HISTORY OF ANIME
There were early animations that were either lost or destroyed due to various reasons. The earliest Japanese animation that was found was discovered in a home projector in Kyoto in 2005, called Katsudō Shashin, The creator of the animation is unknown and it was made sometime between 1907 and 1911.
In 1914, cartoonists were the first Japanese artists to experiment with animated motion pictures. Japan began producing animation in 1917. Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki is considered the first professional anime films, created by Ōten Shimokawa in 1917. Domestic anime production was beginning to develop a small but solid foundation. However, in 1923, there was the Great Kantō Earthquake that struck Tokyo and the surrounding areas. The anime industry had to start over from scratch. |
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In 1933, Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka by Kenzō Masaoka was released. It is the first Japanese anime to feature voice-overs.
There were a lot of anime artists that appeared, but with WWII approaching, there was an extremely short supply of goods. During that time, it wasn't easy to get a hold of films. Then Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei ("Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors"), the first Japanese feature-film animated film, a propaganda film for WWII, directed by Mitsuyo Seo, was released in 1945. The film was designed to lift the morale and commitment during the war.
There were a lot of anime artists that appeared, but with WWII approaching, there was an extremely short supply of goods. During that time, it wasn't easy to get a hold of films. Then Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei ("Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors"), the first Japanese feature-film animated film, a propaganda film for WWII, directed by Mitsuyo Seo, was released in 1945. The film was designed to lift the morale and commitment during the war.
In 1948, Toei Animation was founded and they released The Tale of the White Serpent 10 years later, and was the first anime feature film in color.
In 1962, Manga Calendar was the first anime to be aired on television. In the 1970's, mecha anime, which were anime with giant robots, became very popular. Among those are G-Force, Battle of the Planets, Great Mazinger, and Star Blazers. In 1986, one of Japan's most popular anime shows, Dragon Ball, was released by Akira Toriyama. In 1999, Pokemon was released in the US and became super popular even until today. In the same year, Princess Mononoke, an anime movie, was released by Miyazaki with the help of Disney. |
Osamu Tezuka
When he was a young boy, he was always a fan of Disney's early animations. After WWII, he became a cartoonist.
His ultimate work, Tetsuwan Atomu gave him success. It is known worldwide when it was animated and broadcasted on NBC stations in the US in 1963, under the name of Astro Boy. It is still successful with the American audience today and is considered the first popular anime series. He established his own production company in 1962, the Osamu Tezuka Production Animation Department, which later became Mushi Productions. When he released Astro Boy, many people recognized his original style and approach that was completely new to the industry. His style of his illustrations and characters came from French and German cinema. There were a lot of life and emotion in his drawings and characters. |
After the success of Astro Boy, Tezuka released the animated film, Jungle Taitei ("Kimba the White Lion") in 1965. There was an argument that Disney stole this anime and recreated its own version, The Lion King, with Simba as the main character, but Disney denied this.
In 1973, his company, Mushi Productions, went bankrupt. Tezuka went on to create more comics and animation with a new company.
Later on, there were other artists who became famous, such as Akira Toriyama, Rumiko Takashi, Hayao Miyazaki, and Isao Takahata.
In 1973, his company, Mushi Productions, went bankrupt. Tezuka went on to create more comics and animation with a new company.
Later on, there were other artists who became famous, such as Akira Toriyama, Rumiko Takashi, Hayao Miyazaki, and Isao Takahata.