Animated Cartoons; how They are Made, Their Origin and Development

by E.G. Lutz

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

298 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1920

About the author

Edwin George Lutz

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry, perhaps, but a quick read overall. And how wonderful it is to read about the techniques of animation from its earliest days! This book is more than a century old; Walt Disney himself had not yet founded his famous studio when it was published, and would refer to it as a guide for his artists in his early days in the trade. There was no sound, little colour, and the only animated features were obscure Argentinian ones, hardly seen by anybody. Winsor McCay was the top animator of the day.

What's fascinating is that while some of the technical aspects are long outdated (there are several sections regarding the incorporation of written dialogue, in the days before sound), many of the basic principles of the art remain the same. Lutz muses in his last chapter on future developments, such as the inevitable coming of colour - which began to be widely used about a decade later - and dreams of museums filled with moving paintings (I bet he would have loved 2017's Loving Vincent).

If you're interested in the history of the craft, this charming little book would be a good place to start, written in a long-ago time when all men wore hats, airplanes were new inventions, and animated films were little more than brief, comedic filler items whose sole purpose was to make people laugh. If only Lutz could have seen what the medium would be capable of a century later!

[Dan Sendker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this as a life-long animation fan was like reading a magician's book where every trick is explained. Camera and desk set-ups, primitive animation history, and the genesis of countless animation techniques that have since become clichés. It was surprisingly moving to see Lutz describe and develop these new innovations.

It was especially exciting to read this in the centennial year of Walt Disney Studios, and to imagine a young Walt reading this in the early 1920s. The final chapter seems particularly prophetic: "'Alice in Wonderland' is a good example of the type of fanciful tale on the order of which animated cartoons could be made for children. [...] An artist desiring to be the author of an animated story built on the model of Carroll's classics would need a gleeful imagination and a turn for the fantastic." This sums up Disney, both the man and the brand, perfectly. It is not hard to imagine Walt reading these lines only three years before he would adapt Alice in Wonderland for his first successful animated series (to say nothing of the feature film decades later).

Even in the final two pages: "Of course colored cartoons will come. [...] The craft is awaiting the inspired inventor who will produce motion-pictures in colors that will exhibit nature's full range of hues and shades." This, too, would be fulfilled by Disney, who produced the first full-color cartoon in 1932.

Lutz's book, though occasionally stodgy, was a fascinating primary source on one of the most unique and beautiful mediums of the 20th century. A must-read for all animation, film, and photography fans.

[j_ay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dates, but a kind of fun and historic read. Reportedly this is the book Walt Disney handed out to all his animators.