History of animation. The very first cartoon in the world

Animation has been considered a branch of the film industry since its inception. However, this interesting direction can also be successfully associated with painting and graphics. The talent of the artist plus the technical capabilities - and art is born that does not leave indifferent either children or adults.

The roots of animation are associated with the stroboscope - an optical toy invented by the Belgian inventor Joseph Plateau in 1832. The principle of this device was simple - a cyclic pattern was applied to the edge of the circle. For example, a running horse, which was depicted several times in different stages of movement. When the circle rotated, the drawing merged, and the illusion of a moving object arose.

The first real cartoonist is considered to be the Frenchman Emile Reynaud. He created a praxinoscope apparatus, which consisted of a rotating drum, a system of mirrors and a lantern. In 1892, Reynaud launched a kind of attraction - the optical theater. There he showed the audience comic stories 15-20 minutes long. This happened a few years before the famous premiere, that is, animation became known to the French even a little earlier than movies.

Further, the development of animation, as well as cinematography, took place in France. Emil Kohl is another outstanding director and artist who began his career with acting. In 1908 he created the first animated films. They resembled drawn comics, only in motion. Emil Kohl drew thousands of drawings to bring them to life. He tried to achieve realism by copying real objects, and even used photography. Modern animators consider his legacy to be valuable.

Emile Kohl

One more bright name in the history of animation is associated with Russia. In 1912 he created the first puppet cartoon entitled "The Beautiful Lucanida, or the war of stag beetles and barbel". This figure became famous for his love for insects. He shot a lot of films dedicated to them, and they looked very natural on the screen. Vladislav Starevich is a subtle psychologist and talented painter... He cared not only about the pictorial side of cartoons, but also filled them with deep meaning.

Vladislav Starevich

If in Europe the shooting of films took place in an almost artisanal way, then in America everything was much better with a technical base. Here he appeared, who in 1929 shot his first hand-drawn cartoon with musical accompaniment"Dance of Skeletons". Disney is considered to be the father of animation, his work deserves a separate story, because he alone received 30 times. His experience is still used today.

Subsequently, the masters of cinema introduced another interesting technology - the combination of the game of live actors and cartoon characters.

The childhood of modern children is inextricably linked with cartoons. But there was a time when animation was just beginning. Today we will tell you about the first cartoon in the world.

Which cartoon was the very first in the world?

The answer to this question is not easy. There are two applicants at once. The first is Stuart Blackton, in 1906 he created the first such picture. These were drawings in motion, captured on film, the action was called “Humorous phases funny faces". In it, the viewer observes characters drawn with chalk on a blackboard. Blackton got a taste and a year later presented "Hotel with Ghosts" - a movie, diluted with elements of animation. His creations claimed the title of the very first cartoon in the world, but it was difficult to call them complete.

Such a picture was created by another person - an artist from France Emil Kohl. He released "Phantasmagoria" - a short short film with a duration of only one and a half minutes. However, she demanded efforts from him - he had to draw more than seven hundred illustrations. When did this very first cartoon in the world come out? The audience saw him in 1908, and the picture looked good for those years.

The plot is strange, it is not easy for an ordinary viewer to understand it. The protagonist Fantosh sits in the theater, a fat woman in a headdress with feathers sits in front of him. It bothers him, Fantosh first pulls out the feathers, then throws out the hat, and in the end he sets the lady's hair on fire. The plot changes - Fantosh is trying to steal something from a man, he is detained by the police. Further, the hero continues to find himself in various interesting situations.

An interesting fact: in 2008, "Phantasmagoria" was re-shot, and in new version the old character meets his modern version. Although the animated film was made using computer technology, fragments of the forerunner remained in it.

Who was the first in Russia?

The very first cartoon in Russia, which was shown in the world, was the picture "The Beautiful Lucanida, or the Fight of Barbel with Stag beetles." It was directed by Vladislav Starevich. The main characters are beetles, the plot is a battle of two males for a female. The author was a biologist, which influenced his choice. The tape surprised the audience, both Russian and foreign.

Those who want to know the name of the very first soviet cartoon in the world, we will answer: “ Soviet toys". It was removed by David Kaufman. Like the subsequent cartoon developments of those years, this picture had a propaganda plot: the proletariat and the Red Army men in all ways defeat the bourgeoisie and priests. It all ends with fireworks and the image of a New Year tree, on which the enemies of the people are hung. Note that propaganda motives persisted in Soviet animation for a long time - even in the animated film adaptation of Gulliver's Adventures in 1935, the protagonist wore a pioneer tie.

Pioneer in color

The first color animated film in the world was a representative of the series "Merry Symphonies" and it was called "Flowers and Trees". It was tricolor, bright and beautiful, Schubert's music played in this creation of the Disney studio. Short - the length of the film was 7.5 minutes. This was enough to win the Oscar. Soviet colleagues were late in answering - the three-color puppet animated film "Fox and the Wolf" was released in 1936. The tape was also musical, but the duration was longer than that of Western competitors, the viewing took 18 minutes.

First 3D cartoon

The world's first 3D cartoon - "The Adventures of Andre and Wally the Bee", filmed in 1984. It was a computer animation with 3D graphics, the duration was 2 minutes. The main characters are a man and a bee walking in the morning forest. It was three-dimensional thanks to the animator John Lasseter, who was greatly impressed by the movie "Tron". Later, this person will create the Pixar studio and will direct the cartoon - "Toy Story". It is he who will become the first full-length animated film with three-dimensional graphics.

The ancestor of anime

The Japanese have been making anime for a long time, this genre is firmly established in their culture and has achieved popularity in other countries of the world. Animation tapes in this style are produced in different genres... The first such was created in 1907, the author is unknown. Very short - only three seconds long. A boy in motion lays out the word cinema in hieroglyphs and takes off his hat. Later, others began to appear, the duration of which ranged from 1 to 5 minutes. The name of the very first memorable cartoon in the world in the anime style lasting two minutes is "Dumb Samurai Sword". In him in question about a simple-minded hero who bought a defective weapon.

Now you know a little more about the world's first cartoons. Progress continues and technology improves, but these films will remain in history as the first steps of people in the field of animation.

Can't come to a consensus about which cartoon was the very first in the world? Three cartoons at once can claim the palm. These are Emile Cohl's Phantasmagoria, The Humorous Phases of Funny Faces and The Haunted Hotel by James Stuart Blackton. Even before 1900, J. Stuart Blackton, together with Thomas Edison, made "moving drawings" and filmed them, thereby combining the technique of cinema with graphics. The resulting film was called "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" and was presented to the French public on April 6, 1906.

Using the same dynamic animation technique, Blackton produced another film, The Haunted Hotel, in 1907. But in our understanding, these cartoons were still very imperfect, and only demonstrated some of the capabilities of the animation technique, which was then called the "American Movement".

Later, these possibilities were used by the French cartoonist Emile Kohl in the cartoon Phantasmagoria, shown by Gaumont in August 1908. Although “Phantasmagoria” lasts only one and a half minutes, many experts consider it to be the first full-fledged cartoon in the world. It was drawn on white paper and filmed in negative, with light lines on a dark background creating an unusual effect.

The first cartoons of Russia and the USSR

By the way, he shot the very first cartoon in Russia in 1912, and first soviet cartoon came out in 1924. It was called "Soviet toys" and, of course, promoted the Soviet system.

It was released in 1928 and was called Plane Crazy. Premiere of the very first full-length Disney cartoon "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (original title: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) took place on December 21, 1937. It was a furore of cinematography. In the same year, for his first cartoon, Walt Disney received one full and seven small (according to the number of gnomes) Oscar statuettes. Since February 4, 1938, this cartoon has been released widely and to this day it ranks high among the best animated films.

The very first cartoon in the world is believed to have been shown in 1906 and was called The Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.

American James Stewart Blackton prepared a small series of drawings and together with the famous inventor Thomas Edison filmed them one by one on film, calling his creation "a magic drawing coming to life".

A year later, Blackton made the film "The Magic Pen", where, in front of amazed moviegoers, an uncontrollable fountain pen was drawing certain figures on paper. Another film, "The Haunted Hotel", was shown to audiences in Paris in 1906 and became instantly popular, as it depicted moving inanimate objects by the author.

Curious that last film has become a subject of close study for whole group French cameramen who could not figure out the simple principle of time-lapse shooting and called this effect, which they did not understand, "American movement."

In the Soviet Union, the very first cartoon was created and shown in 1924. Director Dziga Vertov and animators A. Ivanov and A. Bushkin shot the animation "Soviet Toys". In spite of baby name, its plot was purely propaganda. It depicted a fat bourgeois leading a hearty and cheerful life until workers and Red Army men came and ripped open his stomach. And the coins that fell from the bourgeois were simply taken to the people's bank.

In their cartoons, director Dziga Vertov and his colleagues applied the principle of time-lapse shooting of flat puppets, which was much easier than drawing hundreds of individual drawings. Thanks to the new approach, Soviet animation has developed rapidly - annually creating several, and then several dozen films.

First world recognition animators of the USSR received thanks to the film "New Gulliver" released in 1935, which showed the first animated film adaptation famous novel Jonathan Swift, but with a corrected communist bias. The film combined the principles of animation of dolls and filming of actors, in particular Gulliver, who, for some reason, was wearing a Soviet pioneer tie.

However, it should be admitted that the first foundations of the principle of animation were laid more than a millennium ago. The famous Roman philosopher poet and Lucretius, in his treatise On the Nature of Things, was the first to give a detailed technical description of a device with which one can alternately highlight drawings.

Of course, for that time there were no enthusiasts who could comprehend the seemingly so incredible ideas. And Lucretius himself, apparently, simply did not have enough time for practical use their inventions.

When children sit down to watch another colorful cartoon, they don't even think about what the very first cartoons in the world were like. The history of animation is very interesting and controversial, and it is fraught with not only color films for children, but also black and white works without sound.

In this material you will learn about the first foreign and Soviet cartoons that came out on blue screens even in the last century.

Today Youtube (YouTube) is flooded with modern cartoons with interesting characters and instructive overtones. Remember at least the tape "Shrek"... The terrible green ogre turned into a cute and childishly naive giant, thanks to the love and care of his beloved. Nevertheless, for more than a hundred years, the first cartoons did not look so spectacular at all.

We offer you a look into the past of animation to find out how it all began, what is the oldest cartoon in the world watched not only by children, but also by their parents, and what contribution the legendary Walt Disney made to the development of animated films for children. What is the name of the first European black and white film for children? When was the first 3D cartoon released in the world and in Russia?

When the first cartoon in the world came out

The history of world animation begins even before 1900. Stuart Blackton together with Thomas Edison made "Moving pictures", and then the resulting pictures were filmed.

American works

The first animated films began to be created in America. At the dawn of the twentieth century (1900), the world's first silent short cartoon comes out "Enchanted drawing" Stuart Blackton. It is he who is considered the progenitor of American animation.

This was followed by an animated picture "Funny transitions of funny faces" released in 1906. She gathered in the cinema hall not only kids, but also adults, because it contained an interesting and even philosophical overtones. The show of the cartoon was accompanied by the playing of a pianist, and whole orchestras played in large halls in America.

The earliest cartoons in the world had more in common with newspaper comics than with modern animation. One of the first works with a cartoon animal character was a twelve-minute tape about a female hertidinosaurus.

The first European cartoons

In 1908, the French cartoonist Emile Kohl began to actively study graphic animation. It was during this period that he creates his first work, the title of which is - "Phantasmagoria"... This film became iconic, since Emil was the first to create a cartoon with a clear plot. Also hallmark black and white tape has become that the main character Fantosh was endowed with certain character traits.

It is interesting: to create his first hand-drawn cartoon, lasting two minutes, it took Emil about 700 drawings.

In honor of the centenary "Phantasmagoria" Serbian director Rastko Chiric released a remake of the cartoon that had the same name. V new job not only drawn, but also computer animation techniques have already been used.

The first Walt Disney cartoons

Remembering colorful Disney cartoons immediately comes to mind The Lion King and a legend that is recognized in every corner the globe – Mickey Mouse.

However, few people know that one of the very first works of Disney was a black and white cartoon. "Alice's Day at Sea"... This painting, based on the events of the work "Alice in Wonderland", was released in 1924. The very first cartoons in Walt Disney's career became "Laughter"(1921). The next work, which also remained unfamiliar to modern kids, is "Lucky Rabbit Oswald".

Speaking about the first works of Walt Disney, one cannot fail to mention cartoon film, in which the mouse, popular all over the world, first appeared Mickey Mouse... The character flashed on screens back in 1928 in black and white cartoon "Crazy Airplane"... In the same year, Mickey became the hero of the first dubbed film for children - "Steamboat Willie"... It was at that time that love for a cute and funny mouse began to emerge in kids all over the world. By the way, initially they wanted to call it Mortimer.

Disney's first full-length cartoon - "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"- came out at the end of 1937. It was he who brought his creator world fame and success, and in addition also $ 8 million.

Interesting fact: for this tape Walt Disney received one big Oscar and seven small figurines (just for the number of gnomes). Despite the fact that "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" was released 80 years ago, it is still considered one of the best animated films ever created by Disney.

Animation, which we are familiar with, came to the USSR much later. At first she was a puppet. And the first Soviet children's cartoon is considered the work of choreographer Alexander Shiryaev, created in 1906. A primitive cartoon shows the audience 12 dancing figures performing all kinds of ballet steps against the backdrop of motionless scenery.

It is interesting: in three months of the creation of the first Soviet puppet cartoon, Alexander Shiryaev rubbed a hole in the parquet with his feet.

Who would have thought that the first animated work of the Soviet era was not intended at all for the entertainment of children. In 1924, documentary filmmaker David Abelevich Kaufman decided to create a drawn film about the history of the formation Soviet Union... For 10 minutes, peasants, workers, Red Army men, an insolent bourgeois and priests flicker on the screen. Against the background of constantly changing music, the plot of the cartoon develops "Soviet toys", at the end of which the Red Army men hang their enemies on the tree. In this animated film, the tree has become a symbol of the birth of a bright future.

This was followed by another series of cartoons, telling about the most important historical events in the life of the Soviet Union. However, Ivan Petrovich, who is considered the progenitor of domestic animation, moved away from the topic of propaganda. He created a simple short film for children called "Rink"... Its plot is rather ordinary and, nevertheless, instructive. A young skater, fleeing a chase, accidentally becomes a champion.

Interesting fact: many people who saw foreign films for children in adulthood underestimate Soviet cartoons, preferring the colorful and magical works of Disney. However, the patriarch of "Soyuzmultfilm" Leonid Shvartsmaan is offended by such an attitude. In one of his interviews, he says that Disney was his teacher. It was he who introduced the conveyor method of production, which was adopted by Soviet animators.

The first full-length cartoon of the USSR "New Gulliver" came out in 1935. This satirical animated picture by Alexander Ptushko was created based on the work of J. Swift "The Adventures of Gulliver". The picture shows a classic picture of life during the Soviet era: the working class of the Lilliputians is fighting against rotten capitalism in the person of the secret police and the puppet king.

The very first color works

And again the beloved creator enters the arena fairy world- Disney. It was Walt Disney Studios that released the world's first cartoon in color in 1932. It is noteworthy that initially the short "Flowers and Trees" filmed in classic black and white.

However, Walt Disney decided to take a chance and remade A film for children by applying the three-color process - "Tricolor"... It's simple and at the same time Touching story about the revived forest and its inhabitants. And the main character of the tape - young Maple - even modern children have a lot to learn.

The very first color cartoon in the world won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. After that, several more colored cartoons were released in the "Silly Symphonies" series.

The first Russian color work "The Fox and the Wolf" was released in 1936. Few people know that the artist was the director. Jewish origin Sarah Mokiel. Already from the name itself, it becomes clear that the woman took the Russian folk tale of the same name as the basis of the plot.

The very first 3D cartoon in the world

The end of the 2D animation era came in 2004, after the legendary Disney released his last job in the usual format - "Don't hit it with a hoof".

Both adults and children are now divided into two categories. Some with nostalgia recall their favorite cartoons with hand-drawn graphics, while others consider it a relic of the past and praise children's films in 3D in every possible way. Well, the choice is made by each person independently. We want to tell you about the first 3D cartoon. Many people naively believe that it appeared some 5-10 years ago.

Let's mentally fast forward to 1984. It was at this time that a short cartoon from Pixar was released - "The Adventure of Andre and Wally the Bee"(but then the company was called Lucasfilm).

The first full-length animated 3D film was released in 1995. Probably, many remember the cartoon, which has already become a classic - "Toy Story". With the support of Steve Jobs, Pixar set to work to create an iconic story. I must say that the workflow was very long and tedious. And it’s not only technical difficulties, but also the scrupulousness of the curator Pixar to details. The expert did not hesitate to change the characters and the line of relationships between them.

The use of computer animation has allowed the creators of the legendary Toy Stories create shots that are difficult to capture using traditional animation. For example, overlaying complex shadows.

Did you know: after leaving Toy Stories more than 250 3D cartoons have been released.

In Russia, the first 3D cartoon was released in 2010. Studio "Center national film»Created fascinating story entitled "Belka and Strelka. Star dogs ". Animated film dedicated to the "veterans" of space, who were accepted into the cosmonaut corps.

World animation has passed thorny path from primitive drawings to full-fledged 3D animated films. We are confident that in the near future there will be even more innovative technologies creating cartoons that will allow young viewers to watch what is happening on the screen or monitor without taking their eyes off and holding their breath.

Information for writing the material and photos were taken from free sources (including Wikipedia).

Examples of the first cartoons

Phantasmagoria (1908)

Plane Crazy - Mickey Mouse (1928)