How Has Animation Improved with the Use of Technology?

Whatever may be our position in social life, all of us are acquainted with the term ‘animation.’

Our childhood was made joyous and enjoyable by the presence of cartoon shows on TV without which our lives would have remained incomplete. While watching various cartoon characters, we need to know the history of animation and how it evolved to reach its current stage. Whether or not watching cartoons was your favourite activity as a child, you can certainly opt for pursuing a career in animation and creating those wonderful characters yourself.

Moople Institute of Animation and Design is the leading institute that offers the best animation courses including 3D animation training. One of the most profitable career options to pursue in the current situation of things is that of animation as the industry is growing at an unprecedented rate and has found wide acceptance among people.

At the Beginning

The first real animation device that was discovered in 1832 by John Plateau was Phenakistoscope.

This was the first-ever device that could create the illusion of fluid animation.

The Celluloid Shift (1888-1914)

The initial animation films were made using simple and unsophisticated equipment.

The first device that helped in the creation of animation is Theatre Optique by Emile Reynaud.

The series of animated films made by him consisted of Pauvre Pierrot and Autourd’unecabine which contained 300-700 frames or painted images to last 10-15 minutes.

Traditional animation technology (1914-1967)

Cel animation was used in traditional animation history to create hand-drawn animation. 

Cel was a transparent sheet consisting of cellulose nitrate and camphor which was used to create hand-drawn objects.

Characters were drawn on cels and then superimposed on common background images to reduce the number of frames and production times.

Colonel Heeza Liar was the first animated cartoon series created using precisely this technique and the production house was John Bray Studios.

A very popular animated film was produced in 1914 called Gertie, the Dinosaur created by Winsor McCay.

The techniques that were used while making this film were keyframe, registration marks, and animation loops.

This film is referred to as the oldest cartoon film.

We got to witness the next revolution in animation thanks to Walt Disney.

Steamboat Willie which was released in 1928 was the first animated film to include sound.

Although many people consider this one to be the first animated feature film yet seven films were produced before this. Nevertheless, this was the first one to use fully the hand-drawn animation technique.

This movie also marked the journey of the popular cartoon character, Mickey Mouse.

In 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs turned the sector of animated film into a popular form of entertainment.

The audience started to be fascinated by the cartoon characters while also forming a sort of bonding with them.

Another animation technique that was used in traditional animation was stop-motion animation.

The jerks that we get to notice in the movements of objects within the film sequences of the era are caused because this technique is used to create the perception of movement in the object.

The Computer Revolution – Motion Graphic (1967-1984)

The computer-animated films that were done in the beginning were very basic but they changed the way animation is done.

Hummingbird was the first computer-generated animated movie and was made using 30,000 images and 25 motion sequences generated by a computer.

It was now possible to do the entire frame-by-frame animation of 2D characters on a computer. 

This process was less time-consuming and allowed the graphic artists more control and they were able to produce whatever they wanted without depending on the help of the actor or props, and set pieces.

One of the very first 2D animation films created by Disney was The Sword in the Stone.

Other renowned animation movies from this time that were produced by Disney included Jungle Book, Mary Poppins, and The Aristocrats.

The Golden Era of CGI (1984-2018)

The stop-motion technique was succeeded by computer animation.

Contemporary computer animation includes both 2D and 3D graphics which are then put in motion using either of these techniques – frame-by-frame or rigging.  

This advanced technique facilitated the faster creation and rendering of the films, and this also made way for the animation to be used not just in films and TV but also in brand storytelling and web series.

Post-2018 – the Future

AR/VR and 360degree Animated Videos

Brands and content creators are getting attracted to the notion of incorporating animation to deliver their messages.

They are using the latest available technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and 360-degree video technology. As these technologies are highly experiential, they help create immersive and engrossing stories.

As a brand, if your goal is to grow your business and attract the attention of new and changed customers, you have to make use of these technologies to generate content that would grab eyeballs.

Animated Web Series

At this point when web series are ruling the scene of entertainment, we are getting presented with entire web series created in animation.

Top brands too are going with the flow and creating attention-grabbing animated series to please the audience keeping in the trend.

For instance, Starbucks recently created an animation series called 1st and Main which tells us the story of a Starbucks outlet.

Where to Learn?

If you are interested in learning 3D animation courses, you ought to check out the diverse courses offered by Moople Academy Private Limited.

Using state-of-the-art technology and providing a 100% placement guarantee, your go-to animation institute in Kolkata is Moople where the curriculum has been designed in a learner-friendly manner.

Visit their website today in order to know about their 3D animation course details. If you look forward to getting enrolled in a 3D animation course in Kolkata, do not forget to check out the various production-oriented courses offered by Moople that make the students job-ready.


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