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DDA 0101 - Week 3 Notes

The document outlines the origins of cinematic animation, highlighting key pioneers such as Winsor McCay, Emile Cohl, and Ladslav Starevich, who contributed significantly to the development of animation techniques. It also mentions other notable figures like Quirino Cristiani and Lotte Reiniger, who made historical contributions to animated films. The document emphasizes the evolution of animation from early caricatures to feature-length films and the collaborative efforts of artists in the industry.

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arthurwanyagah01
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2 views

DDA 0101 - Week 3 Notes

The document outlines the origins of cinematic animation, highlighting key pioneers such as Winsor McCay, Emile Cohl, and Ladslav Starevich, who contributed significantly to the development of animation techniques. It also mentions other notable figures like Quirino Cristiani and Lotte Reiniger, who made historical contributions to animated films. The document emphasizes the evolution of animation from early caricatures to feature-length films and the collaborative efforts of artists in the industry.

Uploaded by

arthurwanyagah01
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC ANIMATION

T1: PIONEERS OF ANIMATION


 While it’s unclear when and where animation first came to life, the
concept of storytelling has been around for centuries. Below are some of
the pioneers of animation who contributed greatly to the animation
industry.
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

1. WINSOR McCAY (1867-1934)


 At age 21, McCay started working as a poster and billboard artist for a
Chicago company. In 1905, after working as an illustrator and cartoonist
for various newspapers, he created his most renowned creation, the
comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. Little nemo would become his
stepping stone in the animation industry. Below is a list of his notable
animated films.
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

Works of Winsor Mccay


 Little Nemo (Vitagraph, 1911)
 Animated, written, hand-coloured, and directed by Winsor McCay.
Characters adapted from McCay’s Sunday comic strip, Little Nemo in
Slumberland.
 watch the film here
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

 How a Mosquito Operates (Vitagraph, 1912)


 Animated sequence animated, written, and directed by Winsor McCay.
Based on a character taken from McCay’s comic strips, including Dream
of the Rarebit Fiend.
 Watch the film here
 Gertie the Dinosaur (Box Office Attractions, 1914)
 Animated sequence animated, written, and directed by Winsor McCay.
Backgrounds by John A. Fitzsimmons.
 watch the film here
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

2. Emile Cohl (1857 - 1938)


 Émile Cohl is one of the earliest pioneers of animation, along with John
Stuart Blackton. Together they laid the foundations of animation in the
early 1900s, with simple caricatures and stick figures.
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

Works of Emile Cohl


 Fantasmagorie 1908.
 This is considered the first fully animated film. It was made up of 700
drawings. The film had a chalk line effect, meaning it appeared like chalk
drawings on a black board.
 Watch the film here
 The film was a success with audiences and thus paved the way for more
similar animated shorts: 'Le Cauchemar du Fantoche' ('The Puppet's
Nightmare', 1908), and 'Un Drame Chez Les Fantoches' ('A Puppet Drama',
1908)
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

3. Ladslav Starevich (1882 – 1965)


 was a Polish-Russian stop-motion animator notable as the author of the first
puppet-animated film The Beautiful Leukanida (1912). He also used dead
insects and other animals as characters in his of his films. He was one of the
pioneers of stop motion animation.
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

T2: Other notable pioneering Animation Artists – students research

 Quirino Cristiani (1896 – 1984)


 He created El Apóstol (The Apostle) in 1917, which was a 70 minutes-long
political satire made with cut-out animation. The film, about the president
of Argentina ascending the heavens to clean out the city of Buenos Aires
from vice and corruption, only to burn down the city with the thunder of
God. The film is widely regarded as the first animated feature film.
Topic 2: THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

 Lotte Reiniger (1899 – 1981)


 She made short films, sequences and intertitles for silent movies (including
Fritz Lang’s Die Nibelungen) and in 1926 she became the first woman to
direct a feature animation film with The Adventures of Prince Achmed, the
oldest surviving animated film, based on several stories from The Arabian
Nights.
Topic 2 THE ORIGINS OF CINEMATIC
ANIMATION

 Ub Iwerks (1901 – 1971)


 In 1919 Ub Iwerks, a commercial artist of Kansas City born from Frisian
immigrants met a colleague by the name of Walt Disney. They two quickly
became friends and when Disney decided to try his hand in animation,
Iwerks, a skilled draughtsman, was his first employee. They later created
one of the most famous cartoon characters Mickey mouse.

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