Too Lazy; Didn’t Read (TL;DR)!
Animation did not start with Disney – it began with quirky optical toys and artistic experiments that slowly evolved into the sophisticated motion design forms we use today. This blog traces that journey from spinning cylinders and flipbooks to early studio techniques and creative handcrafted methods. If you read your former blog about designing your own YouTube Banner & profile picture with Canva, you will see the connection: great visuals start small, grow with creativity, and eventually shape entire identities – whether personal branding or story-time animation.
The Surprisingly Wild History of Animation
If you have already read your previous blog on designing your own YouTube Banner & profile picture with Canva, you know that visuals can shape perception instantly. Animation, in a way, followed the same principle – starting from humble sketches and experiments to becoming one of the most powerful visual storytelling methods on Terra.
Let’s jump into the timeline where creativity, illusion, and innovation collide.
1 – The Origins: Optical Illusions Come to Life:
Long before there were screens, cameras, computers, or software, animators were obsessed with the idea of making still drawings move.
A) Zoetrope
Born in the 1830s, it was a simple spinning drum with slits and sequential images. When spun, the images sprang to life.
This was the earliest “Animation loop” – the great-great-great-grandfather of TikToks.
B) Flipbook Animation
Introduced in the 1860s, flipbooks made motion portable. Each page was a single frame, and flipping them fast created movement – the simplest example of traditional or frame-by-frame [as kids call it] animation.
Both these constructions prove the same lesson frrom your Canva blog: small visual steps create big impact.
2 – The Rise of Studio Animation:
As technology matured, animation became an art form.
A) Traditional (Cel) Animation
The backbone of early animation history. Artists drew every character on transparent sheets called Cels, layering them over static backgrounds [mainly blue background].
This technique defined classics like Beauty and the Beast, Snow white, and Tangled.
B) Multiplane Camera
Developed to create depth, this camera layered backgrounds at different distances.
Think of it as early ‘3D motion’ – similar to stacking layers in Photoshop or Canva to create visual depth.
3 – Experimental & Artistic Animations:
As animation grew, artists began experimenting with materials and unconventional methods.
A) Pinscreen Animation
A board filled with thousands of pins, moved by hand, cast shadows that formed pictures.
Extremely slow, extremely pretty.
B) Barrier-Grid Animation (Scanimation)
Layers of striped patterns slide against each other, creating movement.
Popular in lenticular toys and children’s books.
C) Sand Animation
Using sand on a light box, artists shape evolving scenes in real time.
It’s hypnotic, emotional, and reflective of storytelling in motion.
D) Drawn-on-Film Animation
Instead of using paper, artists scratched directly onto the film strip.
A raw and expressive technique.
4 – Typography & Minimalistic Animation – The Emergence of Style Movements:
Even though typography animation, and minimalism feel modern, they have their roots in early experimental motion graphics and title sequences.
A) Typography Animation
Appeared in early film titles and graphic sequences where letters were animated to convey mood or pacing.
This was the start of kinetic text.
B) Minimalistic Animation
Borb from art movements favouring simplicity and clean composition, early minimalist animations focused on basic shapes and motion principles.
Much like your designs in Canva, where simple shapes and clean arrangements often make stronger visuals.
What’s Coming Next?
In the next blog, we will break down each animation type – historical, experimental, and modern – and show:
- How each one works,
- Where they’re used today,
- And how you can recreate them using free or simple tools (including Google Slides and Canva, where applicable).
This is where the fun really begins. Stay tuned until the next summon.