Animation: Art To The Screen
Animation has become one of the most popular visual mediums in regards to movies and TV. They have made transformed art into something that isn’t just static, but something that is motion-filled. From binge-worthy animes, to blockbuster movies that have earned excess of one billion dollars, animation is not just a form for children but revolutionary in regards to pop culture.
Before the 1900s, people began utilizing the Zoetrope, and Charles-Emile Reynaud’s Praxinoscope, which allowed viewers to see sequences of movement.
In the early 1900s, frame-by-frame film animation was invented, with creators like Winsor McCay emerging. His Gertie the Dinosaur, created in 1914, included thousands of hand-drawn frames. In this period, cel-animation was created, which involved drawing characters on transparent celluloid sheets over static paintings of backgrounds; cutting the need to redraw entire scenes and making the process of animation much quicker.
In 1928, Walt Disney, who would later create the gigantic movie conglomerate Disney, revolutionized animation with Steamboat Willie, featuring Mickey Mouse. It was the first animation to use synchronized sound, using sound to match with the character’s movements.
Beginning in the 1930s, animation began to make many major advancements. With the use of the multiplane camera, a 3D sense of depth was able to be created. This camera would be imperative in the Disney Studios’ creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length cel-animated feature film, made in 1937. Meanwhile, other studios emerged like Warner Bros’ Looney Tunes, which created Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, and Fleischer Studios, which created Betty Boop and Popeye.
Meanwhile, in the 1960s, artist Osamu Tezuka would help popularize and revolutionize the field of Anime with his creation of Astro Boy.
In the late 1980s and the 1990s, animation really took off in popularity with the Disney Renaissance. Disney utilized the Computer Animation Production System (CAPS) to digitally paint and ink movies like the Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mulan, and The Lion King,which all became instant classics and made animation into a form that was to be taken seriously.
In 1995, computer-generated imagery (CGI) was seen for the first time with the release of Toy Story. With CGI, animators would manipulate 3D digital models inside a virtual space. The release of Toy Story would completely popularize 3D animation, which is the form commonly used today in regards to animation; creating works like the Minions, Inside Out, Shrek, and Frozen.
In the late 2010s till now, a new animation form became popularized. Animators would use hand-drawn art and put it on top of 3D models. This type of animation style would be used to make Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Puss in Boots, and this year’s Goat movie.
Animation has become a revolutionary medium. By integrating art into movies, animation has not only become another avenue for art to be depicted within popular culture, but a gigantic and powerful industry.