mikebo

Well, not quite. The origin of an animation is a long and complex one. Today’s anniversary is for the filmed cartoon. 100 years ago this day, April 6, 1906, what is regarded as the first animated cartoon was completed, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.

J. Stuart Blackton created the short film using a chalkboard as his medium. He draws a pair of faces and then disappears from the frame. The faces then come alive and move on their own. The animation is primitive by today’s standards of course, but there is a certain charm to it. In leu of describing it further, you can see the film itself here. Or you can download it in various formats courtesy of the Library of Congress here.

Six years earlier, Blackton collaborated with Thomas Edison on another film which contains some very basic stop motion, The Enchanted Drawing. Blackton interacts with his drawings playfully, hinting at what would come a few years later. You can view the short here. Download here.

The next time you’re viewing the latest Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece, consider where it all started with Humorous Phases.