The History of Animation

Animation has changed dramatically since it was first introduced (believed to be in 1671). Back in the day animation was created using sketches and paintings, with light transferring them onto some form of backdrop. Nowadays computers are the main source of animation, capable of creating almost lifelike characters. Cameras play a big part in animation as well, giving us stop motion (an example of this is Wallace & Gromit, which uses plasticine for its models). This is created by taking a series of photos with only the slightest of movements from the characters. However, drawings and sketches are still used, in cartoons for example. The Simpson's is the longest running of these, now in its 20th season, but once again in today's technology crazed world it is edited on computers for a far smoother finish.

Flip books, a form of animation, are still used for entertainment by a lot of school children, sketching on the corner of their jotters and whatnot.

Another modern type of animation is rotoscoping, where animators trace over real film movement to produce a different kind of image. This method has been used quite a lot recently in today's cinema with films such as Sin City and Spirit. It was a revolution that hasn't really took off yet.