Timeline

18,000BC

Cave paintings drawn on walls. Historians believe that these images were made to look like they were moving by the flickering shadows cast on them from the fires.

7,000BC

In China, shadows of puppets are projected onto parchment paper. This is developed into an art form in eastern countries, particularly India. 

Greeks drew figures on vases in various stages of movement

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Magic lanterns were introduced.

The phenakistiscope (spinning wheel with slots in) and the Zoetrope were developed. Many variations on these and other optical toys developed in this period.

1860's

Development of the flip book which led to a coin machine 'viewer' based on a series of photographs being flipped by turning a handle.

Emile Raynaud developed the praxinoscope. This was a spinning drum, rather like a zoetrope, but one in which viewers saw moving images in a series of mirrors rather than through slots.

1895 William Harbutt invented plasticine. This is used for model animation - now made famous by Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run.

1897

Arthur Melbourne-Cooper produced an animated commercial for Bird's Custard powder. It is one of the first recorded uses of animation in adverstising.

Windsor McCay, a pioneer animator produced the first proper animated film for cinema entertainment called Gertie the Dinosaur. This was a silent film in black and white.

'Cel' or cellulose acetate was developed. This is a clear plastic that enables drawings to be made in layers. This cuts down the amount of drawings needed as drawings can be overlaid.

The means for adding sound to film was invented.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse made his first appearance as a character called 'Steamboat Willie'. This was the first successful animated film by the Disney Film Company.

Colour was added to film. 'Snow White' (1937) became the first full-length animated feature film in colour.

'Tron' was the first animated feature film made by a computer.

Computers are commonly used in all levels of film making. The film 'Toy Story' was the first full-length all-computer-generated animated film.

  2000

Fantasia 2000 becomes the first full-length animated film to be shown exclusively on the huge IMAX cinema screens.

CGI is mixed with traditional hand-drawn animation to combine the art with the technology in films like Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

2003

Rugrats Go Wild is launched with smello-vision in the USA. For the first time, we see two TV cartoon favourites, the Rugrats and the Wild Thornberrys on screen together.

2004

Shrek 2 used the first technical software to make light naturally bounce from one surface to another to create more natural and life-like surroundings.