SNAPSHOT
Fantasmagorie is a short silent animated film created in 1908 by French caricaturist Émile Cohl that is considered the world’s first animated cartoon. The film follows the surreal adventures of a stick figure and is just over a minute in length. (synopsis (c) Laughing Squid)
Where dd Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny and Rocko get their start?
Well, not their actual start clearly because who has time for all those backstories in one short post, but spiritually, what gave rise to the delightful behemoth that is modern animation?
Generally, it’s all recognised to have started with Phantasmagorie, a French cartoon from 1908 by Émile Cohl in which a plucky stick figure stares down giant hats, inflation of his body, the police and an elephant to emerge alive, intact and triumphant.
It’s trippy af and a lot of fun to watch, packing more into a minute than most cartoons manage in far longer running times.
Dang that’s really cool! It kinda reminds me of a chalkboard.