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Father of Animation
J. Stuart Blackton was a British filmmaker lving in America when he met Thomas Edison who was already a well-known inventor. Blackton was inspired by Edison to take on a partner and found the American Vitagraph Company where he first produced newsreels before almost singlehandedly creating the animation industry. -
Animated Film
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces is believed to be the first animated film to be recorded on standard picture film. It was created in 1906 by J. Stuart Blackton and his company, American Vitagraph company. It begins with the artist's hand drawing on a chalkboard before the drawing starts to move on its own. -
Fantasmagorie
Fantasmagorie is a French animated film by Émile Cohl. It is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation and consisted of 700 drawings that were filmed as black lines on white paper. It is also considered to be the first fully animated film. -
Rotoscope Patented
In 1915 Max Fleischer patented his invention, the rotoscope. This was an animation stand on which live action frames are projected so the artsist can trace them and superimpose on them. This process is still used today only the computer does the work instead of it being done by hand. This invention led to the first snimated classic cartoons being developed by Fleischer's studio in the 1930's. -
Walt Disney Studio
Walt Disney and his brother Roy opened their studio in October 1923 and two years later renamed it the Walt Dismey Studio. From here came such classics as Steamboat Willy, one of the most popular cartoons in animation history. -
Walt Disney
Walt Disney was a man who contributed so much to the animation industry that it's safe to say computer animation would not be the same without him. His accomplishmnets are too many to name. but one will never be forgotten. He created Mickey Mouse. -
Betty Boop and Popeye
In August of 1932 and July of 1933 Max Fleischer and his studio, Fleicher Studios, created and produced the Betty Boop cartoon and Popeye the Sailor Man, respectively. Two of the most well-known cartoons in the animation industry. -
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first animated feature film. When the film industry learned of Disney's plans to produce an animated feature-length version of Snow White, they were certain that the endeavor would destroy the Disney Studio and dubbed the project "Disney's Folly". -
World War II
In 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor thus truly beginning WWII and instantly changing the lives of millions of people across the globe. -
EINAC
Regarded as the first general purpose electronic computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was initially commissioned for the use in World War II, but not completed until one year after the war had ended . Installed at the University of Pennsylvania, its 40 separate eight-foot-high racks and 18,000 tubes were intended to help calculate ballistic trajectories. -
SEAC
In April 1950 SEAC was unveiled by the National Bureau of Standards and is one of the first computers to be used remotely. It is also the first computer to create the first digital image scanned from a photograph. -
Ben Laposky
Ben Lapsky created the first graphics image with a device called an oscilloscope and he called the images oscillions.The images was produced by manipulating electronic beams and reading them onto high speed film. -
John Whitney Sr.
Pioneer computer animator John Whitney Sr. in 1959, operating one of the first computer-graphics engines, a mechanical analog computer built largely from surplus World War II anti-aircraft guidance hardware. He is considered by many to be the father of Computer graphics thorugh his work in motion control and motion techiniques. The opening title sequence in Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo is one of his best known works. -
Ivan Sutherland
Ivan Sutherland was instrumental in computer graphics and thereby computer animation. His work in the field was groundbreaking, but it was his doctoral thesis, Sketchpad: A Man-machine Graphical Communications System, while attending MIT that broke the ground for working with computers as we know it today. Sketchpad was an interactive computer-aided design system that allowed users to hold a light pen and point to objects on the screen and to draw on the screen -
Scanimate
Scanimate was invented by Lee Harrison III who was the owner of Computer Image, in Denver, Colorado. Scanimate was a real-time animation device and is the ancestor of 3-D computer animation. -
SIGGRAPH
The summer of 1974 saw the first SIGGRAPH conference that brought together computer professionals from all aspects of the techology industry. The conference has taken place every year to the present and features exhibits, guest speakers, and lectures. -
Westworld and Futureworld
Michael Crichton wrote a book, Westworld and it's sequel Futureworld, both of which he later turned into movies. Westworld, a science firction western, was a first in digital image processing while Futureworld was the first time 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used in a feature film. -
Star Wars
Star Wars is a classic movie that has entertained and inspired generations of people, but more than that it brought 3D wireframe imagery to the big screen and made millions take notice to just how far computer animation had progrossed. -
IBM Personal Computer
This was the first standard personal desktop computer, complete with it's own monitor, keyboard, and printer. These days the descdents of the IBM run 5,000 times faster than those used in the 1960s. This allows talented compuiter graphics all over the world to connect and create great things in the digital world. -
The Last Starfighter
The Last Starfighter became a classic among the generation growing up in the 80s, it was every young boys dream come true. It was also one of the first films to use CGI significantly throughout the movie. -
Pixar
The PIXAR corporation was created in 1986 with funding by Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. One of the most important and groundbreaking computer animation companies in the industry. -
The Abyss
In 1989 James Cameron of Titanic fame brought us The Abyss, which was the first time photo-realistic CGI was successfully integrated into live-action scenes. -
Beauty and the Beast
Disney's Beauty and the Beast was a box office success but more importantly it brought computer graphics to the forefront of the public's eye and was a launching point for the avalanche of successful CGI movies made in the 90s. -
Paul Debevec / The Matrix
Paul Debevec is a pioneer in the use of light in computer animation and The Matrix is one one his many successes. In 2000 Paul was able to manipulate real time light to capture images of a human face and use that to create a digital-look alike. -
9/11
There have been many terrorists attacks aroudnd the world over the decades but September 11, 2001 changed the world. Not only were lives lost but our day to day lives were given a rude awakening. The way we fly, the way we look at other people, the tolerance level for many individuals all changed in that instant. -
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
This was the first time an actor's motions and actions were captured by monitors and used by CGI software to create the character of Gollum. The actors movements were sent back to the computer as they were occurring so they could be used to manipulate the character. -
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Movies, Television
Beginning about 2003 to the present time the use of computer animation in movies and television has exploded. From Nickelodeon's Jimmy Neutron to Dreamwork's Rise of the Guardians, movies and television shows are using CGI more and more. -
Blender Software
Blender allows you to create professional-grade animations and 3D models through a well-laid out interface equipped with a variety of tools and is available for free to the general public.
