Understanding: Where Animation Was Being Distributed

I have taken an interest in the distribution of animation ever since I did my Extended Project in it, but what has not changed is that here is little focussed solely on where animation was distributed in comparison to who distributes it, however after much note taking, it has become clear to see how it has evolutionised throughout the years.

The first recording of animation being shown to the public, started from Charles-Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique where he presented his animations through a projector but through a Praxinoscope. There was live music played in the background behind a white screen but this was the very early days of animation being presented for money.

It then seems as you get into the 1900's that many different small theatres emerged. This was still during the silent era however, and most of them resided in Paris because that seemed to be where most of the famous animators of that time came from. The type of animation being presented were only animated shorts, at most 15 minutes long because this had just been the extent of animation for this time.

Then there seems to be this jump from small theatres to screenings where animations were actually recorded on a device and projected onto a screen. Disney for example was very famous for this and did particular screenings for his Mickey Mouse shorts. This wasn't until the Golden Age did he see potential in a full feature length animated film to compete with live action, did the time frame go from 15 minutes to a full 60.

After the Golden Age became a phenomenon in Television. Thus, rose the invention of cartoons and cinemas were long forgotten about. Of course shorts were still shown at theatres however it was all about the television at this point. Shows like 'The Flintstones' and 'Scooby Doo' were amongst some of the popular. Though the cinema became more popular again, still today cartoons are very consistent within the television industry. Look at 'The Simpsons' and 'Southpark', they still have a large fanbase and are shown very frequently.

During the Television Era, the internet was created however it was not as much of a sensation in comparison today. Around the 1990's, Apple came up with a way for creating 3D animated films, thus 'Toy Story' was released and feature length animation was back up and in full swing.

As of in the moment, animation is distributed in several ways and is popular in every aspect. Obviously cinema is number one in terms of where animated films are primarily distributed, but Netflix is an up and coming medium that distributes also. The internet is also extremely popular, mainly because it is free and also because it is the most accessible. Finally museums come under the list and since there has been this history of animation built up, opens this door to show animation and all the different types, because of how it has evolutionised.