This document discusses the evolution of animation techniques at Disney from 1937 to the present. It covers early films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which pioneered techniques like Technicolor and the multiplane camera. Later films incorporated live action reference and rotoscoping. The 1960s saw the rise of xerography and recycled animation to cut costs. The 1990s brought computer animation with films like Beauty and the Beast. The document also examines themes of realism, multiculturalism, and the changing roles of women in Disney films over time.

1. Disney Animation Techniques
1937 – 1959
By Des Murphy

2. Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs -1937
 The first full-length animated feature film.
 The first produced in full Technicolor.
 The film became the most successful motion picture of
1938 and earned over $8 million on its initial release,
the equivalent of $122,487,945 in 2010.

3. Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs -1937
 Technicolor - A three-color method that
included all colours of the rainbow.
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4. Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs - 1937
 The Multiplane Camera – Created a
three-dimensional effect.
Composite
image as seen
by camera
Lighting for each
layer
Individual elements
arranged in layers

5. Pinocchio -1940
 Rotoscoping – An animation
technique in which animators
trace over live-action film
movement, frame by frame.

6. Pinocchio -1940
 Pinocchio was a ground
breaking achievement in
highly realistic effect
animation.
 Used Live Action Reference.

7. Sleeping Beauty - 1959
 First animated feature to be
photographed in the Technirama
widescreen process.

8. Sleeping Beauty - 1959
 The last Disney feature to
use hand-inked cels in the
animation.
 Every shot in the film was
done from a live-action
reference version.

9. Disney Animation from 101
Dalmatians (1961) to Beauty
and the Beast (1991)

10. Xerography
• “101 Dalmatians” (1961) the first movie to use this method.
• Also first animated Disney movie to not use the technique of
rotoscoped.
• Disney animation team had a limited budget so had to come up with
a way to make a box office hit at a reduced cost.
• Ub Iwerks, having experimented with Xerography, suggested using
this program which side-tracked the hand inking process, this
involved placing the cels over the drawings and inkers copying the
outlines with different coloured inks. This process only leaves the
colour to be inked on.
• One problem of this system is the original sketch type of drawing
was kept in the final movie.
• Problem was improved in the 1977 movie “The Rescuers” by re-drawing
the original sketches into a cleaner finished product.

12. Recycled Animation
• Over the next few years, the action of using templates already used
in previous animations became quite common. The ability to reuse
these templates reduced cost which was important in the times of
Disney's limited budgets.
• In “The Sword and the Stone” (1963) some templates were taken
from “Bambi” (1942) , and “101 Dalmatians”. Some of the templates
from this movie were also carried through to the next feature “The
Jungle Book” (1967).

14. Revolutionary Animation
Techniques
• Animation in “The Rescuers” (1977) used in the opening
credits marked the first time camera movements were used
over still photographs.
• New Xerography program used in this film re-created the
softer outline that was not previously available with this
system. Previously could only use black outlines, now use
medium grey tones and more.

15. ATP Process
• “The Black Cauldron” (1985) was the first
Disney animation to use APT (Animation
Photo Transfer) process, instead of
Xerography.
• Also first of Disney films to use computer-generated
imagery.
• APT process, invented by David W.
Spencer for this movie, photo's were taken
and the negatives of these images were
used. Negative copied with light sensitive
dye and the light caused it to combine with
the cels. Chemicals were used on parts
uncovered to light. Detailed parts of images
still had to be inked by hand after this
process.

16. CGI
• CGI continued to be used in the future
Disney films, including “The Little
Mermaid” (1989). This was also the last
film to use the method of hand-painted
cel animation.
• CGI involves the creation of 3D images
through the use of computer software.

17. CAPS
• “The Rescuers Down Under” (1990) was
the first movie with “Beauty and the
Beast” (1991) as the second to use
CAPS (Computer Animation Production
System) which was developed by Pixar
for Disney, this involved scanning
animators drawing and background
paintings into the computer which allows
them to be inked and coloured by digital
designers which allowed for camera
movements, multiplane effects and other
effects to be determined .
• CAPS also allows hand-drawn
animations and CGI to easily combined.

18. Disney Renaissance?
1989 – Present

19. The Woman’s role in later Disney
 De Rozario – 1994
“Princesses in later Disney perform an
opposite social journey to Walt’s
traditional princess”
Role of Woman changing with
society.
 The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Mulan.
 Jasmine in Aladdin; Jafar’s slave when
he gets access to the genie, helps
Aladdin by seducing Jafar.
 Tarzan; Jane requires saving

20. Return to classic Disney
Musicals
 The Little Mermaid; Return to the
musical Disney.
 This proved successful as there are 6
Disney Renaissance animated films in
the top 50 highest grossing animated
movies
 The Lion King is second only to be
topped by Toy Story 3.

21. Multicultural Phase
 Aladdin – Good vs Evil.
◦ Aladdin and Jamsine have thick American
accents
◦ Sultan – British “jolly” accent
◦ Jafar – Arabic accent.
 Hunchback of Notre Dame – racist
oppression of Quasimodo and the
gypsies in Paris.

22. Realism
 Hercules, Mulan, Pocahontas,
Hunchback of Notre Dame and the
Little Mermaid are based on stories
and historical figures.
 Victor Hugo’s Hunchback Notre
Dame; Everyone is killed, Quasimodo
commits suicide by starving himself.
 Brother’s Grimm Little Mermaid; Also
dies, and her sisters lose their hair.

23. Following the Disney
Renaissance
 Following the Disney Renaissance there was
a lull for Disney.
 Animation; The animation level here is out
standing, with exceptional facial expressions
◦ The ending scene of Atlantis was described as
the most difficult scene in the history of Disney
Animation
 Neglected movies.
◦ FANTASIA 2000
The Emperor’s New Groove.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire – 350 Animators, based on comic book style –
Mike Mignola.
Lilo & Stitch
Treasure Planet
Brother Bear
Home on the Range

24. But it didn’t work…
 Following these unsuccessful movies,
Disney returned the traditional hand drawn
movies;
◦ The Princess and the Frog. (2009)
(First hand drawn feature for over 5 years)
 Tangled – Computer Graphics
◦ Why did this work when the CG films of the
2000s didn’t?

25. References