Portal:Animation/Intro

Shortcuts: P:ANIM P:ANIMATION P:TOON P:CARTOON

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways. The most common method of presenting animation is as a motion picture or video program, although several other forms of presenting animation also exist. Animation can sometimes refer to a way of activating a community, i.e. 'animating' the users. This means actions which encourages users to interact with a given service and is connected to moderation.

"Animation" is derived from the Latin anima, the "animating principle", the vital force inside every living creature. It is often used as a translation for the Greek word psyche, and related to the Christian concept of soul. "Animation" would be the technique of giving "soul" to inanimate objects, drawings, etc. A 5,000-year-old earthen bowl found in Iran in Shahr-i Sokhta has five images of a goat painted along the sides. This has been claimed to be an example of early animation.

However, since no equipment existed to show the images in motion, such a series of images cannot be called animation in a true sense of the word. A Chinese zoetrope-type device had been invented in 180 AD. The phenakistoscope, praxinoscope, and the common flip book were early popular animation devices invented during the 19th century. These devices produced the appearance of movement from sequential drawings using technological means, but animation did not really develop much further until the advent of cinematography. There is no single person who can be considered the "creator" of film animation, as there were several people working on projects which could be considered animation at about the same time.