color animation timeline.

Dec 9, 1906

J. stuart Blackton's Hunmorous Phases of Funny Faces was released.
Dec 9, 1908

The first short comprised solely of animated images, Emile Cohl's Fantasmagorie, receives its premiere in Paris.
Dec 9, 1908

Humpty Dumpty Circus marks the first use of stop-motion animation on film.
Dec 9, 1914

Earl Hurd invents the process of cel animation, which would revolutionize and dominate the industry for much of the 20th century.
Dec 9, 1914

Gertie the Dinosaur is widely considered the first animated short to feature a distinguishable character, as animator Winsor McCay brings a walking, dancing dinosaur to life.
Dec 9, 1917

The first feature-length animated film, Quirino Cristiani's El apostol, is released. All known copies were destroyed in a fire, however.
Dec 9, 1919

Felix the Cat makes his debut and becomes the first famous animated cartoon character.
Dec 9, 1920

The first color cartoon, John Randolph Bray's The Debut of Thomas Cat, is released.
Dec 9, 1922

Walt Disney animates his first animated short, Little Red Riding Hood.
Dec 9, 1928

Mickey Mouse makes his debut in the six-minute short Plane Crazy. (The character would not speak until the following year, in his ninth film.)
Dec 9, 1929

Disney's iconic line of animated shorts, Silly Symphonies, kicks off its prolific run with The Skeleton Dance.
Dec 9, 1930

Betty Boop debuts as a woman/dog hybrid in the short Dizzy Dishes.
Dec 9, 1930

Warner Bros. Looney Tunes makes its debut with Sinkin' in the Bathtub.
Dec 9, 1931

Quirino Cristiani's Peludopolis, which tells the story of a military coup against a corrupt president, boasts the first instance of sound within a feature-length animated film. There are no surviving copies of the movie in existence.
Dec 9, 1932

1932 The first full-color, three-strip Technicolor animated short, Flowers and Trees, is released. The film wins Disney an Oscar for Best Short Subject.
Dec 9, 1933

King Kong, which features several stop-motion animated characters, is released.
Dec 9, 1933

Popeye makes his debut alongside Betty Boop in the seven-minute short Popeye the Sailor.
Dec 9, 1933

Ub Iwerks invents the multiplane camera, which allows animators to create a three-dimensional effect within two-dimensional cartoons.
Dec 9, 1935

The Russian film The New Gulliver becomes the first full-length feature to employ stop-motion animation for the bulk of its running time.
Dec 9, 1937

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney's initial foray into the world of full-length animation and the first such production to emerge out of the United States, is released.
Dec 9, 1938

Bugs Bunny makes his debut in Porky's Hare Hunt, though the character wasn't named until 1941.
Dec 9, 1940

Tom launches his pursuit of Jerry in the Oscar-nominated short Puss Gets the Boot.
Dec 9, 1940

Woody Woodpecker arrives on the scene with a small role in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock, Knock.
Dec 9, 1941

The first full-length animated musical, Mr. Bug Goes to Town, is released.

J. stuart Blackton's Hunmorous Phases of Funny Faces was released.

The first short comprised solely of animated images, Emile Cohl's Fantasmagorie, receives its premiere in Paris.

Humpty Dumpty Circus marks the first use of stop-motion animation on film.

Earl Hurd invents the process of cel animation, which would revolutionize and dominate the industry for much of the 20th century.

Gertie the Dinosaur is widely considered the first animated short to feature a distinguishable character, as animator Winsor McCay brings a walking, dancing dinosaur to life.

The first feature-length animated film, Quirino Cristiani's El apostol, is released. All known copies were destroyed in a fire, however.

Felix the Cat makes his debut and becomes the first famous animated cartoon character.

The first color cartoon, John Randolph Bray's The Debut of Thomas Cat, is released.

Walt Disney animates his first animated short, Little Red Riding Hood.

Mickey Mouse makes his debut in the six-minute short Plane Crazy. (The character would not speak until the following year, in his ninth film.)

Disney's iconic line of animated shorts, Silly Symphonies, kicks off its prolific run with The Skeleton Dance.

Betty Boop debuts as a woman/dog hybrid in the short Dizzy Dishes.

Warner Bros. Looney Tunes makes its debut with Sinkin' in the Bathtub.

Quirino Cristiani's Peludopolis, which tells the story of a military coup against a corrupt president, boasts the first instance of sound within a feature-length animated film. There are no surviving copies of the movie in existence.

1932 The first full-color, three-strip Technicolor animated short, Flowers and Trees, is released. The film wins Disney an Oscar for Best Short Subject.

King Kong, which features several stop-motion animated characters, is released.

Popeye makes his debut alongside Betty Boop in the seven-minute short Popeye the Sailor.

Ub Iwerks invents the multiplane camera, which allows animators to create a three-dimensional effect within two-dimensional cartoons.

The Russian film The New Gulliver becomes the first full-length feature to employ stop-motion animation for the bulk of its running time.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Walt Disney's initial foray into the world of full-length animation and the first such production to emerge out of the United States, is released.

Bugs Bunny makes his debut in Porky's Hare Hunt, though the character wasn't named until 1941.

Tom launches his pursuit of Jerry in the Oscar-nominated short Puss Gets the Boot.

Woody Woodpecker arrives on the scene with a small role in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock, Knock.

The first full-length animated musical, Mr. Bug Goes to Town, is released.