On this episode of The Children’s Hour, junior producer and intern Thaniel Lentz takes us through the incredible history and science of animation. From early tools like the zoetrope and flipbooks to famous characters like Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, we learn how still pictures came to life. Thaniel explains how Disney’s Snow White used cels to transform animation, and how computers made it possible to create 3D films like Toy Story and Into the Spider-Verse. This episode is a celebration of imagination and the artists who make drawings move.

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Our show begins with the earliest history of animation. While many people think that animation has only existed since the invention of film, animation has actually been around for centuries. One example of a classical animation technology is the zoetrope. Below are two videos that show a sculpture zoetrope and an image zoetrope.

Next, we meet some of the first cartoon stars: Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and Mickey Mouse. Thaniel tells us how Walt Disney and his team made Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first full-length animated movie, using “cel animation”—where clear sheets let characters move without redrawing the background every time. This saved artists time and made cartoons smoother and more detailed.

Thaniel also teaches us the Twelve Principles of Animation, used by animators everywhere to make movement more lifelike and fun. We learn about “squash and stretch” (which makes characters bounce and bend), “anticipation” (getting ready for a big action), and “exaggeration” (making things more dramatic for laughs or emotion).

Then, we leap into the computer age and discover how animation changed with new technology. We hear about The Adventures of André and Wally B., the first short by the company that became Pixar, and how Toy Story became the world’s first full 3D animated movie. Thaniel explains how computers help animators “rig” characters like puppets, so they don’t need to be redrawn again and again.

Finally, we talk about how modern movies are mixing new and classical animation techniques to create stunning new visual styles. From chalkboards to CGI, Thaniel shows us how artists keep finding new ways to bring imagination to life. You can see how the animation studio Cartoon Saloon used old and new animation techniques together by clicking the video below.

This episode was written and produced by our Junior Producer and Intern Thaniel Lentz, with help from Katie Stone and Sarah Gabrielli.

The Children’s Hour is produced by The Children’s Hour Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to creating high-quality children’s public radio. We’re distributed by Native Voice One, the Native American Radio Network, and we’re supported by listeners like you.

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