Animation Blog Week 1: My Mind's This Cave

Written by Z Ritter on Sunday December 21, 2025.

Hello there.

Welcome to the first post of what will become a temporary recurring series on this website, a type of blog thingy for my college Animation History class.

As you may have guessed, this means that I will be reflecting upon not just specific interesting bits of animation (though it's likely that specific works will be mentioned and forcibly interrogated as this blog continues), but the art form in its entirety, its history, developments, etcetera.

I have never "blogged" before, nor do I tend to post much of anything pertaining to myself on any form of social media.

This blog is a requirement for the class. However, because this is my site, I can do as I wish with it

Let the games begin.

~~~~~

So.

Animation History.

History of Animation.

Where to begin?

...

At the beginning, of course.

Well, not the absolute beginning.

We don't have time to cover the timeline from the big bang to the era I wish to talk bout in significant detail.

Though, I have already mapped that out in a text document for future reference.

With some minor adjustments to the timeline.

But that's not important right now.

What's important right now is Cavemen.

Specifically, Cavemen Cartoonists.

Or Animators.

They could be neanderthals too, but for all intents and purposes you probably know what I'm talking about.

Cave paintings.

Boom.

"But wait! That's not an animation! That's just a painting! One singular unit of art!"

Au contraire, dear reader. You're looking at it wrong.

Literally.

Look closely. At the legs. 8 of them. Way more than a Bison should have.

Unless it's Spider-Bison.

But I digress.

You're looking at it in the wrong light. It's dark inside caves.

This fully lit and exposed picture is NOT the intended viewing experience.

You probably know how you need multiple "frames" to have an animation.

Different images cycled to create the illusion of movement.

Usually, you need a secondary medium beyond just the art to create such an effect.

So, without further ado, I present to you the world's first projector/strobe-light.

... The image is so stereotypical, you should have seen it coming.

Viewing these images by shaky, flickering firelight, with just enough darkness and images painted just so for the mind to wander...

... Not too shabby, for what they were working with, eh?

Pretty clear they at least dreamed some of this stuff up, even all the way back then.

It's mostly people and animals, though.

There really just wasn't much else to document, I guess.

There's plants, but those are mostly just scenery until the photosynthetic uprising begins.

Anyways.

They clearly had stories to tell. Even if they're mostly a product of their time, literally.

The human drive to record, keep, and tell a story has been with us far longer than anyone can remember. (We hope.)

They brought people and animals to life using nothing but dusty pigments, even if it was in a limited, half-complete, uncanny form that's recognizable, but not quite just right...

Like Necromancy! (AKA RE-Animation.)

But perhaps we'll have to talk about the flesh-muppets another time.

Right now, we need to talk ghosts.

Or rather, phantoms.

Phantasmagoria.

Spooky word, innit?

Just means "fantastic imagery".

Which, it was, for it's time. 

Just kind of "okay" now. Mediocre imagery.

... But we're specifically talking about it in it's capacity as a form of horror theater that used one or more magic lanterns.

Which is a sick name, but they're more of a "stage magician" than a full wizard.

Which is still pretty neat, but perhaps a little disappointing for fans of Green Lantern.

Whoever they may be.

Anyways.

These devices were related in origin to the development of the Microscope and Telescope.

But seeing things real up close and rather far away generally seemed to be more popular and enduring than seeing them at a comfortable, familiar mid-range, for some reason...

So since they couldn't really do a science with it, they decided to make it entertainment instead.

Bring on the Spooktacular!

Very Spooky! Thank you!

(He's trying his best with only two to three frames to work with.)

Which is another reason they do this late at night, with under-slept people kept on edge, possibly mildly drugged or hallucinating for a while to let the fear stew in to replicate... 

A Necromantic Experience!

Told you we'd get to that.

Anyways, this was really popular in 18th-19th century Europe, until they got proper film cells and moving picture shows, eventually becoming modern movies and projectors.

But the tech behind the Magic Lanterns made a lot of advancements to the development it took to get there, so don't write it off as "Just a phase." (Mom.)

They incorporated various sorts of lighting, from insufficiently lit candles and oil to limelight and electric bulbs, not to mention clever bits of clockwork, wheels, levers, and forced perspective to make the fantastical into reality!

They were kind of the predecessors not just to film, but also visual entertainment, and holograms as well. 

To summarize... Cave paintings, projection, and shadow-puppets were all early steps in the direction of developing the broader concept of "Animation" which is less limited by medium than we sometimes realize. 

All you really need is a dark cave, a light source, and some mild hallucinogenics to get the party started!
(Do NOT Try this alone, or at home, or without supervision. I am NOT responsible for your poor life decisions, plato's cave-truthers.)

Until next week, please do not summon the dead or diabolic through arcane or demonic imagery without their consent.

Bye!