Animation Timeline |
Date
| Event |
| 1824
| Peter Mark Roget, who did
research in physiology at the University of London, published "Persistence
of Vision with Regard to Moving Objects." This book presented the idea
that a succession of still images could create the appearance of motion.
|
| 1826
| The thaumatrope was invented
by John Ayrton Paris. This device consisted of a disc with
an image painted on each side which was twirled using a threaded string
thus 'combining' the two images |
| 1832
| Joseph Plateau (a Belgian
scientist) developed the phenakistiscope, which produced
an illusion of movement by allowing a viewer to gaze at a rotating disk
containing small windows, behind which was another disk containing a sequence
of images. When the disks were rotated at the correct speed, the 'windows'
acted as a shutter; the spaces between them providing the interruptions
the eye needs to blend the still images into motion. |
| 1877
| Emile Reynaud (from France)
patents the praxinoscope .. a device that used mirrors
to project a sequence of images (along with a fixed background) onto a screen.
It was sufficiently complex that only he could run it. The infinite length
tape changed the medium from a curiosity into entertainment. |
| 1895
| The age of movie camera and
projector begins .. experimentors discover they can stop the crank and restart
it again to obtain special effects. Example: James Stuart Blackton
creates "The Enchanted Drawing" in 1900 .. a caricature is drawn with no
evidence of an artist. |
| 1908
| Emil Cohl (from France) produced
'Fantasmagoric', a film depicting white moving figures on a black background.
Often considered the first animator.
|
| 1914
| Windsor McCay produces perhaps
the first popular animation .. Gertie the Dinosaur, which
becomes part of his vaudeville act |
| 1915
| John Bray patents the use of clear cels over
a background |
| 1917
| John Bray patents rotoscoping
(developed by Max Fleischer) |
| 1919
| Koko the clown (Max Fleischer)
appears |
| 1920's
| Otto Mesmer creates Felix
the Cat |
| 1928
| Walt Disney releases "Steamboat
Willie" .. an early cartoon w/ sound -- cartoons are now seen as entertainment.
Disney innovations over the next 10-20 years include the storyboard, pencil
tests, and the multi-plane camera stand (3D effects). Disney also promoted
the analysis of real-life motion. |
| 1937
| Snow White is released at
cost of $1.5M |
| 1930's
| Fleischer studios create Betty
Boop and Popeye |
| 1930's
| Warner Bros .. Porky Pig,
Daffy Duck, and Bugs Bunny appear |
| 1940's
| Walter Lantz and Woody Woodpecker,
Paul Terry and Mighty Mouse, MGM w/ Tom & Jerry (animators
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera) |
| 1963
| Ivan Sutherland and SKETCHPAD
at MIT/Lincoln Labs |
| 1972
| University of Utah, Ed Catmull
develops an animation scripting language and creates an animation of a smooth
shaded hand. |
| 1972
| University of Utah, Fred Parke
creates first computer generated facial animation. |
| 1974
| National Research Council of Canada releases
Hunger/La Faim directed by Peter Foldes and featuring
Burtnyk and Wein interactive keyframing techniques. |
| 1982
| Tron, MAGI, movie with CG
premise |
| 1983
| Bill Reeves at Lucasfilm publishes
techniques for modeling particle systems. "Demo" is Star Trek II: The
Wrath of Kahn. The paper also promotes motion blur. |
| 1984
| The Last Starfighter, CG is
used in place of models |
| 1984
| Porter and Duff at Lucusfilm
publish paper on digital compositing using an alpha channel. |
| 1985
| Girard and Maciejewski at
OSU publish a paper describing the use of inverse kinematics and dynamics
for animation. Their techniques are used in the animation "Eurythmy." |
| 1985
| Ken Perlin at NYU publishes
a paper on noise functions for textures. He later applied this technique
to add realism to character animations. |
| 1987
| John Lasseter at Pixar publishes
a paper describing traditional animation principles. "Demos" are Andre
and Wally B and Luxo Jr. |
| 1987
| Craig Reynolds then at Symbolics
(now at Dreamworks SKG) publishes a paper on self-organizing behavior for
groups. "Demos" are Stanley and Stella and Batman Returns.
|
| 1988
| Willow uses morphing in live
action film |
| 1992
| Beier and Neely, at SGI and
PDI respectively publish an algorithm where line correspondences guide morphing
between 2D images. "Demo" is Michael Jackson video Black and White.
|
| 1993
| Chen and Williams at Apple
publish a paper on view interpolation for 3D walkthroughs. |
| 1993
| Jurassic Park use of CG for
realistic living creatures |
| 1995
| Toy Story first full-length
3D CG feature film |
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