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Cory Robinson

Ms. Amanda Tibbitts

Language Arts 12

8 March 2019

Animation

Animation is one of the most well-known art mediums of all time. From your favorite

childhood cartoons to big blockbuster movies, animation inspires and entertains people

everywhere. Did you ever think about where this popular industry got its start and where it is

now?

First of all, who made the first animation? Animation means giving life or the illusion of

movement through still images. This means that defining what the first ever animation was is

incredibly difficult. Though most believe it was Walt Disney, it was actually not. In the article

“A Quick History in Animation”, it says many sources and surviving copies of some of the first

ever animations can no longer be found. However, the first notable feature-length animation was

a seventy minute long film was known as 1914’s “Gertie the Dinosaur”. It was a traditional hand

drawn 2D animation created by Winsor McCay who interacted with the dinosaur through still

panels containing words. It wowed audiences everywhere with this humor and its appeal.

Nothing like it had never been done before. Not only was it the first known animated film but it

was the first profitable animation ever. Unfortunately, the original copy of the film was burned in

a house fire later on.

However, the concept of animation is most famous in relation to Walt Disney. Though it

is a powerhouse of a company and its roots show up everywhere today, the beginning was quite
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humble. Studies and research by The State Historical Society of Missouri says, Disney started

out as a cartoonist for his school’s newspaper, he would soon work start a company known as

Laugh-o-Grams in Missouri in 1922. He would create his first feature film here known as Alice’s

Wonderland, not to be confused with Alice in Wonderland. Alice’s Wonderland was a

commercial success however, Walt, was not a very good business person and only ran his

company for a year and half before declaring bankruptcy. Animators who stuck with Disney,

followed him to California where with the help of his brother, Roy, started the Disney Brothers

Studio which was later renamed to the Walt Disney Studio. There, they sold their films through a

New York distributor where their business become even more successful than before. However,

their distributor, Charles Mintz, sold away most of Disney’s creations, characters, and team

members. Charles forced Disney into a contract that made it so the rights to everything he owned

at that time, went to Universal Studios. After this experience he would go on to create Mickey

Mouse with the help of his brother and others. After earning back the rights to the popular

character after a legal dispute, he created “Steamboat Willie” in 1928. After this short cartoon,

Disney launched into popularity and the rest is history as his business is one of the most

well-known companies on the planet and it is also well-known for its great impact on the

animation industry as a whole.

With the changing industry however, Disney did not change for a long time. A great

example of this fight against change is ,John Lasseter, who worked for at the company only for a

short while only to be fired for speaking up with his one an idea that he had. A few other well

talented animators joined him and created the studio known as Pixar which would go onto rival
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Disney in the movie industry and has proved time and time again that you need new and

innovative ideas to make it big in the world (Dreams are fleeting, but Passion Endures 242).

Animation is an extremely competitive industry and not many people do not succeed.

Many students in college for any art industry believe that they will be well equipped to take the

right steps in starting their career in the industry. Derek Flood, an associate director of visual art

and effects at the Academy of Arts says that he “believes that students coming straight out of

school often lack the practical real-world experience to handle demands of a production,

including the ability to work on a team and under a deadline.” For this reason, he believes that

anyone in the animation industry needs life experience of how it works while educating

themselves whether it be alone or at school. This allows students to be ready for a studio job as

soon as they graduate. However, most students see their artwork as a hobby or as a talent and not

as their career for the rest of their lives. This can be a huge mistake as many artists will not be

able to focus on one thing and bounce around in their career. A lot of graduates are expected to

know more business techniques and skills that most schools simply do not have the time to teach.

Jim McCampbell, Computer animation head at Ringling College of Art and Design says, “Many

students don’t pay close enough attention to the business world. Money drives the animated

feature-film industry, and students need to track current events in order to align their skills with

current and future industry needs this is an important aspect to remaining relevant and

marketable in today’s world.” People consider taking classes on marketing and learn how to take

a more an entrepreneurial route for their careers. This ends up leading to the highly competitive

world of this industry. If you do not have the proper networking skills and communication skills

to work with a team and to negotiate with other people in the business, then you will be looked
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over as a potential employee. If someone with your same skill set has these important skills for

business which you do not have, then you will find it very hard to start a career (Karen

Moltenbrey 66-68).

Animation is grueling work and it takes a lot of time, people, money, and effort in in

order to complete which include long nights and working weekends. Not even mentioning how

much learning and education costs can go into it. Timing and scheduling your workload can be

unpredictable as no one is certain about what problems could arise while working on a new

project. However, animators who have found a stable career and do it for a living make great

money for their hard work depending on their field. In 2017, according to the Bureau of Labor

statistics, animators and multimedia artists make about $70,530 per year which is about $33.91

per hour. In order to achieve this success, most animators need a bachelor's degree in computer

graphics, art, or their specialized field where they develop an impressive and diverse portfolio of

work. They need to be able to showcase their technical skills and their problem solving ability in

their work. Depending on what field they go into, these artists can work in a cooperative

environment or at home as freelancers. Out of the 73,700 jobs held for animators and multimedia

artists in 2016, about 59% of them were self-employed while only 11% worked in major motion

picture companies and video industries. If you manage however to find a position in a company,

it can get better from there as artists that show strong time-management and teamwork skills can

advance to higher positions where they can become responsible for certain parts of the team.

However, no matter what position you hold, you need to be able to properly take and consider

criticism. Criticism can be taken personally by many artists but those who are able to reflect and

apply what they have learned through feedback make more successful projects.
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Time-management is also key. The hours required by most studio and companies can be long

especially when there are deadlines. It will be a challenge to manage your time and help others

around you stay on track.

You will without a doubt lose your footing if you are not able to keep up with these high

demands and workloads. In the beginning many artists will struggle with finding positions and

resort to freelance and by each paycheck. However, if you start now, networking can be an

essential part of your career as it can propel you into the art world. Always be looking for the

next job-shadow and getting to meet new people and developing positive relations with them will

be a part of maintaining and finding new jobs. You will also need to promote yourself for what

potential employers may see. Put your portfolio up on your own website and use well-known

social media platforms to not only make and audience that will follow and support your work,

but to prove to others that you have something special and that you are valuable asset and team

member to any watching.

It takes a lot of hard-working and inspired people to keep this ever changing industry

going. There are more job opportunities than ever, however, the industry is more competitive

than ever. Animation is difficult, but in the end it can entertain people and give a way for us to

tell a story and it is a truly rewarding hobby and career.

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Works Cited

LASSETER, JOHN. “Dreams Are Fleeting, but Passion Endures.” ​Vital Speeches of the Day,​

vol. 79, no. 8, Aug. 2013, p. 242. ​EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mat&AN=90424599&site=ehost-live.

Lazaros, Edward J. “Multimedia Artists AND Animators.” ​Children’s Technology &

Engineering,​ vol. 19, no. 4, May 2015, pp. 16–18. ​EBSCOhost,​

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=tfh&AN=102849977&site=ehost-live.

Moltenbrey, Karen. “Preparing for a Career.” ​Computer Graphics World​, vol. 41, no. 3, Mar.

2018, pp. 66–68. ​EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=131105225&site=ehost-live.

Pluralsight. “Understanding the 12 Principles of Animation.” ​Pluralsight,​ Pluralsight, 11 Aug.

2014, www.pluralsight.com/blog/film-games/understanding-12-principles-animation.

Zeke. “A Quick History of Animation.” ​Student Resources,​ Alumni | New York Film Academy,

6 Apr. 2018, www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/quick-history-animation/.

“Walt Disney (1901 - 1966).” ​Walt Disney - Historic Missourians - The State Historical Society

of Missouri,​ shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/d/disney/.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,

Multimedia Artists and Animators, on the Internet at

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/arts-and-design/multimedia-artists-and-animators.htm (visited

February 28, 2019)​ .