1. ANIMATION TIMELINE
In 1928, Walt Disney introduced Mickey Mouse’s Steamboat Willie , the first
widely distributed synchronized sound cartoon. The use of sound was
groundbreaking as it gave a new dimension to cartoons that was not possible
in the silent form. Chuck Jones, director for Warner Brothers explained why he
credits Walt Disney with creating the notion of cartoon ‘personalities’ and
being an inspiration to the entire industry:
‘Anybody who knows anything about animation knows that the things that
happened at Disney Studio were the backbone that upheld everything else.
Disney created a climate that enabled us all to exist. Perhaps the biggest thing
Disney contributed was he established the idea of individual personality. He
created the idea that you could make an animated cartoon character that had
personality. So without thinking he forced us into evolving our own style.’
And from the mid-1930’s on, animators began to develop the first cartoon
stars, characters with heart, soul and mass appeal. Some of these memorable
characters include: Walt Disney’s Goofy (1932), Warner Brothers’s Bugs Bunny
(1940), Metro-Goldwny-Mayer’s Tom and Jerry (1940), Walter Lantz’s Woody
Woodpecker (1941), and Paul Terry’s Mighty Mouse (1942). Sound cartoons
astounded audience with their use of physical action. Unlike their silent
counterparts, cartoons were now fact-paces, filled with slapstick antics. And
then two years later, Walt Disney did it again.
A milestone in colour

2. • With an exclusive contract to use Technicolor, Disney released the first full-length feature, Snow
White And The Seven Dwarfs in 1937. Technicolor is a three-color method that included all colours
of the rainbow. This wasn’t the first appearance of experimenting with colour. Since the early
1920’s, studios had been trying to ‘tint’ film. However, Technicolor was at a whole new height. It
surpassed tinting and the two-colour process, which used only red and green to give the illusion of
colour.
• The gamble on introduction colour to cartoons paid off not only for Disney but also for the
animation industry in filmmaking. Colour in cartoons was an unrealized dimension in
entertainment.
• Rendering animation in digital dimensions
• Now fast-forward to the 1960’s. Computer animation has a fledgling start in the field of
science, simple, pixilated computer-generated visuals in experiments. Then in 1971, Spacewar!
appeared on the scene, the first arcade game. The same year in Canada, using Nestor Burtnyk “key-
frame animation” technique, one of the first experimental computer-animated films Metadata is
created. And from there, the tangents between computer and animation grew in number.
• Advancements in computers continued to move in leaps and bounds and soon digital magic was
created. 1986 saw the creation of Pixar (originally Graphics Group), a special effects company
owned by George Lucas before being sold to Steve Jobs. Their first animated short Luxo Jr. won the
studio the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film the same year.
• Since then Pixar has been one of the many talented animation studios to lead the way into a new
digitally animated future.

3. Toy Story Opening Sequence
Toy story’s opening sequence has the song “You’ve got a friend” in the
background which is part of the films soundtrack. The opening
sequence shows Woody’s owner Andy packing because his family is
moving house but Andy decided he wants to keep his favourite toy
(Woody) out until last to play with. The song has a significant part
because the songs title suggests that Andy’s toys are his friends and not
just toys to play with. He clearly has a strong bond with his lifeless
friends as he takes his favourite toy everywhere.

4. Lion King Opening Sequence
The lion king opening sequence is of all of the animals in Africa and most of all the
most dominant animal and main characters the lions. The lion king Musaffa and his
lioness are raising their cub simba. The films soundtrack song circle of life represents
the human and animal life cycle. The lion is the king of the pride land and he protects
everyone in it.

5. Cinderella
The opening scene is as if someone is reading a fairy tale story
and we are a audience. The opening scene has a narrator
reading the book and then the book becomes a reality. From
the opening scene we can tell who is going to be trouble for
Cinderella.

6. Pinocchio
The opening scene to Pinocchio is of a view from
Jiminy cricket looking into the wood carpenters
house. As soon as we see that the cricket sees
the puppet we automatically realise that the
story is going to be about the puppet and
perhaps the cricket too

7. Similarly to Cinderella, snow white and the seven dwarfs also
starts with the opening of a fairy tale story book. We then see a
wicked queen and her wicked mirror who says that there is a
beautiful young lady who is fairer than the queen. Instantly we
know that the queen is set to over come snow white and
become the fairest in the land