Who Created The First Animated Film
Many people credit Walt Disney with creating the first true animated feature film, but his claim is not entirely accurate. In fact, there are several different stories about who actually created their very first movie!
The term "animated feature" was coined in 1922 when film producer Carl Laemmle wanted to describe what he considered to be a completely new genre of filmmaking. At that time, films were mostly still live action, so calling them an "animation" or "motion picture novel" made more sense.
However, since most films at the time used drawn illustrations or painted scenes, many refer to this style as "cartooning." So just like we use the word "theater" to describe any performance that features speaking and acting, these early cartoons are referred to as "theater animation."
These early cartoonists would draw story sequences or situations directly onto cinefilm stock - something that could easily be rewound and manipulated. This gave filmmakers greater freedom to tell creative stories, which eventually led to some amazing creations.
Léon Gaumont
In 1894, Leon Gaunmont created what is arguably the first animated film: Le papillon à linge (The Cloth Butterfly). This short movie features a butterfly that flies away after its wings are cut off.
This isn't really an extended story since there aren't any dialogue or soundtrack, but it does show how clever animators can use movement to tell a narrative.
After the wings are gone, you see the caterpillar crawling along before the buttery emerges and the butterfly takes flight. The whole process takes about two minutes and one of the reasons people consider this animation artistic is due to the way the butterflies flutter in the air for several seconds.
Émile Cohl
In 1894, French artist Emile Cohl created what many consider to be the first animated film: The Narrative of a Parrot. He wrote, produced, directed, edited, scored, and even painted all aspects of his work. His parrot not only talks but also does various things; it is quite the engaging character!
He originally called this piece Le Chant d'Éléphants, which means The Song of Elephants in English. It was later rebranded as simply A Voyage in Mida-Floor (or Midway) Africa.
Cohl died before he could capitalize on the success of his work, but his contribution to the field has been recognized by most. Most agree that The Narrative of a Parrot is indeed the very first example of an animé movie.
Winsor McCord
Born in 1869, Winslow Homer was one of the first people to create an animated film. He created his first movie at the age of twenty-one when he filmed himself drawing a stick figure. He then experimented with different styles and lengths before creating his final work; he titled it “Figure Study”. His next project was filming someone else doing something repetitive or steady (like brushing their teeth). He called this second concept process 'The Steady Camera'.
His third experiment was taking two separate pictures that show the same thing happening within a certain amount of time (think of a shutter speed as opposed to a continuous camera setting). He named these new concepts 'Shutter Grinding' and 'Tandem Shooting', respectively.
He built upon these three initial ideas by combining all three into what we know today as animation.
Walt Disney
Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney grew up watching Della Taylor perform as an animator for Thomas Edison. He would later work with her at his studio, where she was promoted to head of animation. While working at Universal Studios, he created his first film, The Puppy (also known as A Dog’s Life) in 1933. It features two dogs having fun before one gets into trouble and has to be saved by the other dog.
It is not known who wrote or directed this movie, but it received positive reviews from critics and made money for its distributor. This inspired Disney to create more animated films, creating what many consider to be the first true cartoon feature length film- Get Movin'!
After leaving Universal, he founded his own company, which he named after himself. In 1938, he released his next project, Fantasia. Not only does it include music, it also includes several short cartoons that focus on different themes such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Dance of the Hours, and Night Journey.
His next major success came when he produced Treasure Island, a 1940 adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel. His crew included future directors like Wolfgang Reitherman and Mel Brooks. One of his favorite artists while producing Treasure Island was Pablo Picasso, whose style influenced the look of some scenes in the movie.
He continued making more movies throughout World War II, including The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.
Frank Thomas
Born in 1921, Frank Thomas grew up watching films with his parents in Chicago. He always enjoyed drawing as a child, creating stories and characters through pictures and mark-making. As he got older, he learned how to put together scenes more smoothly by studying art and film.
He began working for Walt Disney Studios at the age of twenty one, where he would go onto create some of your favorite cartoon characters!
Thomas worked under the directors such as Robert Breer and Floyd Norman, developing many side projects along the way. These included character designs and layouts for The Jungle Book (1967) and Peter Pan (1989).
While he was never given credit for it, he is considered one of the main creators of what we now call “classic” animation. This includes work like Dumbo (1940), Sleeping Beauty (1959), Cinderella (1950), and so forth.
After leaving Disney in 1980, he went on to form Ink & Paint Animation, which made several successful short animated movies before he passed away in 2001.
John Hubley
In 1933, just two years after the first talking film was made, 19-year-old University of Chicago student Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity. It explained why light can be described as having a finite speed, and why moving objects seem to disappear when you look at them directly.
Einstein theorized that if we could find an object that moves constantly in space then it would take infinite time for its internal components to slow down enough so that they appear to not move. This phenomenon is called laminar flow because there are individual layers flowing past each other.
In 1931, physicist Robert Houdin created what he termed a photoplayer or “light box” using two vacuum tubes and a sheet of clear plastic over which he projected bright patterns of white light. He attached one tube to high and one to low voltage to create either vertical lines (positive pole) or horizontal lines (negative pole), and rotated it slowly while filming through the plastic to make waves, circles, and triangles. By projecting onto a still surface, he was able to add movement by running the projector at constant speed while recording.
Ub Iwerks
Ub Iwerks was an American artist who worked as a cartoonist, animator, painter, and sculptor. He is most well known for creating the characters for Walt Disney's classic film The Jungle Movie!
Iwerks was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1898. His father died when he was eight years old, so his mother had to work very hard to make ends meet. She would take him with her while she did housework or babysat neighbors children, which allowed him to begin learning how to draw at a young age.
He attended art school in high school where he majored in graphic design. After graduating he began working for various advertising agencies, designing logos and other promotional materials. It was here that he met another aspiring designer named Wilfred "Bill" Hawey. The two became close friends and business partners.
In 1934, Bill suggested they open their own agency, but only if Iwerks agreed to do all of the artwork himself. Iwerks reluctantly accepted, and thus Cartoon Art Studios was founded.
Van (Van) Cliburn
Born in Russia, Van Cliburn was just five years old when he first heard music. His father took him to see an opera performance and it completely altered his perception of sound. He began playing instruments at the age of eight and soon after that, he found himself performing for people all around the world!
He quickly became one of the most famous classical musicians in America and Europe. But what many don’t know is that he also created and starred in his own animated musical film!
It was called The Happy Mouse and it premiered back in 1957. While some considered his movie too childish and simplistic, it has since garnered very positive feedback.
Many consider it to be one of the greatest pieces ever made because not only does it teach children about self-confidence and love, but it teaches them how to listen to and appreciate other music as well.
Cliburn died before he could fully enjoy his success so his family donated his belongings to create the International Music Center in Indianapolis, where young aspiring artists can learn more about the field.