Thesilent age of American animation dates back to 1900 whenVitagraph releasedThe Enchanted Drawing.^[1] Although early animations were rudimentary, they rapidly became more sophisticated with such classics asGertie the Dinosaur in 1914,Felix the Cat,Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, andKoko the Clown.

Originally a novelty, some early animatedsilents depictedmagic acts or were strongly influenced by thecomic strip. Later, they were distributed along withnewsreels. Early animation films, like their live-action silent cousins, would come with amusical score to be played by anorganist or even an orchestra in larger theatres.^[2] Silent cartoons became almost entirely obsolete after 1928, whensound synchronized cartoons were introduced with the debut ofWalt Disney'sMickey Mouse inSteamboat Willie, thus ushering in thegolden age of American animation.

British-American filmmakerJ. Stuart Blackton was possibly the first to use animation techniques in the US for film versions of his "lightning artist" routine.The Enchanted Drawing (1900) utilized thestop trick to make drawings appear to change magically. InHumorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) he had blackboard drawings go through series of changes and used animated cutout drawings in the same style for more fluent motion. It is regarded as the oldest known theatrically released animation on standard film (lithographed film loops for home use andCharles-Émile Reynaud'sThéâtre Optique films had already been popular in Europe for years).

Following the successes of Blackton and of French animatorÉmile Cohl (whoseFantasmagorie (1908) is regarded as the firsttraditional animation on standard film), many other artists began experimenting with animation. One such artist wasWinsor McCay, who created detailed animation with painstaking attention to detail. Each frame was drawn on paper; which invariably required backgrounds and characters to be redrawn and animated. Among McCay's most noted films areLittle Nemo (1911),Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) andThe Sinking of the Lusitania (1918).

During the 1910s larger scale animation studios were becoming the industrial norm and artists such as McCay faded from the public eye.^[3] The production of animated short films, typically referred to as "cartoons", became an industry of its own during the 1910s, and cartoon shorts were produced to be shown inmovie theaters.

Around 1913Raoul Barré developed the peg system that made it easier to align drawings by perforating two holes below each drawing and placing them on two fixed pins. He also used a "slash and tear" technique to not have to draw the complete background or other motionless parts for every frame. The parts where something needed to be changed for the next frame were carefully cut away from the drawing and filled in with the required change on the sheet below.^[4] After Barré had started his career in animation atEdison Studios, he founded one of the first film studios dedicated to animation in 1914 (initially together withBill Nolan).Barré Studio had success with the production of the adaptation of the comic stripMutt and Jeff (1916–1926). The studio employed several animators who would have notable careers in animation, includingFrank Moser,Gregory La Cava,Vernon Stallings, andPat Sullivan.

In 1914,John Bray openedJohn Bray Studios, which revolutionized the way animation was created.^[5]Earl Hurd, one of Bray's employees patented thecel technique.^[6] This involved animating moving objects on transparent celluloid sheets.^[7] Animators photographed the sheets over a stationary background image to generate the sequence of images. This, as well as Bray's innovative use of the assembly line method, allowed John Bray Studios to createColonel Heeza Liar, the first animated series.^[8][9] Many aspiring cartoonists started their careers at Bray, includingWalt Disney (later ofMickey Mouse fame),Paul Terry (later ofHeckle and Jeckle fame),Max Fleischer (later ofBetty Boop andPopeye fame), andWalter Lantz (later ofWoody Woodpecker fame). The cartoon studio operated from circa 1914 until 1928. Some of the first cartoon stars from the Bray studios wereFarmer Alfalfa (by Paul Terry) and Bobby Bumps (by Earl Hurd).

In 1915,Max Fleischer applied for a patent^[10] for a technique that would become known asrotoscoping: the process of using live-action film recordings as a reference point to more easily create realistic animated movements. The technique was often used in theOut of the Inkwell series (1918-1929) for John Bray Productions (and others). The series resulted from experimental rotoscoped images of Dave Fleischer performing as a clown, evolving into a character that would become known asKo-Ko the Clown.

Newspaper tycoonWilliam Randolph Hearst foundedInternational Film Service in 1916. Hearst lured away most of Barré Studio's animators, with Gregory La Cava becoming the head of the studio. They produced adaptations of many comic strips from Heart's newspapers in a rather limited fashion, giving just a little motion to the characters while mainly using the dialog balloons to deliver the story. The most notable series wasKrazy Kat, with an earlyanthropomorphic cartoon cat character. Before the studio stopped in 1918 it had employed some new talents, includingVernon Stallings,Ben Sharpsteen,Jack King,John Foster,Grim Natwick,Burt Gillett and Isadore Klein.

The most popular cartoon series during the silent era was Australian-American film producerPat Sullivan'sFelix the Cat.Felix the Cat (Originally namedMaster Tom) first appeared inFeline Follies (1919) and became hugely successful throughout the 1920s. The studio later came into trouble during the advent of sound cartoons in the early 1930s when the popularity of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse was rising above Sullivan's Felix. Sullivan tried to adapt Felix by creating Felix sound cartoons, but they failed to please audiences and Sullivan closed the studio in 1930. He died three years later due to health problems related toalcoholism.^[11]

Charles Bowers was a comedian and animator who made many bizarre films in the 1920s combiningstop-motion animation and comedy. Many of them have been lost, but some have been released on DVD.

Very incomplete list (most of the early films in general are lost, many were not documented, forgotten, and/or insignificant). Listed filmmakers can be creators, directors, producers, animators or complete studios. If a series was taken over by other filmmakers, not all filmmakers will be listed.

Significant distributors of animated films:Margaret J. Winkler,Charles Mintz,Educational Pictures, Red Seal Pictures, Bijou Films

Three films by Winsor McCay (Little Nemo,Gertie the Dinosaur,The Sinking of the Lusitania) were each inducted into theNational Film Registry^[12]

• Belle Époque
• Roaring Twenties
• Classical Hollywood cinema
• Golden age of American animation
• History of animation
• List of animated feature films

• Solomon, Charles (1989).Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation. New York: Random House, Inc.ISBN 978-0-394-54684-1.

• Crafton, Donald (1993).Before Mickey: The Animated Film 1898–1928.University of Chicago Press.
• Fleischer, Richard (2005).Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution. University Press of Kentucky.ISBN 0-8131-2355-0.
• Gifford, Denis (1990).American Animated Films: The Silent Era, 1897–1929. Mcfarland & Co.ISBN 0-89950-460-4.

• The Library of Congress: Origins of American Animation

• 1906 establishments in the United States
• 1929 disestablishments in the United States
• 20th century in animation
• Silent film era
• History of animation in the United States
• 1900s in animation
• 1910s in animation
• 1920s in animation

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