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1. 1914: A Prehistoric Dinosaur Leads the Wave of the Future
In the early 20th century, theaters were already showing animated films on the big screen, but the characters were usually no more than spokesdrawings for various advertisers. That is, until Winsor McCay drew his way onto the scene in 1914. The legendary cartoonist, who’d earlier become famous with his classic comic strip, “Little Nemo,” believed that animated characters could hold an audience’s attention without the help of a sales pitch. With that in mind, McCay created the groundbreaking film Gertie the Dinosaur.
The most innovative part about the movie’s animation was the way McCay interacted with it. Gertie actually started out as part of McCay’s “chalk talk” vaudeville act, and rather than having Gertie attempt talking via speech balloons, McCay spoke for both of them. Standing on stage next to a projected image of the dinosaur and holding a whip, he would bark out commands like, “Dance, Gertie!” Then, suddenly, the image would change and she would obey. In another sequence, McCay would toss an apple behind the screen and the impish dinosaur would appear to catch it in her mouth.
Eventually, McCay was ready to let Gertie loose on the big screen by herself. Using cell animation and drawing thousands of illustrations of his beloved dinosaur, he turned Gertie into one of the first successful character-based animated cartoons. With such ingenuity and style, it’s clear why McCay was often called “The Father of American Cartoons.”
2. 1920s: Charles Lindbergh and the Queen Fall for the Same Cat
Because live-action films were such a big hit with moviegoers, early cartoon characters were often modeled on popular actors of the day. One such cartoon character was Master Tom—a black feline with enormous eyes and an inviting ear-to-ear grin. His creator, legendary animator Otto Messmer, based the cat’s personality on silent-film star Charlie Chaplin. Fitting because, within a year, a slightly boxier version of the cat, now named Felix, started appearing regularly in animated shorts before Chaplin’s feature films.
The fact that cartoon characters were still speaking in speech balloons hardly affected Felix’s popularity. By 1923, the cat’s star power at the box office rivaled not only Chaplin’s, but Buster Keaton’s and Fatty Arbuckle’s, as well. From Germany to China, people were fascinated by the technology that enabled Felix to take his tail off and turn it into a pencil or a question mark or a shovel, and they couldn’t wait to see what gags Messmer would dream up next. In fact, the wily feline became such a celebrity in Great Britain that Queen Mary named her own cat after him. Back in America, Felix’s popularity continued to soar, literally, as a picture of him accompanied Charles Lindbergh on his historic flight across the Atlantic. The character’s adventures didn’t stop there, though; Felix was also the first image ever successfully transmitted by RCA during its early TV experiments.
3. 1920s: Doing It for the Kids
Although Walt Disney’s impact on the world of animation can’t be downplayed, much of the credit for the studio’s trademark style belongs to animator Ub Iwerks. A boyhood pal of Walt’s, Iwerks served as Disney’s righthand man. And where Disney had the business sense, Iwerks had the technical know-how to create characters that moved with fresh elasticity. Mickey Mouse’s predecessor, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, was Iwerks’ creation. Oswald had big floppy ears that appeared almost rubbery when he walked. So while characters like Felix the Cat might have squeezed themselves through telephone lines, Disney characters had a softer profile. Ultimately, it upped the hugability factor, and that paid off with a whole new audience—children.
4. 1928: When the Mouse Speaks, People Listen
While Disney’s animation house floated by for a while, it wasn’t until Walt made his first “talkie” that America truly started buzzing about him. 1928’s Steamboat Willie signaled the end of the silent-film era. Disney had followed engineers’ experiments with sound and film throughout the 1920s, and he was convinced talkies were the future. Even though Mortimer Mouse (who Disney’s wife wisely re-christened Mickey) never actually speaks a complete sentence during Steamboat Willie, he more than makes up for it with his whistling—not to mention his energetic xylophone performance on the teeth of an open-mouthed bovine.
The combination of dazzling, synchronized music and pictures of a kid-friendly, large-eared mouse made Mickey and Walt Disney household names. In fact, the success of Steamboat Willie spawned a stream of new films, including 1929’s The Opry House—the movie in which Mickey dons his trademark white gloves for the first time.
5. 1930s: Marketing Kills the Animation Star
Although cartoons continued to be made for adults first, children second, one thing in the industry did change. From about 1930 onwards, many of Disney’s merchandising efforts were geared toward kids. In addition to Mickey Mouse dolls, there were combs, watches, pencils, T-shirts, coins, and even bedsheets—all of them exported the world over. It wasn’t long before Mickey became one of the most recognizable symbols of America. In 1935, The League of Nations proclaimed Mickey Mouse a “symbol of universal goodwill.”
All that attention came with plenty of responsibility, though. The economic pressure of the marketing strategy forced Disney to erase Mickey’s mischievous side and turn him into an all-around Mr. Nice Guy. And while the move succeeded in boosting merchandising sales, it did the opposite for Mickey’s on-screen popularity. The mouse’s star power was soon usurped by the naughtier, hot-tempered Donald Duck, who made it cool to be bad. Disney attempted a comeback for the mouse by giving Mickey a more bad-boy role in 1940’s Fantasia, but the film was a box office flop. It wasn’t until The Mickey Mouse Club premiered in 1955 that Mickey began to regain his star status.
Comments (24)
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great post
posted by clotho on 2-1-2008 at 8:20 am
I wish they’d make cartoons like in the ol’ days…those were so much fun to watch!
posted by Insolent Minx on 2-1-2008 at 8:40 am
just some observations:
Popeye was created by the great E.C. Segar, not Fleischer. Fleischer and Paramount just bought the rights from Segar and King features to make cartoons using Popeye.
If you’re talking cartooniness in Looney Tunes, you can’t forget Bob Clampett, he was the cartooniest of them all. You can thank Bob for creating Looney Tunes’ first major star, Porky Pig and co-creating Daffy Duck with Tex Avery. Where would Looney Tunes be without those two?
If anyone is interested in Animation history and live in the L.A. area, please do yourself a favor and visit the Animation Archive in Burbank. My good friend Steve Worth would be happy to show you around and dispense with some Cartoon knowledge. It is one of the most important resources we have in the animation world as animators and fans, alike. Here is the website, if anyone’s interested just google: Animation Archive and you should get the website.
posted by ArtF on 2-1-2008 at 8:42 am
I loved the story a few years ago, when NBC picked up the Sunday night football package, of how NBC-Universal and Disney-owned ABC made a deal to release Al Michaels from his contract so that Michaels could move to NBC along with John Madden. One of the conditions of that deal — I kid you not — was that Universal give Disney the rights to Oswald the Rabbit. Walt Disney always felt the character was stolen from him at the beginning of his career, and the family had personally asked Disney chair Robert Iger to get the rights to the character, even though they’re of little value today.
posted by John Carney on 2-1-2008 at 9:40 am
Fascinating post! Thanks for the cartoon history lesson – I love this stuff!
posted by Amy on 2-1-2008 at 9:58 am
The Oswald rights are of EXTREME value to Disney if you consider that Oswald was Disney’s 1st popular character and a lot of people have been waiting to see any Oswald material, since it hasn’t been released in decades. Besides, we wouldn’t have Mickey, if it wasn’t for Oswald.
Disney stands to make some dough from releasing all of the old Oswald cartoons on DVD, which they did last year, and from toy/novelty merchandise here and overseas.
The sad reality about a lot of the studios and corporations that own these old properties is that they do not use them and refuse to sell the rights to people who can actually get these films released so we can all enjoy them.
posted by ArtF on 2-1-2008 at 10:48 am
I think we need to up this list to 20 and add more!!
Great post!
posted by beth on 2-1-2008 at 10:54 am
I enjoyed your post. The animation Archive in Burbank IS worth a visit.
posted by Bob Weber Jr. on 2-2-2008 at 1:16 am
I agree with Beth. There are a number of landmark moments in animation that have been left off the list. For example: April 19th, 1987…The Tracey Ullman Show debuts a crudely drawn animated short about a family in middle America. Twenty years, a million episodes and a movie later, many people regard The Simpsons as one of the greatest TV shows in history, animated or not. That’s one event that springs to my mind, and I’m sure there are a bunch of others.
posted by Jim on 2-2-2008 at 2:29 am
Gertie rocks! As does McCay…
posted by Morpheus on 2-4-2008 at 4:20 pm
No mention of Japanese animation at all? It’s had a profound impact on the animation industry (see any animated series airing on television right now) and the film industry (ask Quentin Tarantino and the Wackowski brothers about some of their influences). Granted, it would be hard to pinpoint an exact moment where Japanese animation became relevant, but a mention of Speed Racer or Gigantor being some of the early introductions in the US to Anime or perhaps the introduction of more adult fare such as Akira and Wicked City in the 80’s.
posted by Ben on 2-7-2008 at 12:29 pm
When I think of a famous scene in an animated movie the first scene that comes to mind is Bart skateboard naked in The Simpsons Movie. It still touches my funnybone everytime I see it, I laugh at the very same place, particulary when Ralph said “I like men now” when he saw Bart naked.
No animated scene before or after has ever been as memorable as Bart skateboarding naked.
posted by Homer on 3-21-2009 at 8:43 am
Cool post, too bd I’m a little young to have seen the original cartoons.
posted by Carli on 5-6-2009 at 6:28 pm
Cracked is a liberal website and all things being liberal you have a noted disgust for Disney. It doesn’t surpirse e that you would not include the use of the multiplane camera – made famous – by Disney in Snow White but you would include Gerald McBOING BOING? Influencing SPONGE BOB? You know you’re right, the artistry that created effing Sponge Bob will be around long after Disney
posted by Rick on 5-12-2009 at 11:47 am
Bill Ward’s Crusader Rabbit from the early 1950’s made a considerable impression on me, even though I doubt I understood all of it. I did realize it was not your typical animated cartoon. I remember the dragons who heated the king’s palace–Arson and Sterno, and Crusader’s buddy, Rags the tiger. I think I knew right about then that it was a play on words. CR later reappeared as Rocky and Bullwinkle, known for it’s offbeat sense of humor and outrageous puns (the Kerwood Derby? Derwood Kerby of Candid Camera almost sued over that).
I’m sure it warped my childhood.
posted by firstofnormalin on 7-11-2009 at 11:30 pm
Before primetimers The Simpsons, King of The Hill, American Dad, et al — Anyone else remember “Wait Till Your Father Gets Home” from the early 70s? Or is that showing one’s esteemed age too much…LOL!!
posted by DixonSteele1on1 on 7-12-2009 at 12:58 pm
Cool post! I found Gertie on YouTube… click my name if you want to check her out!
ReCaptcha = toto spaeth?
posted by Roger on 7-15-2009 at 2:57 pm
Love the post. Fun and informative. But please, can someone tell me if there is any avenue of getting my hands on those Looney Tunes that were made specifically for GIs in WWII? Have they ever been rereleased as a set or would they be too risque for Warner Bro.’s reputation? How dare I be denied such treasures?!!
posted by ACtualWizard on 7-22-2009 at 4:13 pm
@DixonSteele1on1
I remember that show! I had to beg to to stay up to watch it, “But Mooooooooom it’s a cartoon!” I can still sing the chorus to the theme song. :D
posted by Bunnymuffin on 8-11-2009 at 2:13 am
Great Post!
I’m a veteran animation artist and now I teach animation history on the college level and this is the first half of the quarter in a nutshell.:)
One thing I would add tho’, about the ‘41 strike: Many of the lead animators were getting paid very nicely thank you and the big building in Burbank had already been built when the strike happened. The worst off were the “ink and paint ladies” who were paid dirt and got no benefits or overtime pay — so some of the “star” animators — like Art Babbitt (look him up) went to bat for the Ink and Paint department. (The Disney company relegated all women who applied with their company to the ink and paint department ’til WW2.)
Sometimes YouTube has a great documentary about Art Babbitt and the strike…
Oh, and yes, I want to put in my recommendation for the Animation Archives too…
posted by Lee on 8-27-2009 at 8:57 pm
I second the idea that this list should be expanded to 20. Things that should not be overlooked are: First animated show in primetime (the Flintstones). Other storied animators like Joseph Hanna and William Barbera, Jay Ward, and Don Bluth (”All Dogs Go To Heaven”, “The Land Before Time”). Other seminal shows such as Bozo the Clown (which I think might have been the first cartoon to animate a living person on a regular basis). Psychedelic animation (Ralph Bakshi, “Wizards”). First X-rated animated feature (Bakshi again, with “Fritz the Cat”). Computer-assist animation which first started making inroads in the 1990s; and of course full CG animation in cartoons by Pixar.
This list only scratched the surface.
-”BB”-
posted by Bicycle Bill on 9-21-2009 at 3:21 am
“10 Landmark Moments in Animation History” – not THE ten landmark moments, not the TOP ten moments, not ALL ten moments. Just ten of the landmark moments of this subject. Diction, peeps. Don’t get upset when all moments of importance aren’t included in a list which in no way claims to be comprehensive. :)
That said, this was really fun to read! Good stuff indeed. Also it’s somehow really funny that even this spawned a political comment from someone.
posted by Laura on 9-22-2009 at 1:54 pm
i would kill to see the original uncut warner stuff from the war. i have seen some clips of the more racial stuff, but i have never seen the hardcore snafu stuff….
also you never mention the early hanna-barbara stuff that had racial elements that couldnt be shown today….
posted by barf on 10-22-2009 at 11:00 pm
I read somewhere else that Lindberg had a Felix the cat DOLL, not picture. And don’t forget that Felix was the first copyrighted character to appear in baloon form in the Macy’s Day parade.
posted by Sara in AL on 10-29-2009 at 5:43 pm