A Brief History of Animation

A condensed timeline, on the evolution of cartoon characters

Animation has come a long way in the hundred years it's been around, and through it, has come an evolution of entertainment. 

The first actual cartoons, those shown on screens for an audience rather than on rotoscope, were nothing more than short little snippets made for brief entertainment. They were only ever shown in theaters, and often deleted immediately after, as at the time, there was no reason to believe it would be important. Animation was new, and strange, something no one really knew what to do with. It all began back in 1920, with the first few original characters such as Felix the cat, who evolved from the male Krazy Kat, who himself accidentally evolved from one of the first originals, the female Krazy Kat. This was all during the silent era of cartoons. 

This was what would become known as the InkWell period of animation, wherein characters were drawn with ink, and disobeyed the laws of physics. This became especially true upon the introduction of Walt Disney. Walt was the only man of his time who had a vision for the future of animation. He pushed the art form forward, and created some of the greatest creations in the field. He delivered the first animation utilizing organized sound with Steam Boat Mickey. This also brought Mickey Mouse to the attention of millions, as the first Cartoon Icon. 

Fast forward to the 1930's, and cartoons were here to stay. Because of this, certain censorship regulations had to be rethought. Originally, cartoons were never considered to be for more than adults, considering characters like Flip The Frog, the Fuck you cartoon. On top of this, there were rampant accounts of rip off characters. Walt was the only one with high value creations, and everyone knew it. You couldn't look anywhere without seeing something resembling Mickey Mouse. From this came Cartoon codes, which severely hindered the ability for rip off characters to be utilized. 

Also in this time was the creation of The Looney Tune cartoons, its first hard hitting, famous mascot being Porky Pig. Although Tex Avery ensured that his rendition of Bugs Bunny would be remembered for ages, Porky has been the sign off for their cartoons ever since, as to keep alive the memory of his fame to the cartoon world.

Moving onto the 40s, and the wrath of world war two. Many companies suffered from this time. And yet, even with the halt of new movies and cartoons, we still managed to receive some of the wackiest and down right zaniest characters in history. Characters such as Popeye and woody woodpecker. We saw the birth of Pin Up characters and cartoons surrounding them. This is what many refer to as the golden age of squash and stretch in animation. This would later die off, and only pick back up several decades later.

The 50s brought us almost nothing memorable! Such as the UPA studio cartoons. It was the age of the depression, and people needed something, anything to grab onto. It was a time for experimentation and new ideas, bringing us things such as Rooty Toot Toot, a series of short cartoons that focused on using few colors, simplified shapes, and almost non existent backgrounds. They wanted to go in the opposite direction of Disney, use a flat esthetic, and focus on the side of comedy rather than storytelling. It was only upon the age of the 60s that cartoons were shelved, rethought, and eventually brought to the world of television! It wasn't all great, but we did get great studios such as Aardman, and Hannah Barbera

Overall, the period between 1970-1990 was dominated by a mixture of movies, Hanna Barbera, and a mixture of Saturday Morning Cartoons from all over. It finally looked like animated cartoons were something that was here to stay, forever, never to be taken down. People and companies were finding their footing, creating their own styles, and gaining a massive cult following all their own. The only downside was the sudden shift in audience. People started to think that it was better for cartoons to be directed at children. While this was a great new source of revenue and ratings for studios across America, this also meant that over the course of the next 20-30 years, things would have to change.

There were improvements, such as a lack of cigarette advertisements, less foul language, and for a time we even got to keep innuendos, for adults who watch with their children. But things eventually went too far. While today we live in an age of incredible writing, and a massive number of cartoons to entertain us, we've also lost a great deal of what once was there. A lack of innuendos, taking guns from characters like Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd, and an increase of preachy morality in shows. 

And yet, while this sad, and necessary change happened, and many seem to have forgotten the original adult audience of cartoons, a change is being made. As if it were a new idea, we've seen a rebirth in adult animation. It's a new wave, and were not sure where i'll go. 

Animation is a beautiful thing, and we should be so thankful to have it be a part of our collective cultures as a species. It's unclear what will happen next, or what new evolution we will see from the artform. But I for one am ready and excited for what the future holds. Everyone should be.