Countries

Ko-Ko Trains ‘Em

Filed under: animation, 1920s, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Silent, U.S.A., 1925

Producer(s): Max Fleischer Alfred Weiss

Release Date: 09/05/1925

"Ko-Ko becomes jealous of Max's attention to his young ward and her dog, and tries to create a circus by training animals, then fleas."

Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus

Filed under: animation, 1910s, Animated film history and criticism, Krazy Kat, Silent, U.S.A., 1916

Producer(s): William Randolph Hearst

Release Date: 17/03/1916

"While at the circus, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse enter into a rivalry over whether cats or mice are braver."

Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing

Filed under: animation, 1910s, Early Sound, Krazy Kat, U.S.A., Vitagraph Studios, 1916

Release Date: 29/02/1916

Lambert the Sheepish Lion

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Color, Technicolor, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, 1952

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 08/02/1952

"Lambert, a lion cub mistakenly delivered to a lonely ewe by a stork, struggles to fit in with a flock of sheep. Despite his ferocious appearance, the other lambs bully him, and he grows up shy, sensitive, and easily frightened. But his temperament is..."

Laugh-O-Gram Studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, Silent, U.S.A., Walt Disney, 1922

"Walt Disney incorporated Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc. in May 1922. He set up a studio on the second floor of the McConahy Building at Thirty-first and Forest in New York City. As Paul Terry had used Aesop's Fables for the basis of his cartoons, Disney us..."

Laverne Harding

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Daffy Duck, Early Sound, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Oswald, Speedy Gonzales, Technicolor, The Road Runner, U.S.A., Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, Animator, Cartoonist, Comic Strip Artist

"Laverne Harding was the second female studio animator in history, and one of the first to receive onscreen credit for her work. She started out as an inker for the Walter Lantz Productions, moving on to do animation work for several of the Lantz Prod..."

Layaly Badr

Filed under: people, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, Documentary, East Germany, Educational films, Egypt, Musical, Palestine, Palestine Liberation Organization, Papercut, Animation Story Developer, Animator, Artist, Director, Filmmaker, Production Manager, Screenwriter

"Layaly Badr is a Palestinian-Jordinian screenwriter, artist, and animator. To this day she remains a role-model for women, children, and displaced Palestinians, utilizing film as a tool for education and advocacy (Nasr)."

Le songe d’un garçon de café / The Hasher’s Delirium

Filed under: animation, France, 1910

Release Date: 21/05/1910

"Emile Cohl's delightful animation explores the inebriated state of a drunken man, using a white plate to showcase the inner "deliriums" of his mind. The images mutate, transform, associate becoming more and more frightening for the man, until he burs..."

Legend of the White Serpent (白蛇伝)(1958)

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Japan, Technicolor, Toei Animation Studio, 1958

Producer(s): Hiroshi Ôkawa

Release Date: 22/10/1958

"Legend of the White Serpent, also known as Hakujaden (白蛇伝), is the first feature-length animation produced by Toei Animation in Japan. Inspired by classical Chinese folklore, Hakujaden is a romantic tale of a white snake demon, Bai Niang, and a..."

Len Lye

Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 20th Century Studios, Australia, Britain, Color, Direct Animation, Dufaycolor, Experimental, Gasparcolor, GPO Film Unit, London Film Society, New Zealand, Painted Animation, Samoa, Time Inc., U.K., U.S.A., Animator, Artist, Director, Filmmaker, Producer, Screenwriter, Sculptor, Visual Artist

"Leonard Charles Huia Lye—more famously known as Len Lye—was born on July 5th, 1901, in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was a trailblazer in early-to-mid 20th century filmmaking, best known for his development of cameraless or “direct” animat..."

Leo D. Sullivan

Filed under: people, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Bob Clampett, Color, Educational films, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Racial representation, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Animation Designer, Animator, Art Director, Director, Educator, Producer

"Leo D. Sullivan began his career in 1959 after graduating from the Chouinard Art Institute. He first worked as an assistant to Warner Bros. producer Bob Clampett on the television show, Beany and Cecil. In 1965, Sullivan met fellow animator Floyd Nor..."

Leon Searl

Filed under: people, 1900s, 1910s, Krazy Kat, Silent, U.S.A., Animator, Cartoonist, Comic Strip Artist

"Leon Searl (whose name is alternatively spelt "Leon Searle") got his start as a newspaper cartoonist, first working for the Pulitzer Papers on the comic strip "Jimmy Johnnypants" from November of 1905 to February of 1906. He later went on to write at..."

Let’s Celebrake!

Filed under: animation, Early Sound, Popeye, U.S.A., 1938

Producer(s): Max Fleischer

Release Date: 1938

""Popeye invites Olive's grandmother along for a New Year's Eve party.""

Lillian Friedman Astor

Filed under: people, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator

"Lilian Friedman Astor was the first American female studio animator and worked at Fleischer studios."

Lillian Friedman Astor

Filed under: people, 1930s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Color, Dave Fleischer, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, Popeye, U.S.A., Animator

"Lillian Friedman Astor was born in New York City. She developed a passion for drawing as a preteen, and went on to attend Washington Irving High School, focusing on fashion design. After a brief stint as a fashion designer upon graduation, she sought..."

Lin Wenxiao (林文肖)

Filed under: people, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Anime, China, Cinecolor, Painted Animation, Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Technicolor, Animation Designer, Animator, Artist, Director

"Lin Wenxiao (林文肖) is one of the greatest animators and directors in Early Chinese Animation. She is a former member of Shanghai Animation Film Studio (SAFS, 上海美术电影制片厂) as well as International Animated Film Association (ASIFA)..."

Little Tora: The Abandoned Cat

Filed under: animation, 1940s, Anime, Japan, 1947

Producer(s): Nihon Doga Toho Kyoiku Eiga

Release Date: 25/09/1947

""A family of cats find a homeless kitten and take him in to their home. But one of the siblings becomes jealous about the attention the new cat gets from her mother and runs away from home. The new member of the family goes looking for her.""

Lotte Reiniger

Filed under: people, Germany, Animator, Filmmaker, Inventor, Silhouette Animator

"Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was born in Charlottenburg in Berlin, Germany on June 2, 1899. Lotte Reiniger was a German animator who adapted the art of shadow-plays to film, pioneering and perfecting the technique of silhouette animation using her ..."

Lou Scheimer

Filed under: people, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Filmation, He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, U.S.A., Animator, Art Director, Director, Producer, Voice Actor

"Louis "Lou" Scheimer was born on October 19th, 1928. He is best known for being the co-founder of American production company Filmation Associates—the leading company in TV animation throughout the 70s and 80s. The company was formed in 1962 alongs..."

Ludwig Bemelmans

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Austria, hand-drawn, Madeline, U.S.A., United Productions of America (UPA), Animation Story Developer, Cartoonist, Illustrator, Writer

"Ludwig Bemelmans was an American children’s writer and illustrator who published over forty books in his lifetime but was also equally appreciated for his humorous illustrated stories for adults (“Ludwig Bemelmans). He is perhaps best known for c..."

Machi Uri no Shōjo

Filed under: animation, 1960s, Color, Japan, Stop Motion, Toei Animation Studio, 1967

Producer(s): Matsue Jinbo

Release Date: 1967

"Machi Uri no Shōjo / The Little Match Girl / マッチ売りの少女 (1967) is based on Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's 1845 fairy tale of the same name. The tragic tale depicts a young girl trying to sell matches on the street with her fat..."

Madeline

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Children's film, Classical, Jazz, Madeline, Technicolor, U.S.A., United Productions of America (UPA), 1952

Producer(s): John Hubley, Stephen Bosustow

Release Date: 27/11/1952

"An adaptation of Ludwig Bemelmans’ 1939 children’s novel of the same name, Madeline is a light-hearted animated short that follows twelve little girls attending a Paris boarding school under the care of a strict but well-meaning nun, Miss Clavel...."

Making ‘Em Move

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Early Sound, U.S.A., Van Beuren Corporation, 1931

Release Date: 1931

"A classic 1931's cartoon from Van Beuren Studios, Make 'Em Move depicts a mischievous female character whom stumbles in onto the scene of a cartoon factory bursting with drawings and jazz music. The animals depicted create animation much like themsel..."

Manuel Perez

Filed under: people, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Animator

"Manuel Perez - typically credited as Manny Perez - was a Mexican-American animator who worked at Warner Bros. studios from 1938 on. He worked for Friz Freleng's unit for ten years, but they did not get along. Between 1955 and 1959 he did not work in ..."

Marcell Jankovics

Filed under: people, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Anime, Color, Hungary, Pannonia Studio, Technicolor, Animator, Character Designer, Director, Screenwriter, Writer

"Marcell Jankovics is a Hungarian animator, director, graphic artist, and writer. He was the former art director and managing director of Pannonia Film Studio in 1995 and 1996, the former president of the Hungarian Cultural Society in 1998 and the St...."

Margaret Bray

Filed under: people, Bray Productions, U.S.A., Production Manager

"Margaret Till Bray was a successful business woman who worked in real-estate, before meeting her husband John Randolph Bray. He installed her as the production manager at Bray Productions, ..."

Mary Blair

Filed under: people, 1950s, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist, Color Stylist and Designer, Illustrator

"Mary Blair was an American animator, best known for her work with Disney Studios."

Mary Ellen Bute

Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Artist, Director, Filmmaker, Painter, Special Effects Animator

"Mary Ellen Bute was an American animator, director, and producer known as one of the first female experimental filmmakers and the creator of some of the first electronically generated film images. Bute was a pioneer of visual music and electronic art..."

Masahiko Satoh

Filed under: people, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Japan, Composer

"Born in Tokyo in 1941, Masahiko Satoh is a pianist whose career has spanned six decades and over a hundred albums. His style is known for blending influences from American jazz with traditional Japanese music. Satoh's interest in music began at the ..."

Max Fleischer

Filed under: people, Aesop's Fables, Betty Boop, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Max Fleischer, Popeye, Rotoscope, Silent, Superman, U.S.A., Cartoonist, Director, Photographer, Producer, Writer

"Max Fleischer was an American inventor born in Hungary, who moved to the United States with his family at the age of 4 and later became a filmmaker, animator, director and producer, famous for serving as the head of his own animation studio, Fleisch..."

Medvezhonok i tot kto zhivet v rechke/The Bear and The One Who Lives In the River

Filed under: animation, Kievnauchfilm, Ukraine, 1966

Producer(s): Ippolit Lazarchuk Irina Gurvich

Release Date: 1966

""The bear cub saw a reflection in the river and got scared. He took a stick, but the one who lives in the river also took a stick. The wise Hedgehog advised the Bear cub to smile and make friends with those who live in the river.""

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio

Filed under: studio, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Barney Bear, Bill Hanna, Bosko, Droopy, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1929

"Active from 1929 to 1957, MGM produced some of the most well-known and well-liked cartoons syndicated all over the world, featuring characters such as Barney Bear, Droopy, and the now-iconic Tom and Jerry. MGM's first foray into animation was thr..."

Michael Lah

Filed under: people, Barney Bear, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Animator, Director

"Michael Lah was a noted MGM animator and director, as well as being the understudy of Tex Avery. Lah helped redesign the well-known Barney Bear character, and directed many screwball cartoons, including one that garnered him an Academy Award nomina..."

Michael Maltese

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Tasmanian Devil, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Writer

"Born in New York City to Italian immigrants, Michael Maltese studied at the National Academy of Art and Design, before landing his first animation job working as a colourist for Betty Boop cartoons, in 1935. He and his wife, Florence Sass, later move..."

Midnight Frolics

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Columbia Pictures, Technicolor, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, 1938

Producer(s): Charles Mintz

Release Date: 24/11/1938

""A mouse and a cuckoo bird, skeptical about the existence of ghosts, are startled by a midnight visit from a sextet of spirits, all men who once wooed a Florador show-girl.""

Milton (Milt) Kahl

Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Winnie the Pooh, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director

"Milt Kahl was an renown animator and director who was a part of Disney's group of “Nine Old Men”, who created and designed many Disney characters, and whose distinctive style had a large influence within the history of the studio. "

Minnie the Moocher

Filed under: animation, 1930s, Betty Boop series, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Jazz, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., 1932

Producer(s): Max Fleischer 

Release Date: 11/03/1932

"“Minnie the Moocher” begins with a live action performance by Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner Cab Calloway of “St. James Infirmary Blues,” which segues into the Betty Boop cartoon. The cartoon begins with a typical mealtime setting i..."

Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿)

Filed under: people, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Anime, Color, Japan, Mayazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Technicolor, Animator, Author, Cartoonist, Director, Screenwriter, Studio Head, Writer

"Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎駿) is an internationally renowned and influential Japanese animator, director, screenwriter, and comic artist. He is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli and the winner of two Best Animated Feature Academy Awards. "

Motor Mania

Filed under: animation, 1950s, Goofy, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, 1950

Producer(s): Walt Disney

Release Date: 30/06/1950

"In this Goofy cartoon from the 50's, a Jekyll and Hyde dynamic illustrates how Mr. Walker, who is friendly and normally mild tempered turns into Mr. Wheeler, a crazed maniac who experiences road rage when behind the wheel of an automobile. An intere..."

Moustapha Alassane

Filed under: people, Niger, Animator, Director, Educator, Filmmaker, Inventor

"Moustapha Alassane was born in N’Dougou, Niger in 1942. Alassane is credited as the Father of African animation and he directed approximately 30 films. He introduced and spread the word of filmmaking, provided local training, and aided in the d..."

Mr. Crack

Filed under: animation, France, 1910

"Cohl's adaptation of the popular French operetta "Monsieur de Crac" was based on the tales of Baron Münchhausen, a German nobleman famous for his tall-tales. In this 4 min piece, Cohl uses 2-D cut out puppets and stop-motion photography to animate..."

Mr.Nanguo (南郭先生)(1981)

Filed under: animation, 1980s, China, Papercut, Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Stop Motion, Technicolor, 1981

Release Date: ?/?/1981

"The papercut stop-motion animated short is inspired by an ancient Chinese folktale of Mr. Nanguo, a man who pretended he could perform yü (竽), a type of wind instrument. Once upon a time, there was a king who loved listening to yü's performances...."

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)-Grow, O Tree, Grow

Filed under: animation, 1980s, Anime, Color, Japan, Mayazaki Hayao, Studio Ghibli, Technicolor, 1988

Producer(s): Toru Hara

Release Date: 16/04/1988

"As two young sisters moved to the countryside to visit their mother with long-term sickness, they encountered animistic creatures, including the well-known Totoro, whom they befriended. The sisters underwent a series of adventures with Totoro as they..."

Myron (Grim) Natwick

Filed under: people, Betty Boop series, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator

"Myron Natwick was born in Wisconsin Rapids in 1890 and died 100 years later in LA, California of pneumonia and heart disease. He is best known for creating the most popular character from