This document profiles several key pioneers and developers in the history of animation and filmmaking. It discusses Joseph Plateau and his invention of the phenakistoscope in 1832. It then covers William Horner's creation of the zoetrope in 1834, Emile Reynaud's praxinoscope in 1877, and Eadweard Muybridge's zoopraxiscope in 1879. Thomas Edison invented the kinetoscope in 1891 and the Lumiere Brothers developed the first motion picture camera. Later developers like Willis O'Brien, Ray Harryhausen, and Jan Svankmajer pushed the industry forward. Contemporary animators such as the Brothers Quay, Tim Burton, A

2. THE PIONEERS
What is a pioneer?
“Develop or be the first
to use or apply (a new
method, area of
knowledge, or
activity)…”
The following people are
considered pioneers in
the world of
animation, and
filmmaking, because of
their innovative ideas
and revolutionary
inventions.
Joseph Plateau
William Horner
Emile Reynaud
Edward Muybridge
Thomas Edison
The Lumiere Brothers
George Pal

3. JOSEPH PLATEAU
In 1832, Belgian born Joseph Plateau was the
first person to validate the illusion of a moving
image in rapid succession with help from his
keen interest in the sciences, specifically
physics. As a child, and after, Plateau was, like
any animator, obsessed with how things move
and how we perceive them. With the inspiration
from Faraday’s and Roget’s invention “Michael
Faraday’s Wheel”, Plateau created what is
known as the phenakistoscope.
The phenakistoscope uses the persistence of
vision principle to create the illusion of figures in
motion. It consists of two discs mounted on the
same axis. The first disk has slots around the
edge, and the second contains drawings of
successive action, drawn around the disc in
concentric circles. Unlike Faraday’s
Wheel, whose pair of discs in opposite
directions, a phenakistoscope’s discs spin
together in the same direction. When viewed in a
mirror through the first disc’s slots, the pictures o

4. WILLIAM HORNER
In 1834, William Horner created the zoetrope, the
successor to the phenakistoscope. The zoetrope was
originally named the “Daedalum”, meaning “Wheel of
the Devil”. This invention was based on Plateau’s
phenakistoscope but provided more convenience as
it didn’t require a viewing mirror and permitted more
than one person to use it at the same time.
However, it wasn’t until more than 30 years after the
Daedalum’s creation that people would begin to take
notice of it. In 1867, M. Bradley patented the
Daedalum in England, and William F. Lincoln in
America. Lincoln renamed the Daedalum, giving it
the name of “zoetrope”, meaning “Wheel of Life”.
Like the phenakistoscope, the zoetrope uses the
persistence of vision principle to create the illusion of
motion. To create this illusion with the zoetrope, the
drum is spun; the faster the rate of spin, the
smoother the progression of images. The viewer can
look through the wall of the zoetrope from any point
around it, and see a rapid progression of images.
Because of its shape and design, more than one
person could use the zoetrope at the same time.

5. EMILE REYNAUD
In 1877, Frenchman Emile Reynaud
created the praxinoscope. This
device was a great advancement in
the world of moving image as it
overcame the picture distortion
caused by viewing through fastmoving slots. Furthermore, Reynaud
projected the first public appearance
of a moving picture show at the
Musee Grevin which included three
cartoons: Pauvre Pierrot, Un Bon
Bock, and Le Clown et ses Chiens.
A band of pictures is placed inside a
shallow outer cylinder, so that each
picture is reflected by the inner set of
mirrors. The number of mirrors is
equal to the number of pictures, and
the images of the pictures are
viewed in the mirrors. When the
outer cylinder rotates, the quick
succession of reflected pictures
gives the illusion of a moving image
without the distortion that is found
when using zoetropes or
phenakistoscopes.

6. EADWAERD MUYBRIDGE
In 1879, British photographer
Eadwaerd Muybridge (perhaps best
known today for his sequence of
photographs of a race horse in
motion which proved for the first time
that at top speed all hooves leave
the ground) unveiled his invention:
the zoopraxiscope. This was an
early motion picture device which
worked by showing a sequence of
still photographs in rapid succession.
This device took a disc which was
mounted vertically on a handle and
spun it. A series of pictures – drawn
to correspond with the frames of the
animation – were placed around the
inside of the disc. People could spin
the disc and see its reflection in a
mirror. As the disc turned, the
images also moved.

7. THOMAS EDISON
Thomas Edison, in 1891, invented the
kinetoscope which was a device for
filmmaking. The inspiration for this
device came shortly after Edison has
met Muybridge and became aware of his
progressions in the industry.
In it, a strip of film was passed rapidly
between a lens and an electric light bulb
while the viewer looked through a
peephole. Behind the peephole was a
spinning wheel with a narrow slit that
acted as a shutter, permitting a
momentary view of each of the 46
frames passing in front of the shutter
every second. The result was a lifelike
representation of persons and objects in
motion.

8. THE LUMIERE BROTHERS
In the 1890s, Louis and Auguste Lumiere
constructed the cinematograph, a motion
picture camera, film projector and
developer. The brothers wished to improve
upon the flaws that they detected in the
kinetoscope. The cinematograph only
weighed 16lbs which made easy
transportation possible. Furthermore, the
device was operated by a hand crank
whereas Edison’s kinetoscope was
electrically powered, rendering it
unmovable. The biggest and most
revolutionary feature of the cinematograph
was that not only could one person view
it, but the images could be projected onto a
screen, making it suitable for large
audience viewing.
Due to the cinematograph’s superior
design, it produced a sharper image when
projected than had previously been seen. A
kind of fork held the film reel in place
through the perforations made on the sides
of the film strip. In 1897, the Lumiere
brothers added a device – intended to work
as a condenser and to prevent overheating
of the film after extended use – to the
cinematograph.

9. GEORGE PAL
From the 1940s, George Pal created
“puppetoons” for Paramount Pictures
in America. As well as puppetoons, Pal
directed and produced an array of
films, including “The Wonderful World
of the Brothers Grim”, one of the
highest grossing films of 1962.
Another of Pal’s greatest
achievements was another film which
he also directed and produced, known
as “The Time Machine”. This film
received an Oscar for time-lapse
photographic effects showing the world
changing rapidly.

10. THE DEVELOPERS
What is a developer?
“A person or thing that develops
something.”
These men are considered
developers of the animation
industry because they took what the
pioneers had already created and
added their own twists, resulting in
essential advancements.
Willis O’Brien
Ray Harryhausen
Jan Svankmajer

11. WILLIS O’BRIEN
Californian animator Willis
O’Brien made an unequivocal
impact on both the animation and
special effects worlds with works
such as 1933s “King Kong” and
1949s “Might Joe Young” going
down in history as classic
examples of innovative work.
Furthermore, with thanks to his
originality, he was the first person
to ever receive an Oscar for
special effects.

12. RAY HARRHAUSEN
Gaining inspiration from Willis
O’Brien’s “King Kong”, Ray
Harryhausen pursued a career in
visual effects. Using stop motion
photography, he became one of the
leaders of visual effects in fantasy
films – most notably woth the classic
1963 film “Jason and the
Argonauts”.
He created his last film in 1981
known as “Clash of the Titans” but
continued being a mentor to aspiring
animators and filmmakers until his
death in 2013.

13. JAN SVANKMAJER
Born in Prague, Yan Svankmajer is
renowned as one of the most
creative, original and sometimes
morbid filmmakers.
mind knows of no creative
boundaries, he reflects his
originality through remaking classic
films. A prime example of this is his
rendition of “Alice in
Wonderland”, named “Alice”. In
this, Svankmajer’s trademarks such
as exaggerated sounds, fast-motion
movement sequences and realizing
inanimate objects are prominent.

14. THE CONTEMPORARIES
What is a contemporary?
“Belonging to or occurring in
the present.”
The following propelled
animation into the modernday understanding of it. They
commercialized animation
and, in the process, inspired
minds throughout the world.
The Brothers Quay
Tim Burton
Aardman Animations
Henry Selick

15. THE BROTHERS QUAY
The majority of The Brothers
Quay’s animation films present
puppets constructed from doll
parts and organic – and
inorganic – materials. These
puppets are often partially
disassembled to provide them
with a a dark and almost morbid
ambiance.
Perhaps their best known piece
is “Street of Crocodiles” which
Terry Gilliam (director and
animator) credited with being
one of the ten best animated
films of all time.
Furthermore, critic Jonathan
Romney included it on his list of
the ten best films in any medium.

16. TIM BURTON
California born Tim Burton is perhaps
one of the most notable and
recognizable names in the filmmaking
industry with classics such as The
Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice and The
Nightmare Before Christmas. All of
these films and many of Burton’s
others are created with his
trademarks of being
offbeat, imaginative and darkly
comedic. He has shaped the mind’s of
young aspiring animators and is often
praised for his creativity in each of his
films.
It is evident that Jan Svankmajer
influenced Tim Burton heavily.
However, Tim Burton’s work tends to
be less morbid than
Svankmajer’s, although dark
nonetheless.

17. AARDMAN ANIMATIONS
Aardman
Animations, Ltd., (also known
as Aardman Studios) is a
British animation studio mostly
known for films made using
stop-motion clay animation
techniques. One very famous
example of this is the classic
Wallace and Gromit.
Furthermore, in 1997 Aadman
and DreamWorks teamed up
to finance and distribute
Chicken Run.

18. HENRY SELICK
Henry Selick is an American stopmotion director, producer and
writer who is best known for
directing The Nightmare Before
Christmas, James and the Giant
Peach and Coraline. The
Nightmare Before Christmas was
Selick’s feature-directing debut
and while it is said to have
underperformed in the box
office, it is now recognized as a
cult classic.
Moreover, Coraline was the first
stereoscopic stop-motion
animated film and was nominated
for an Academy Award, a
BAFTA, and a Golden Globe; all
for Best Animated Feature.

19. GENRES OF STOP MOTION
TV Animation:
Animation in television manifests in
many forms, however most animations
are currently 3D or 2D.
Nevertheless, there remains television
shows that use claymation, such as
Postman Pat and Shaun The Sheep.
Shows that are produced in 3D are often
very smooth and created with a
computer whereas 2D shows are drawn
and then partake in an array of
processes in order for them to make it
onto TV.

20. Channel Idents
Channel 4, Channel 5, and the BBC network – along with countless others – use
channel idents as a way to identify themselves on air and to present the viewer
with the channel’s logo. Channel idents are typically shown before and after
advertisement breaks.
Cinema
Stop motion has been used throughout the decades in cinema, and it shows no
signs of slowing down. Every year, animated films are released and often do very
well. For example, Wes Anderson’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, Dan Scanlon’s “Monster
University” and Pierre Coffin’s “Despicable Me 2” all done exceedingly well.