Animation Turns 101 Today!!!

Okay, time for a small tribute, cause I have to admit, i'm a real fool of a Disney junkie!

I've just always been inspired by Walt's works...from the breathtaking animation and the genial storylines, to the ever outstanding scores and soundtracks. None of his works have failed to impress me.

Animation was very much alive before Walt's time though, which brings us to the discussion of our current topic...

This is a fact that most people today are not aware of, mainly because Walt was the first and only animator to succeed in his work on a global scale and earn fame in the industry.

To help shed some light on my point, here's a historical recap of how the concept of animation first came about.

Back in 1908, Emile Cohl (one of the earliest animation artists) created a short animated excerpt called Fantasmagorie. It debuted on May 18, exactly 101 years ago. For the curious ones, here's a video of the original creation:





Although there isn't much to understand from the video, this is a piece of history in it's own right.

This piece was made using lines on paper. The printing for the original work was then turned to negative, thus creating the somewhat chalky looking effect.

And mind you, this one minute run used over 700 handrawn pages. That's a lot of work, considering how easily such stuff can be created today.

Thus, drawing us back to the the purpose of this post...
Here's to Emile, a small heartfelt appreciation, for all his contributions...
Where would the animation industry be today without him?