarist and was here where Cohl made "Fantasmagoie" between February and May of 1907. Fantasmagoie is considered to be the first fully animated film ever made. To create the animation, Cohl placed each drawing on an illuminated glass plate and traced the next drawing. He had about 700 drawings when he was finished. Cohl created the illusion that the characters were drawn on chalkboard and he achieved this by filming black lines on paper and printing them in negative

Fantasmagorie- 1908

[sherwood-world]

‏‎New video on YouTube On The GerChe Channel https://youtu.be/7BwfxD73AE4 #Animation #art #2Danimation #cartoon #youtube #contentcreator #historyofanimation #رسم #رسم_كرتوني #يوتيوب #فيديو_يوتيوب ‎‏ https://www.instagram.com/p/B9aQvKiH94c/?igshid=yy9kgn237iom

[jhorton2003-blog]

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" 1.5 million cells were used to animate the movie. #SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs #AnimationHistory #HistoryofAnimation #GasMoneyPictures https://www.instagram.com/p/BvFKHxGFmnZ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xfhdvlr9d06i

[stevoschool]

Felt in the mood for researching the History of Animation, here is my results

[robertbahnartwork]

Barnaby again, just in the UPA style. #animation #uarts #characterdesign #historyofanimation

[zenkieamusicandarts]

#art #myyoutubechannel #artist #figurativepainting #fantasyart #puppetry #historyofanimation #Zenkiea #stopmotionanimation #stopmotion NEW Video has been uploaded to My Youtube Channel Part 2 of History if Stop Motion Animation and how it inspired me in my film process. Don’t forget to Subscribe and Like. Peace❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/BvxKOTXg4t4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ngvilsiq64no

[marisa-bg]

¡Día 8! Pues seguimos con el estudio Fleischer. 🌟 Y también he puesto una stock foto 👌🏻 me apetecía 💃 #ink  #inktober2020  #catoon  #toon #inktober  #shadow  #toontober  #sketchdrawing  #sketch  #historyofanimation  #historyofart  #traditionalart  #fanart  #clasiccartoon  #animationcartoons  #animation2d  #animationcartoons #animationfanart #animation #toontober #fleischerstudios #fleischer #animationcartoon #snowwhite #kokotheclown #bettybooplovers #bettyboop #toon #bettyboopcartoon https://www.instagram.com/p/CGGKZhqJP5K/?igshid=8y26uqdr7ndb

[mermanautmishell]

Homework: learn about the history of animation. First stop Disney. #historyofanimation #animation #library #books #fantasiaanimacion #snowwhite #waltdisney #losangles #newyork #prehistorictimes #cylinder #motion #capturedconcepts #color #draftinganddesign #patterns #circles #goldenageofdisney #war #money #designbynecessity #miami #littlhavana (at Atwater Village Branch - Los Angeles Public Library)

[jkdoerffer]

It's not perfect but it's finished. #preanimation #algonquincollege #jkdoerffer #tiredmom #instaartist #cartoons #twenties #historyofanimation #balletbat

[fashionistaru]

Good morning 🌞 how are you today?)) I’m a bit sloooooo-o-ow)) #haveagoodday here’s #waltdisney himself as a voice of #MickeyMouse in 1940. Billy Bletcher (Pete) is the second to record dialogue for "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip". So interesting to watch them acting)) #justsmile #artofanimation #oldcartoons #waltdisneystudio #historyofanimation #goodmorningpost #morningmood #morninginspiration https://www.instagram.com/p/B46kaK0jVNt/?igshid=tcm7l1bc1slh

[owls31092]

The problem with being a historian is I gotta look up bugs. Today, it’s the Colorado Potato Beetle, also called Leptonotarsa decemlineata. I’m probably going to make a hot topics in history because this topic is fairly interesting, so stay tuned

#entymology #bugs #bughistory #animalhistory #historyofanimals #historyofbugs #potato #historyoffood #worldhistory #coloradopotatobeetle

[jhorton2003-blog]

1930 - Looney Tunes is an American animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. #HistoryofAnimation #LooneyTunes #WarnerBros #GasMoneyPictures https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_bzCmlc9u/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=195eac1e1asjb