Now that’s a 17-second classic and the basis for this post.
Growing up in the 1960s sparks images of the turbulent late 60s, which were vastly different from the early 1960s, but it is the early 1960s that motivated Ted Turner to create today’s Cartoon Network.
Whether it was tuning in after school to WSAZ’s Mr. Cartoon through the week at 4 o’clock, or a few hours on Saturday morning with the characters from Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes, I loved them. When going to the local theater, cartoons preceded the movie – thus I anxiously anticipating the cartoon was part of the evening.
Last weekend I posted several of the introductions to cartoon shows. Several comments by readers sparked an idea of a potential weekend series of posts about cartoons of that time. Although this is not a commitment, the idea is still in my head – so just in case I pursue the idea, here are some key events in history of animated cartoons.
1915: Max Fleisher patents the rotoscope
1916: The first animated short, Krazy Kat
1920: Felix the Cat, silent-film era animation craze in theaters
1928: Walt Disney creates the first animated short with sound: Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse
1930: The first Looney Tune debuts
1937: The first full-length animated feature, Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1940: The first Hanna-Barbera collaboration: Tom and Jerry
1949: Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote debut
1960: The first animated, prime-time sitcom: The Flintstones
1992: Ted Turner launches the Cartoon Network
To Learn More:
- As with any invention, there is a history, so this site is a good place to start
- Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum
the impact of cartoons today is thankfully strong still
from the Simpsons to just hearing Palin cry over an episode over Family Guy
I just get this feeling Jay Ward’s Rocky & Bullwinkle Show and Hanna Barbera had a big impact on those shows creators
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CCC,
No doubt in my mind that the Jay Ward and many others of that era influenced the Simpsons. Besides, how can anyone doubt the Simpsons’ success.
Back in the day, many of my favorite cartoons are simply animated shorts … usually 5-7 minutes. One thing that I find interesting that in today’s world of fast, immediate information, the short-burst of animation is no more.
Thanks for sharing.
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While I love cartoons like South Park and Family Guy, I miss classics like Rocky and Bullwinkle…Although I do get lucky sometimes when they play oldies on cartoon network…
Another big moment in animation wash Disney’s Fantasia…It was the first time artists were given no limits in their use of colors.
Great stuff Frank.
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Beeze,
Great point about Fantasia … a big-time classic! As for as the cartoon shorts, I hope to be posting something on the weekends.
Thanks for visiting.
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