Stop motion animation: [1] Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton are often credited as the creators of stop motion with the film The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898) which showed a circus full of toy animals and acrobats come to life through the use of stop motion animation. J Stuart Blackton released another stop motion film later on named The Haunted Hotel (1907) which was a huge success and helped to make stop motion a bigger part of the industry.
Early optical toys lead up to stop motion animation as we know it today, these are the toys, their creators and how they work.
[2] Thaumotrope: It remains unknown who actually invented the Thaumotrope but the main people often credited are John Ayrton Paris, Peter Mark Roget and William Henry Fitton although a excavation in France revealed evidence of pre-historic Thaumotropes pre dating the careers of these men. The Thaumotrope is a circular disk with string attached to both sides, each side of the disk has a seperate drawing that when spun become one collective image. A very common example of a Thaumotrope is a Bird and a cage which when spun gives the impression that the bird is inside the cage (shown below)
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[4] Phenakistoscope: Invented by Belgian Joseph Plateau in 1832 a Phenakistoscope is a large disk with multiple images arrayed around the disks centre each a seperate stage of a larger 'animation'. The disk is mounted vertically on a wheel and spun, when viewed through the viewing slits it seems that the image is moving (shown below).
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[6] Zoetrope: In 100BC Chinese inventor Ding Huan created a device referred to as 'a variety of zoetrope' whether this is the zoetrope design that we know still remains a mystery. A more accurate idea of when the zoetrope was created is in 1833/1834 by British mathematician William George Horner, his invention was named the daedaleum (the wheel of the devil). In 1860 a variation of the daedaleum was created with viewing slits by William F. Lincoln who named his version the zoetrope (meaning wheel of life). The zoetrope is similar to the phenakistoscope but the images are instead on a cylindrical piece of paper and placed in a drum shaped apparatus (shown below).
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( The video above shows a more modern version of the zoetrope created using a 3D printer but the principle remains very much the same.)
[8] Praxinoscope: The praxinoscope is the direct successor of the Zoetrope and moved away from using viewing slits and instead used mirrors which reflected the images almost creating a 'screen' for the images to be seen on. The praxinoscope was invented in 1877 by Charles-Emile Reynaud. Additionally Reynaud developed a device named Theatre Optique which allowed for him to project images on to a larger screen predating the Lumiere brothers' projector by 3 years.
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[8] Praxinoscope: The praxinoscope is the direct successor of the Zoetrope and moved away from using viewing slits and instead used mirrors which reflected the images almost creating a 'screen' for the images to be seen on. The praxinoscope was invented in 1877 by Charles-Emile Reynaud. Additionally Reynaud developed a device named Theatre Optique which allowed for him to project images on to a larger screen predating the Lumiere brothers' projector by 3 years.
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[10] Kinetoscope:The Kinetoscope was created in a joint effort between Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Laurie Dickson during the years of 1889-1892. The kinetoscope is very similar to a projector in the sence that images are printed on strips of film and have light shone through them in order to project the image unlike a projector the Kinetoscope was a large box with an eye hole at the top meaning it only allowed for one person to view it at a time.
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[13] Persistence of vision: All of these devices seemingly create moving images because of the theory of persistence of vision. This theory states that the brain 'tricks' you into believing that multiple images are one due to sensory memory in the brain. A common example of this effect is the light trail that is given off by sparklers. The persistence of vision theory is made up of various other studies which include Phi phenomenon, beta movement and flicker fusion.
My own versions of these optical toys can be seen here
Part 2: Developers
[14] George Pal: Born under the name of Gyorgy Pal Marczincsak in 1908, Pal was a Hungarian animator famous for his work in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, with notable works including When Worlds Collide, The War Of The Worlds, Tom Thumb, The Time Machine and The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm. He was also well known for his achievements in stop motion animation with the 1940's series The Pupetoons for which he recieved a honorary Oscar in 1943.
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[16] Willis O' Brien: Known best for his work with models of pre-historic animals (most notably dinosaurs) Willis O' Brien worked on such films as The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Pre-Historic Tradegy (1915), The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), Son of Kong (1933), and Tulips Shall Grow (1942).
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[18] Ray Harryhausen: Mentored by Willis O'Brien Ray Harryhausen created incredibly detailed models of mythical creatures most notably those seen in Jason and The Argonauts (1963) and Clash Of The Titans (1981). Additionally Harryhausens first commercial job was working alongside George Pal on Pupetoons. Ray Harryhausen also created the form of animation known as 'Dynamation'.
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[20] Phil Tippet: Another animator famous for his work in creating and animating models of creatures, Phil Tippets most notable work is creating and animating the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park (1993) and creating the method known as 'go-animation' which was used to animate the tauntauns and AT-AT walkers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Stikes Back (1980) as well as ED-209 in Robocop (1987).
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[22]Otmar Gutmann: Most well known for his work on the TV series Pingu (1986-2006) since Otmar Gutmann has primarily worked on Pingu he doesn't seem to have a particular style outside of Pingu.
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[24] [25] Tim Burton & Henry Selick: Both known for their particularity dark style Burton and Sellick worked alongside each other first on The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) with Sellick performing the animation and Burton directing. Sellick is also well known for his work on Coraline (2009).
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[28] Adam Shaheen (Cuppa Coffee): Known best for his work on Celebrity Deathmatch (1998 - 2007) Shaheen creates realistic models of celebrities and animates them in a fight to the death.
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[30] The Brothers Quay: Best known for their signature dark surreal style The brothers quay create very creepy and unsettling stop motion shorts.
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[32] Nick Park: An animator best known for his work on Wallace And Gromit, Shaun The Sheep, And Chicken Run Nick park creates memorable and hilarious TV shows and movies.
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Part 3: Media Platforms and Audiences
My own versions of these optical toys can be seen here
Part 2: Developers
[14] George Pal: Born under the name of Gyorgy Pal Marczincsak in 1908, Pal was a Hungarian animator famous for his work in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, with notable works including When Worlds Collide, The War Of The Worlds, Tom Thumb, The Time Machine and The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm. He was also well known for his achievements in stop motion animation with the 1940's series The Pupetoons for which he recieved a honorary Oscar in 1943.
[15]
[16] Willis O' Brien: Known best for his work with models of pre-historic animals (most notably dinosaurs) Willis O' Brien worked on such films as The Dinosaur and the Missing Link: A Pre-Historic Tradegy (1915), The Lost World (1925), King Kong (1933), Son of Kong (1933), and Tulips Shall Grow (1942).[17]
[18] Ray Harryhausen: Mentored by Willis O'Brien Ray Harryhausen created incredibly detailed models of mythical creatures most notably those seen in Jason and The Argonauts (1963) and Clash Of The Titans (1981). Additionally Harryhausens first commercial job was working alongside George Pal on Pupetoons. Ray Harryhausen also created the form of animation known as 'Dynamation'. [19]
[20] Phil Tippet: Another animator famous for his work in creating and animating models of creatures, Phil Tippets most notable work is creating and animating the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park (1993) and creating the method known as 'go-animation' which was used to animate the tauntauns and AT-AT walkers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Stikes Back (1980) as well as ED-209 in Robocop (1987).
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[22]Otmar Gutmann: Most well known for his work on the TV series Pingu (1986-2006) since Otmar Gutmann has primarily worked on Pingu he doesn't seem to have a particular style outside of Pingu.[23]
[24] [25] Tim Burton & Henry Selick: Both known for their particularity dark style Burton and Sellick worked alongside each other first on The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) with Sellick performing the animation and Burton directing. Sellick is also well known for his work on Coraline (2009).
[26] [27]
[28] Adam Shaheen (Cuppa Coffee): Known best for his work on Celebrity Deathmatch (1998 - 2007) Shaheen creates realistic models of celebrities and animates them in a fight to the death.
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[30] The Brothers Quay: Best known for their signature dark surreal style The brothers quay create very creepy and unsettling stop motion shorts.[31]
[32] Nick Park: An animator best known for his work on Wallace And Gromit, Shaun The Sheep, And Chicken Run Nick park creates memorable and hilarious TV shows and movies.[33]
Part 3: Media Platforms and Audiences
Stop motion animated TV series
[34] Example 1 : Robot Chicken
[34] Example 1 : Robot Chicken
A long running animated series shown on adult swim this TV shows crude humor and pop culture references make it ideal for an audience of teens/young adults.
[35] Example 2: Pingu
[35] Example 2: Pingu
Mentioned earlier Otmar Gutmann's Pingu is a light hearted childrens program that utilizes stop motion.
Stop motion animated Feature Films
[36] Example 1: Coraline
Stop motion animated Feature Films
[36] Example 1: Coraline
Created by the aforementioned Henry Sellick Coraline is a dark and surreal movie which while not considered a childrens movie per se it shares some similar themes but can still be enjoyed by the whole family.
[37] Example 2: The Fantastic Mr Fox
[37] Example 2: The Fantastic Mr Fox
From the director Wes Anderson Fantastic Mr Fox is a beautifully crafted family movie.
Stop motion animated advertisements
[38] Example 1: McCoy's crisps advertisements
A short video thanking supporters of McCoys crisps created entirely in stop motion. This advert is not targeted to a specific audience besides consumers in general.
[39] Example 2: Doritos tribe advertisement
Stop motion animated advertisements
[38] Example 1: McCoy's crisps advertisements
A short video thanking supporters of McCoys crisps created entirely in stop motion. This advert is not targeted to a specific audience besides consumers in general.
[39] Example 2: Doritos tribe advertisement
A stop motion advert showing a tribe of Doritos opening a jar of salsa, once again this advert is not aimed at a specific audience.
Stop motion animated music videos
[40] Example 1: Keane - Bedshaped
Stop motion animated music videos
[40] Example 1: Keane - Bedshaped
A dark music video accompanying a slow and morose song this music video does not target a specific audience but it's content might be disturbing for younger audiences.
[41] Example 2: The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
An upbeat tune to a fast paced video Fell In Love With a Girl is animated in stop motion using Lego again this music video doesn't target a specific audience.
Stop motion animated channel ident
[42] [43] Example 1 & 2
Both these channel idents are from E4 and are shown in between adverts as a reminder of what channel you are watching and allow for the community to contribute by submitting their own idents. These idents are not aimed at any specific audience.
Bibliography
[41] Example 2: The White Stripes - Fell In Love With a Girl
An upbeat tune to a fast paced video Fell In Love With a Girl is animated in stop motion using Lego again this music video doesn't target a specific audience.
Stop motion animated channel ident
[42] [43] Example 1 & 2
Both these channel idents are from E4 and are shown in between adverts as a reminder of what channel you are watching and allow for the community to contribute by submitting their own idents. These idents are not aimed at any specific audience.
Bibliography
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_motion
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaumatrope
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Mlr4hvW-E
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistoscope
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE9xmZM8Kwc
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGtHDXv1QE
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxinoscope
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOItdZOGnx8
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt5GH40s0FA
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope#/media/File:Kinetoscope.jpg
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_vision
[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal#/media/File:George_Pal_(1979).jpg
[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien
[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien#/media/File:Willis_H._O%27Brien.jpg
[18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen
[19] http://tinyurl.com/ok3kgj3
[20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Tippett
[21] http://tinyurl.com/q953alv
[22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otmar_Gutmann
[23] http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0lauQTz323A/hqdefault.jpg
[24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
[25] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Selick
[26] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Tim_Burton_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg
[27] http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Walt+Disney+Pictures+Nightmare+Before+Christmas+-2J3yN7U2NSl.jpg
[28] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Shaheen
[29] https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_400_400/p/3/000/0c8/14b/32510b5.jpg
[30] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Quay
[31] https://gravityfromabove.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/quay_brothers.jpg
[32] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Park
[33] http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/shaunthesheep/images/2/29/Nick_Park.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20111022115346
[34] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkYCbfrlbII
[35] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sct5j7Quo54
[36] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haW0vKj99tk
[37] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2igjYFojUo
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope
[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brGtHDXv1QE
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxinoscope
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOItdZOGnx8
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
[11] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt5GH40s0FA
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope#/media/File:Kinetoscope.jpg
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_vision
[14] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal#/media/File:George_Pal_(1979).jpg
[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien
[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien#/media/File:Willis_H._O%27Brien.jpg
[18] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen
[19] http://tinyurl.com/ok3kgj3
[20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Tippett
[21] http://tinyurl.com/q953alv
[22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otmar_Gutmann
[23] http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0lauQTz323A/hqdefault.jpg
[24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
[25] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Selick
[26] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Tim_Burton_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg
[27] http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/Walt+Disney+Pictures+Nightmare+Before+Christmas+-2J3yN7U2NSl.jpg
[28] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Shaheen
[29] https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_400_400/p/3/000/0c8/14b/32510b5.jpg
[30] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Quay
[31] https://gravityfromabove.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/quay_brothers.jpg
[32] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Park
[33] http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/shaunthesheep/images/2/29/Nick_Park.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20111022115346
[34] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkYCbfrlbII
[35] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sct5j7Quo54
[36] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haW0vKj99tk
[37] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2igjYFojUo
[38] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpFqISko8b8
[39] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumfEytrQK8
[39] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumfEytrQK8
[40] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JugGmkvhsKQ
[41] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTH71AAxXmM
[41] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTH71AAxXmM
[42] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeJp-KHFP0Q
[43] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOw4i-UB8Lw
[43] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOw4i-UB8Lw
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