-
1906 BCE
Humorous phases of funny faces
marks the first entirely animated film, using stop-motion
photography to create action. -
1900 BCE
THE SILENT ERA
The early 20th century marks the beginning of theatrical showings of cartoons, especially in the United States and France. Many animators form studios, with Bray Studios in New York proving the most successful of this era. Bray helped launch the careers of the cartoonists that created Mighty Mouse, Betty Boop, and Woody Woodpecker. -
ANIMATION BEFORE FILM
With the spread of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America in the 18th and 19th centuries came experimentation with machines that would make images appear to move. -
Gertie the dinosaur
is considered the first cartoon to feature
an appealing character. -
Felix the cat
Musical Mews and Feline Follies introduced Felix the Cat—often considered the first animated movie star. -
STEAMBOAT WILLIE
featuring Mickey Mouse—becomes the first cartoon with the sound printed on the film,
and is the first notable success for Walt Disney Studios, founded in Los Angeles in 1923. -
THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN ANIMATION
During what many consider to be the “Golden Age” of animation, theatrical cartoons became an integral part of popular culture. These years are defined by the rise of Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Silly Symphonies), Warner Brothers, MGM, and Fleischer (Betty Boop, Popeye). -
SNOW WHITE
Walt Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first animated
feature to use hand-drawn animation. -
The American Television Era
The animation industry began to adapt to the fact that television continued its rise as the
entertainment medium of choice for American families. Studios created many cartoons for TV, using a “limited animation” style. By the mid ‘80s, with help from cable channels such as The Disney Channel and Nickolodeon, cartoons were ubiquitous on TV. -
Yogi bear
The Yogi Bear Show, a spin-off of Huckleberry Hound
(another Hanna-Barbera production), debuts on national TV. -
The Pink Phink
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises wins the Academy Award for Best Short Film
for The PinkPhink (of the Pink Panther series) and continues to
create shorts for theatrical release. -
FRITZ THE CAT
Fritz the Cat is released—the first animated
adult (X-rated) feature film. -
THE ADVENTURES OF ANDRE & WALLY B
This short film was the first fully CGI-animated film,
created by The Graphics Group, the precursor to Pixar. -
THE SIMPSONS
The Simpsons is an American adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American scripted primetime television series. -
TOY STORY
Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated
feature film, was released. -
sonic underground
Sonic and his siblings search for their mother while being chased. -
Kong
King Kong is reborn through a scientist's DNA research. -
strawberry shoirtcake
is a licensed character owned by Iconix Brand Group, originally used in greeting cards and expanded to include dolls, posters, and other products. The Strawberry Shortcake properties also include a toy line of the character's friends and pets. -
chicken little
Young Chicken Little (Zach Braff) throws his small town into panic by claiming the sky is falling. Unable to find the piece of "sky" that hit him, he earns the town's scorn. A year later, outcast Little tries to redeem himself by joining the baseball team, helping to win a crucial game. -
cars
While traveling to California to race against The King (Richard Petty) and Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) for the Piston Cup Championship, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) becomes lost after falling out of his trailer in a run down town called Radiator Springs -
Ratatouille
Ratatouille is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. -
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy martial arts film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures -
Coraline
Coraline Jones is a girl of 11 who is feisty, curious, and adventurous beyond her years. She and her parents have just relocated from Michigan to Oregon. Missing her friends and finding her parents to be distracted by their work, Coraline tries to find some excitement in her new environment -
Tangled
When the kingdom's most-wanted bandit, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), hides in a convenient tower, he immediately becomes a captive of Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), the spire's longtime resident. Crowned with 70 feet of magical golden hair, she has been locked away for years and desperately wants freedom -
Rango
A chameleon (Johnny Depp) who has lived as a sheltered family pet finds himself in the grip of an identity crisis. Rango wonders how to stand out when it is his nature to blend in. When he accidentally winds up in a frontier town called Dirt, he takes the first step on a transformational journey -
Brave
Merida (Kelly Macdonald), the impetuous but courageous daughter of Scottish King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), is a skilled archer who wants to carve out her own path in life. Her defiance of an age-old tradition angers the Highland lords and leads to chaos in the kingdom -
Frozen
When their kingdom becomes trapped in perpetual winter, fearless Anna (Kristen Bell) joins forces with mountaineer Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer sidekick to find Anna's sister, Snow Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel), and break her icy spell. Although their epic journey leads them to encounters -
The Lego movie
The Lego Movie is a 2014 3D computer-animated adventure-comedy film directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, from a story by Dan and Kevin Hageman, as well as Lord and Miller, and produced by Dan Lin and Roy Lee. -
Inside Out
Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) is a happy, hockey-loving 11-year-old Midwestern girl, but her world turns upside-down when she and her parents move to San Francisco. Riley's emotions -- led by Joy (Amy Poehler) -- try to guide her through this difficult, life-changing event. However, the stress of the move -
Finding Dory
Disney Pixar's "Finding Dory" welcomes back to the big screen everyone's favorite forgetful blue tang Dory, who's living happily in the reef with Marlin and Nemo. When Dory suddenly remembers that she has a family out there who may be looking for her, the trio takes off on a life-changing adventure
