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Animated films in the United States date back to at least 1906 when Vitagraph released Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.[1] Although early animations were rudimentary they rapidly became more sophisticated with such classics as Gertie the Dinosaur in 1916 and Koko the Clown.
Originally a novelty, some early animated silents depicted magic acts or were strongly influenced by the comic strip. Later, they were distributed along with newsreels. Early animation films, like their live-action silent cousins, would come with a musical score to be played by an organist or even an orchestra in larger theatres.[2]
[edit] List of animated silents
- J. Stuart Blackton, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, 1906 claimed to be the first animated film in the US[1]
- Winsor McCay, Gertie the Dinosaur,1914, The sinking of the Lusitania, 1918, Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend, 1921
- John Randolph Bray who later claimed to have invented some of McCay's techniques
- Willis O'Brien, The Dinosaur and the Missing Link, 1915, The Lost World, 1925 (stop-motion animation)
- Otto Messmer and the first cartoon superstar Felix the Cat, 1919
- Max Fleischer and Koko the Clown, 1919 and the invention of the rotoscope
- Paul Terry and Aesop's Film Fables, 1921-1929
- Van Beuren Studios which released Paul Terry's films before Terry set up his own studio in 1929
- Walt Disney's first cartoons: Laugh-o-Grams, Alice Comedies , Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse
- Other significant series: Heeza Liar, Mutt and Jeff, Krazy Kat, Bobby Bumps
- Other significant studios: Barré Studio, Bray Productions, Barré-Bowers Studio, International Film Service
- Significant distributors of animated films: Margaret J. Winkler, Charles Mintz, Educational Pictures, Red Seal Pictures, Bijou Films
- Also, Charles Bowers was a comedian and animator who made many bizarre films in the 1920s combining stop-motion animation and comedy. Many of them have been lost, but some have been recently released on DVD.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- Denis Gifford (1990). American Animated Films: The Silent Era, 1897-1929. Mcfarland & Co. ISBN 0899504604.
- Richard Fleischer (2005). Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-2355-0.
- Donald Crafton (1993). Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898-1928. University of Chicago Press.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
