Animation
The creation of the illusion of movement by presenting a series of images which represent discrete moments in sequential time. The mind makes a connection between those discrete frames and interprets them as smoothly moving over a period of time.
Animation
The process of creating the illusion of motion by creating
individual frames, as opposed to filming naturally-occuring
action at a regular frame rate. See also computer generated
animation, claymation, time lapse. Contrast with motion capture,
rotoscoping.
Anime
A style of animated movie which had its roots in the comic books
of Japan. Animation enjoys an immense variety of subject matter
and audiences in Japan. Outside of Japan, "Anime" is often used
to describe only the adult oriented science fiction and fantasy
entries in the field.
Claymation
Animation of models constructed from clay or plasticine.
Rotoscoping
An animation technique in which images of live action are traced,
either manually or automatically. See also motion capture.
Motion Capture
An animation technique in which the actions of an animated object
are derived automatically from the motion of a real- world actor
or object. See also rotoscoping.
Frame Rate
AKA: Frames Per Second, FPS
Movies are created by taking a rapid sequence of pictures (frames)
of action. By displaying these frames at the same rate at which they
were recorded, the illusion of motion can be created. "Frame Rate"
is the number of frames captured or projected per second. The human
optical system is only capable of capturing pictures 18-20 times per
second; hence to give a realistic illusion of motion a frame rate
greater than this is required. Most modern motion pictures are filmed
and displayed at 24 fps. Earlier films used lower frame rates, and
hence when played back on modern equipment, fast motion occurs due
to undercranking. See also: slow motion, fast motion, undercranking,
overcranking, judder, motion artifact.
A motion picture is projected at 24 frames per second and in a two hour movie this would work out to 173, 000 frames, and you would need at least that same number of cels! Kind of makes you respect all those folks behind the scenes who put in so much work to make an animated film flow effortlessly before our admiring eyes, doesn't it? Our next question becomes: What kinds of animation are there? Hmm, well without breaking it down into styles, like Anime which is wildly popular nowadays, here are the different animation techniques that I have found.
From the time animation began in America in 1911, animated celebrities have been created and their images have endured long after their once popular cartoons have faded from popular memory. Ko-Ko the Clown, Betty Boop, and Felix the Cat were all born in the early days of animation and they can still be found today, in glorious color, on all types of products from cookie jars to clothing!
It wasn't until 1924 that the world of animation merged with the man who would become famed the world over for his animated productions, Walt Disney. Walter Lantz (best known for Woody Woodpecker), Isidore "Friz" Freleng (co-founder of Looney Tunes), Fredrick "Tex" Avery (creator of Daffy Duck and with the help of two other notable animators, Bugs Bunny!) Max Fleischer (also known for Popeye, who was introduced in a Betty Boop cartoon!), Richard Williams (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), and Don Bluth have all had their impact upon the animated world, but it was Walt Disney who first moved into full-length films.
I have my qualms about Disney as an individual, as well as being severely disappointed in the hypocrisy, prejudice, gross commercialism, and insensitivity perpetually generated by the Disney Corporation. However, I will be the first to admit that they have also created some of the finest animated films ever and that the world of animation would not be what it is today without Disney.
This list is by no means complete, neither in terms of movies nor series. It is, at best, a quaint listing over films that I consider milestones of animation, some forgotten pearls, some happy childhood memories, and last but not least, just a few odd numbers tossed in for everyone to ridicule. Yes, Captain Planet. I'm looking at you.
Sequels are not listed, only mentioned in the first listing of the series. This saves quite some room, and makes for a tidier list. Series are listed according to their first year of appearance, even if a later installment grew more famous than its predecessor. Generally speaking, I've tried to avoid shorts and only listed movies or series, but I will make exceptions from this rule if I feel a short deserves special attention.
Legend:
CGI - Computer Generated Images
M - Directed at Mature Audiences
C - Directed at Children
A/LF - Animation/Live Footage. Half/Half blend of animated and liveflesh
protagonists.
Film - Motion Picture
TV - Made for TV series
Comic - Filmatisation of a prior comic