History of Animation

 

You can't turn on the television, go to a movie, surf the Internet or experience a CD-ROM without running across some form of animation. Think how boring the world would be without animation. Animation is so apparent in our daily lives most of us take it for granted. Before television, movies, video games, and computers, animations were delivered using much simpler devices. Let's take a look, but I warn you. It will be a bit like watching your favorite TV show in  black and white.

Animation has been around, in one form or another, for centuries. Early animation pioneers created simple moving picture devices with a few images and a cardboard disc.

In this unit you will discover where the concept of animation originated, and learn the visual trickery behind it. You will study how early animation devices were used to create simple "moving pictures." You will also explore the traditional types of animation upon which today's technology is based.

When you watch a full length 3-D animated adventure like Toy Story, it's difficult to believe that it is based on theories and principles that have been around for centuries.

By the end, you should be able to meet the following goals:

  • Explain why knowledge of early technologies and methods of animation are useful and relevant to a contemporary career in animation.
     
  • Explain how historical and traditional types of animation are the cornerstones for today's high tech animation industry.
     
  • State important events in animation's history and explain their significance.
     
  • Use the persistence of vision concept to explain how still images become animation.
     
  • Identify some early 2-D animation devices and explain how they accomplished the illusion of movement.