In 2002, ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association, launched a global event to celebrate the art of animation. October 28th was proclaimed as International Animation Day (IAD), commemorating the first public performance of Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique at the Grevin Museum in Paris in 1892.
In India, IAD has been celebrated every year since 2002 in various cities around the country.
What is Animation
Animation is the process of creating moving images by displaying static images in quick succession. Each image differs from the previous image very slightly, and it is these differences that create the movement in the sequence.
Traditionally, animated sequences were created by hand-drawn pictures and paintings. Today, technological advances have made it possible for artists to create images directly on a computer.
The first animated film was Humorous Phases of Funny Faces? which was created by J Stuart Blackton and came out in 1906.
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Here are some fun facts about cartoons we adored as child
TOM AND JERRY
Made in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Tom and Jerry Show was originally called Jasper and Jinx. With total of 163 episodes, this cartoon show continued until September 27, 2005. Tom and Jerry cartoons won seven Oscars and were nominated for six more.
The face of Tom’s owner, Mammy Two Shoes, was shown only once, and that too very briefly, during the entire series.
In one of the episodes of the show, Tom and Jerry apparently committed suicide.
SCOOBY DOO
Aired in 1969, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! was cartoon featuring a Great Dane dog named Scooby (full name Scoobert), his loyal human companion Shaggy, and three of their teenaged friends who had been on TV in many configurations, using a vehicle called the Mystery Machine to solve mysteries.
The cartoon was originally named, “W-Who’s Scared” but CBS thought the artwork was too frightening for children. The show was first pitched as a rock band with a dog who plays the bongos.
Despite its massive success, it has only been nominated for two major awards. One for a Daytime Emmy in 1990 for ‘A Pup Named Scooby-Doo’ and another in 2003 for the voice of Velma, Mindy Cohn, for outstanding performance in An Animated Program.
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PICKCHU
Aired in 1996, Pokemon’s Pikachu is the iconic mascot that made the Japanese pocket monster franchise world famous. People of a tiny Pacific island nation of Niue, with a total land area of 100 square miles and a population of 1190, were such big fans of Pikachu that they decided to put him on a one dollar coin.
The Pickachu has an English translation. “Pika” is a Japanese word for electricity crackling, and “chu” is how the Japanese describe the sound of mice.
Similar to Pikachu, Pikachurin is a protein found in humans that is used for transmitting electrical impulses from the human eyes to the brain.
THE FLINTSTONES
The Flinstone, first aired in 1960’s, was the first primetime animated show on TV and, until 1997 when The Simpsons stole the crown. The show aired the most episodes of any animated show in primetime, with 166 episodes between 1960 and 1966.
The characters of The Flintstones were greatly influenced by the 1954-56 hit TV series The Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason and Art Carney as working class neighbours.
In the 1960s, Winston cigarettes sponsored The Flintstones. At the end of the show, Fred and Barney would be animated to smoke the cigarettes.
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