Animation is a dynamic industry, where various methods and techniques are available to the public’s disposal. Art styles are diverse in its current scene—but the point we’ve reached in animation was in no way sudden. Its development stretches over decades, spanning back to the late 1800s where techniques were inefficient and lacking. So, what are the predecessors of the movies we all know and love today?
If you have curiosity towards the antiquated, here’s a list of five early animated films.
1. Pauvre Pierrot (1892)
Release date: Oct 28, 1892
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Animation method: Théâtre Optique
Country of Origin: France
Director: Émile Reynaud
Pauvre Pierrot is believed to be one of the first animated films, and is a demonstration of Émile Reynaud’s pioneering. Using his Théâtre Optique system, Reynaud’s hand painted short depicts the comedic romance of Harlequin and Columbina, and the infatuated Pierrot. It’s a rather simple story, with slapstick bits and playful music—qualities that make the animation charming in its own right. Pierrot attempts to woo Columbina, through a serenade from below her balcony after her retreat, to which Harlequin toys with him by prodding, stealing, and hiding in impossible crevices. The animated short consisted of no dialogue—its storytelling was solely relayed through visual aspects and was aided with perky music. Frantic movements would be accompanied by frantic keys; stealthy tiptoeing would mirror hushed compositions. Though it easily falls short of today's standards, Pauvre Pierrot was a revolutionary step towards the exploration of visual art in different mediums.
Paris in the 1890s was experiencing technological progress, while heeding the title of the art capital of the world. It was an artistically prosperous period in time, and Reynaud’s inventive technique was befitting of the era. While it was not the first demonstration of theatrical animation, it did supersede previous technology. Théâtre Optique was rapid and could run relatively long movies. Albeit his impact, it wasn’t long before cinema took over. Alongside other factors, this resulted in his hysteric episode—with a hammer, he wrought destruction onto his technology and films. What could be salvaged was scant, the restored Pauvre Pierrot being one of the few.
2. The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1903~)
Release date: 1903~
Genre: Comedy
Animation method: Stop-motion
Country of Origin: USA
Director: J. Stuart Blackton
This is a lost piece of media that has no known surviving copies of the film, but more significantly, it was the first recorded stop-motion show. Little is known about the plot, if it had any at all. However, through anecdotes, the movie is thought to open with a crowd of children leaving school, rushing to get to The Humpty Dumpty Circus. The circus would then play out—the acrobatics and trained animal’s stunts would have been depicted through wooden toys, with hinges where there should be joints. The makers, Vitagraph studios, had used Schoenhut’s set of the same name as this animated short.
More interestingly, the directors of The Humpty Dumpty Circus have made claims that the stop-motion was made in 1898—but the toy set they had used did not come into retail until 1903 as shown in gazetted patents. This misalignment of timelines debunks their initial declaration, and its release may be closer to 1908, considering the date of a Moving Picture World review. The critic notes the technique used, how figures are posed and then captured, careful to make each frame progress in increments small enough to avoid “jerky movement[s]”. Stop-motion indeed is a taxing process, even more so with the underdeveloped technology and unrefined techniques of the then juvenile method.
Due to the status of this film, there is not much to discuss about the substance of its contents. However, it doesn’t take away from its significance. It’s an early display of the “later relationships between cinema [and] toys”. This later becomes a common practice universally in film— toy models are either used in live action movies in the place of a zoomed out shot or straightforwardly used as titular characters. Examples of the latter include titles like “G.I Joe” and “Transformers”.
3. The Dull Sword (1917)
Release date: June 30, 1917
Genre: Comedy, Period Film
Animation method: Cut-out animation
Country of Origin: Japan
Director: Junichi Kouchi
The 1917 short is one of the earliest Japanese animations that hasn’t been completely lost to time. Animated by the “father” of anime, Junichi Kouchi, The Dull Sword is a silent movie that follows a gullible samurai, who is tricked into buying a dull-edged sword. He then attempts to test the sword on an unsuspecting blind man, to his defeat. Much like other earlier animations, this fell short of elaborate plotlines or themes due to the limitations of the medium at the time.
Each frame was likely animated with paper cutouts, a form of stop-motion comparable with Asian methods of theatric plays. It wouldn’t be an overexaggeration to heed The Dull Sword as the pinnacle of entertainment back then—but it would be a disservice to fail to mention its faults. At the time of its release, there were complaints about pacing, where a scene of a coin flip was criticized as too drawn out. However, the archival site “Japanese Animated Film Classics” notes that this “develops the tempo needed to prepare for the second half of the film”. Despite the attention it garnered, Kouchi’s company withdrew itself from animation, to which he simply continued with his old job as a newspaper cartoonist.
The reason of its need of restoration can be narrowed down to three possibilities; the Great Kanto Earthquake, World War II, or the combination of time and poor preservation. What we have currently of the movie is considered the full version after its second official renewal. Though it isn’t a perfect replica of the original, this does not take away from what we’re able to learn about the animation of its time. The Dull Sword and its counterparts provide the opportunity to dissect method and motifs of the time.
4. Gulliver’s Travel (1939)
Release date: December 18, 1939
Genre: Family, Fantasy
Animation method: Rotoscoping
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Dave Fleischer
This was the first animated fantasy musical in Technicolour that was not produced by Disney. It’s an adaptation of a 1726 novel of the same name, reproducing the first part of the story. Set in the fictitious islands of Lilliput and Blefscu, Gulliver, an explorer, is washed ashore and finds himself helping the diminutive inhabitants of the kingdom. His size overtakes them by miles, to which he chooses to take advantage of and goes on a power trip. Gulliver crowns himself as their saviour, but his conceits quickly land him into trouble.
The movie was animated by the producer's, Dave Fleischer's, own invention—the rotoscope. It’s an early technique of animation, where individuals would trace over live-action motion picture footage. This method is tedious and time consuming, which combined with a tight deadline and a skeptical company, caused the production team to take measures against this. Through expanding their team and holding regular training sessions at art schools, they were barely able to get it done in time.
Efforts did not go to waste—their persistence reflects on box-office records and satisfied audiences. A few shots in the animated movie do hold up, where lighting and angles were effectively used. However, to many, it did feel like an imitation of Disney’s Snow White, which it admittedly was. With the success of Disney’s animation, Fleischer was determined to produce a film of its stature. Thanks to the caricature-like tiny people and the uncanniness of the rotoscoped Gulliver, Fleischer fell short of Snow White’s polished cinematography. Having said that, it's a movie that was enjoyed by unsuspecting children, and even its limitations can be appreciated from a historical standpoint.
5. Princess Iron Fan (1941)
Release date: January 1, 1941
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Animation method: Rotoscoping
Country of Origin: China
Directors: Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan
Princess Iron Fan earned itself the title of the first Chinese animated feature film. The movie borrows an occurrence from the literary work “Journey to the West”, where the princess’s sacred fan is needed to extinguish the fires near a village—in which Sun Wukong unintentionally started. The Monkey King, and his two companions must pass through the fire to continue their journey. Thus, through rotoscoping, audiences watch as the titular character and Sun Wukong duels for the possession of the fan.
Rotoscoping was a dominant method for quite a while, being used in movies like Star Wars and The Yellow Submarine. Although it is not as common as it once was, rotoscoping is still used today—as seen in the videogame Faith. Both pieces of media have been mainly animated through rotoscoping, almost completely uninterrupted by any other method. Unique to this technique, the visuals it produces oftentimes is uncanny valley in its fluidity—a “flaw” that can be taken advantage of in the context of horror or comedy.
The film can be playful in its humour, despite the rather volatile period it was created in. Princess Iron Fan was animated and released amidst wars and a revolution, which explains the extensive production years and the educational elements scattered throughout the animated movie. Opening walls of text advised children to look at the film as an allegory for unity, and this is shown clearly when the divine Sun Wukong sits back to allow the townsfolk to band together to solve problems. Clearly, its historical gravity extends past its status as the first Chinese animated feature film, but also to the era it belonged to.
Overview
Animation has come a long way from its humble beginnings. While older methods are still used till today, they’ve been improved on far past how it started, exploring and expanding on the medium’s potential. It’s a form of art that is withstanding, and only will continue flourish with time and technology. Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR, and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
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