Cutout animation
The year 1917 marked the release of El Apóstol, a film created by Italian-Argentine cartoonist Quirino Cristiani. This work stands as the world's first animated feature film and utilized cutout animation techniques. The paper figures moved across a flat surface to tell political stories in Argentina during that era. A few years later, Lotte Reiniger produced Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed in 1926. Her silhouette style drew heavily from traditional shadow play traditions found in Indonesia and France. She studied the history of ombres chinoises which had been popular in Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Reiniger also created tribute sequences for Jean Renoir's La Marseillaise released in 1938. These early pioneers established the foundation for all future stop-motion work using flat materials.
Animators cut characters from paper, card, stiff fabric or photographs to create movement. Joints formed with rivets or pins allowed specific fixed motions within the frame. Some films used backlit animation where light sources came from below the table. Terry Gilliam often directed light coming from above his subjects instead. Ready-made imagery appeared frequently in collage styles like Monty Python's Flying Circus between 1969 and 1975. Japanese studios relied on chiyogami colored paper before celluloid became too expensive after 1934. Harry Everett Smith completed No. 12 in 1962 by cutting illustrations from 19th century catalogs. The physical construction required precise mechanical linkage to simulate walking or dancing without breaking the illusion.
Modern software replaced physical paper with vector graphics and scanned images today. South Park began its run in 1997 using actual construction paper cutouts for the pilot episode. The team later switched to PowerAnimator and eventually Maya software for production. Strange Frame released in 2012 combined innovative cutout styles with traditional and three-dimensional elements. The Breadwinner film of 2017 used digital animation to imitate the look of cutout animation inside story sequences. Angela Anaconda ran from 1999 to 2002 featuring black-and-white photographs superimposed on computer-generated bodies. Lauren Child created Charlie and Lola between 2005 and 2008 using a mix of Flash animation, fabric design, and photomontage techniques.
Edwin S. Porter produced How Jones Lost His Roll in 1905 using jumble captions. Lotte Reiniger made Das Ornament des Verliebten Herzens in 1919 followed by Amor und das Standhafte Liebespaar two years later. Noburo Ofuji worked primarily with cutout animation including Burglars of Baghdad Castle released in 1926. Norman McLaren created Le merle in 1958 combining white cut-outs with pastel backgrounds set to French folksong Mon Merle. Terry Gilliam directed The Miracle of Flight in 1974 as part of his Monty Python contributions. Kihachiro Kawamoto produced Tabi in 1973 and Shijin no Shôgai in 1974 while working mostly as a puppet animator. Dagmar Doubková created Oparádivé Sally in 1976 which aired in the US as About Dressy Sally on Nickelodeon's Pinwheel.
Lotte Reiniger's Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed used armatured cutouts against backgrounds painted or composed of blown sand. René Laloux released La Planète sauvage known as Fantastic Planet in 1973 featuring unarmatured cutout animation. Harry Everett Smith completed No. 12 also called Heaven and Earth Magic using illustrations from old catalogs. Ivan Ivanov-Vano directed Soyuzmultfilm's Lefty in 1964 and Go There Don't Know Where in 1966. Karel Zeman made Krabat , The Sorcerer's Apprentice in 1978 mixing live action movies with cutout animation. John Korty directed Twice Upon a Time in 1983 producing prefabricated plastic pieces moved on a light table. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut arrived in 1999 using computer animation to imitate physical cutout styles.
John Ryan produced Captain Pugwash between 1957 and 1966 manipulating cardboard cutouts with levers before painted backgrounds. Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin created Ivor the Engine starting in 1959 using magnets on figures for real-time broadcasting. Monty Python's Flying Circus included paper cut-out animations animated by Terry Gilliam beginning in 1969. Blue's Clues ran from 1996 to 2006 utilizing cutout animation for many of its characters. Bill Cosby's Little Bill aired from 1999 to 2004 combining cutout animation with flash animation techniques. Hallmark Cards introduced Hoops and Yoyo into e-cards and cutout-animated cartoons since 2003. Sega Heroes features cutout sprite characters within its mobile game interface today.
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Common questions
Who created the world's first animated feature film El Apóstol in 1917?
Quirino Cristiani created the world's first animated feature film El Apóstol in 1917. This Italian-Argentine cartoonist utilized cutout animation techniques to move paper figures across a flat surface for political stories.
When did Lotte Reiniger produce Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed and what style did she use?
Lotte Reiniger produced Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed in 1926 using silhouette styles drawn from traditional shadow play traditions found in Indonesia and France. She studied the history of ombres chinoises which had been popular in Europe throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.
What materials do animators use to create movement in cutout animation?
Animators cut characters from paper, card, stiff fabric or photographs to create movement. Joints formed with rivets or pins allowed specific fixed motions within the frame while some films used backlit animation where light sources came from below the table.
Which software replaced physical paper in modern cutout animation productions like South Park?
Modern software replaced physical paper with vector graphics and scanned images today. The team behind South Park switched from actual construction paper to PowerAnimator and eventually Maya software for production after 1997.
Who directed Monty Python's Flying Circus animations between 1969 and 1975?
Terry Gilliam directed Monty Python's Flying Circus animations beginning in 1969 and continuing until 1975. He often directed light coming from above his subjects instead of using backlit techniques common in other cutout styles.