---
id:"kb-2026-00478"
title:"Animation History"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"arts"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (Thomas & Johnston)"
    type:"book"
    year:1981
    url:"https://www.disneybooks.com/book/the-illusion-of-life/"
    institution:"Disney Editions"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Animation creates the illusion of motion through sequential images. History: flip books → traditional hand-drawn (Disney, 1920s+) → stop-motion (clay, puppets) → CGI (Pixar's Toy Story, 1995, first fully CGI feature) → modern hybrid. Disney's 12 principles of animation (Thomas & Johnston, 1981) remain foundational.

## Core Explanation

12 principles: squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, straight ahead vs. pose-to-pose, follow through, slow in/slow out, arcs, secondary action, timing, exaggeration, solid drawing, appeal. Anime: Japanese distinctive style (Studio Ghibli — Miyazaki). CGI software: Maya, Blender, Cinema 4D. Motion capture: record real movement → animate character (Andy Serkis — Gollum). Frame rate: 24 fps (film standard).

## Further Reading

- [The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation (Thomas & Johnston)](https://www.disneybooks.com/book/the-illusion-of-life/)