For any artist or storyteller, today is a holiday that trumps every holiday, whether national or religious, for it is the 100th anniversary of the first animated cartoon being released to the public.
Emile Cohl, the father and creator of the first animated cartoon, was born in France while it was under the rule of Napoleon III and was a member of the long forgotten Incoherent Movement in art.
Fantasmagorie, the title given to Cohl’s creation, is named after a mid-19th century magic lantern, the fantasmograph. The cartoon is comprised of 700 double exposed images, and totals about two minutes in length. It follows a stream of consciousness narrative that followed in the main tenants of the Incoherent Movement. The individual cells were drawn on white paper with black lines, however Cohn reversed the negative, so the entire animated sequence looked like it was done on a chalkboard. Further, the cartoon combines animation with live action.
Today, animation is far more sophisticated with the replacement of computers over the traditional cell-based animation. However, knowing the process that went into creating Fantasmagorie makes it even more revolutionary for its time by utilizing techniques that are both common and uncommon in film today.
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The illustration for today is a bit of “fan-art” commemorating Emile Cohl’s achievement.
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