A Brief History of Animation (really brief)‏ Computer Animation SS2008

Persistence of Vision In 1824, Peter Roget presented his paper “The persistence of vision with regard to moving objects” to the British Royal Society Q: What is “persistence of vision”?

Try this! Stare at a fairly bright object for about one minute Quickly close your eyes What do you see? Why does this occur?

Early “Toys” Magic Lantern (17 th Century)‏ Thaumatrope (1826)‏ Zoetrope (1834)‏ Phenakistoscope (1838)‏ Polyrama Panoptique (1860)‏ Praxinoscope (1877) Flipbook

Magic Lantern 17 th Century

Thaumatrope William Henry Fitton (1826)‏ A two-sided disk (bird on one side, cage on the other) with a central string Images merge when disk was spun

Phenakistoscope Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau (1832) (Also Simon Ritter von Stampfer – Stroboscope) The inner disk held the pictures in order on the rim The viewer looked through slits in an outer disk

Zoetrope (ZOH-uh-trohp)‏ Invented by William George Horner (1834)‏ Based on the persistence of vision property Appeared in the US in 1837

Polyrama Panoptique French (1860)‏ When doors are opened and closed in the top and back the pictures change from day to night Based on Daguerre's Diorama

Praxinoscope Emile Reynaud (1877)‏ Based on Zoetrope First to project a moving image onto a big screen

Flipbook Each page contains one of a sequence of images When flipped, an illusion of motion is produced

The Birth of Motion Pictures 1872 –Eadweard Muybridge started his photographic compilation of animals in motion 1887 –Thomas Edison started research work into motion pictures

The Birth of Motion Pictures 1889 –George Eastman began the manufacture of photographic film strips using a nitro-cellulose base 1895 –Louis and Augustine Lumiere issued a patent for a device called a cinematograph capable of projecting moving pictures 1896 –Thomas Armat designed the vitascope which projected the films of Thomas Edison; this machine had a major influence on all sub-sequent projectors 1906 –J. Stuart Blackton made the first animated film called "Humorous phases of funny faces."

Traditional Animation Pioneers Winsor McCay Walt Disney Mac Fleischer Walter Lantz Tex Avery Chuck Jones

Winsor McKay McKay, a cartoonist, produced three animations –Little Nemo (1911)‏ –The Story of the Mosquito –Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)‏

Winsor McKay Little Nemo, based on one of McKay’s comic strips, was a dreamlike experiment in motion The Story of the Mosquito tells a comic story of a mosquito's encounter with a drunken man Both films were huge successes in McKay’s vaudeville act

Winsor McKay In 1913, McKay began to animate Gertie the Dinosaur A neighbor, John A. Fitzsimmons, traced the backgrounds, while McKay animated all other elements by hand

Winsor McKay In Gertie, Mckay paid attention to such details as falling dirt particles and drops of water Gertie was also a huge success and is still considered a masterpiece of animation

Walt Disney 1919: –Forms Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists with Ub Iwerks –Hired by Kansas City Film Ad Company –In spare time, creates Laugh-O-Grams for Newman Theater Company

Walt Disney : –Creates Alice’s Wonderland, and other Alice films, which combined a live-action Alice with animation

Walt Disney 1927: –Introduced Oswald the Rabbit, a precursor to Mickey Mouse –Introduced pencil test technique

Walt Disney 1928: –Plane Crazy – first appearance of Mickey Mouse –Steamboat Willie - first animation to synchronize sound with the action on the screen –Barn Dance : –Silly Symphonies Steamboat Willie Walt Disney (1928)‏

Max Fleischer : –Creates series, Out of the Inkwell, with character KoKo the Clown –Koko was drawn using Rotoscoping; single frames of live-action film are projected onto a drawing surface, where they are traced onto animation cels

Other Animators Walter Lantz –The King of Jazz (1930) Includes first technicolor animation –Woody the Woodpecker

Other Animators Tex Avery –Created Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and the personality of Bugs Bunny

Computer Animation 1969 –Lee Harrison's CAESAR animation system –1st use of CGI for commercials - MAGI for IBM –SIGGRAPH formed (began as special interest committee in 1967 by Sam Matsa and Andy vanDam)‏

Computer Animation 1971 –Robert Abel and Associates founded 1972 –MAGI Synthevision started (Bo Gehring)‏ 1973 –1st SIGGRAPH conference‏ 1974 –Futureworld (sequel to Westworld) uses 3D CGI (III)‏

Computer Animation 1975 –Anima animation system developed at CGRG at Ohio State (Csuri)‏ 1976 –Ed Catmull develops "tweening" software (NYIT)‏ –Peter Fonda's head digitized and rendered by III for Futureworld

Computer Animation 1977 –Larry Cuba produces Death Star simulation for Star Wars using Grass at UICC developed by Tom DeFanti at Ohio State 1978 –Digital Effects founded (Judson Rosebush, Jeff Kleiser, et al)‏ –1st CGI film title - Superman (R. Greenberg)‏

Computer Animation 1979 –Disney produces The Black Hole using CGI for the opening –George Lucas hires Ed Catmull, Ralph Guggenheim and Alvy Ray Smith to form Lucasfilm

Computer Animation 1980 –Disney contracts Abel, III, MAGI and DE for computer graphics for the movie Tron –Hanna-Barbera, largest producer of animation in the U.S.,begins implementation of computer automation of animation process

Computer Animation 1981 –Digital Productions formed by Whitney and Demos –Cranston/Csuri Productions founded by Chuck Csuri, Robert Kanuth and Jim Kristoff

Computer Animation 1981 –R/Greenberg opens CGI division (Chris Woods)‏ –Looker includes the virtual human character Cindy (Susan Dey) - 1st film with shaded graphics(III)‏ –Adam Powers, the Juggler produced by III

Computer Animation 1982 –The Last Starfighter (Digital Productions) begins production –Tron released –Skeleton Animation System (SAS) developed at CGRG at Ohio State (Dave Zeltzer)

Computer Animation 1982 –Where the Wild Things Are test (MAGI) - digital compositing used to combine CG backgrounds and traditional animation –ILM computer graphics division develops "Genesis effect" for Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan

Computer Animation 1983 –The Last Starfighter released 1984 –Robert Able & Associates produces the 1st computer generated 30 second commercial used for Super Bowl (Brilliance)‏ –14.5 minute computer generated IMAX film (The Magic Egg) shown at SIGGRAPH teams; 20 segments –John Lasseter joins Lucasfilm –Lucasfilms introduces motion blur effects –The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. (Lucasfilm)

Computer Animation 1985 –Max Headroom - computer- mediated live action figure –Judson Rosebush Co. started –Abel Image Research takes Robert Abel & Associates to shaded graphics business

Computer Animation 1985 –Tony de Peltrie airs –Young Sherlock Holmes stained glass knight (Lucasfilm), 2010 (Boss Films)and Looker (DP)‏

Computer Animation 1986 –The Great Mouse Detective was the first animated film to be aided by CG –Pixar purchased from Lucasfilm by Steve Jobs

Computer Animation 1986 –Waldo project introduces motion capture (Digital Productions)‏ –Whitney/Demos Productions founded –Luxo Jr. nominated for Oscar (first CGI film to be nominated - Pixar)‏

Computer Animation 1987 –Willow (Lucasfilm) popularizes morphing –Max Headroom debuts –LucasArts formed –Reynolds' flocking behavior algorithm (Symbolics)‏ –Stanley and Stella in: Breaking the Ice –Cranston/Csuri Productions closes

Computer Animation 1988 –Who Framed Roger Rabbit mixes live action and animation –Willow (Lucasfilm); morphing in a feature film –Disney and Pixar develop CAPS (Computer Animation Paint System) (academy technical award in 1992)‏ –PIXAR wins Academy award for Tin Toy

Computer Animation 1989 –ILM creates the Abyss 1991 –ILM produces Terminator 2 –Beauty and the Beast (Disney)‏ 1992 –Lawnmower Man (Effects by Angel Studios and Xaos)‏ –VIFX uses flock animation with Prism software to create large groups of animals

Computer Animation 1993 –Jurassic Park - ILM and Steven Spielberg –Babylon 5 uses Amiga and Macintosh generated CGI 1994 –Reboot (CG cartoon) uses 3D characters (Mainframe Entertainment)‏ 1995 –Toy Story (Pixar)‏ –John Lasseter of Pixar gets Academy Award for development and application of techniques used in Toy Story –DreamWorks SKG founded (Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen)‏

Computer Animation 1998 –CGI cartoon Voltron produced in US –Geri's Game (Pixar) - awarded the Academy Award for Animated Short 1999 –Bunny (Chris Wedge - Blue Sky) - awarded the Academy Award for Animated Short –Star wars Episode One - The Phantom Menace uses 66 digital characters composited with live action –Toy Story 2 produced by Pixar –Stuart Little produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks –Fantasia 2000 produced by Disney

Computer Animation 2000 –Dinosaur produced by Disney –Hollow Man produced by Sony 2001 –Final Fantasy (Square), Monsters Inc.(Pixar), Harry Potter, A.I., Lord of the Rings, Shrek(PDI), The Mummy Returns (ILM), Tomb Raider (Cinesite), Jurassic Park III, Pearl Harbor (ILM), Planet of the Apes (Asylum)‏

Computer Animation And so on …