History of Animation 2

A number of pioneers began creating animated shorts in the early 20th century, for example 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces' by newspaper cartoonist J. Stuart Blackton in 1906 and 1914’s Gertie the Dinosaur by Winsor McCay. The film features a scene where McCay walks behind the projection screen and a view of him appears on the screen showing him getting on the cartoon dinosaur's back and riding out of frame. This scene made Gertie the Dinosaur the first film to combine live action footage with hand drawn animation.

The 1930's saw the introduction of the iconic Betty Boop, first appearing as a poodle in 'Dizzy Dishes' created by Max Fleischer, before later transforming into a human and becoming a sex symbol. She was a caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, based off singer Helen Kane. The 1930's also saw the first animated appearances of Popeye the sailor, again produced by Max and Dave Fleoscher who adapted the originally comic book character into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures

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