Animation Antiquity

A Brief Exploration of Animation.


Photo by Daniel Olah on Unsplash

The mind knows what is necessary, but the heart wants what it wants. The ‘heart’ that we speak of here is not the organ that helps pump blood across the body, but that portion of the brain that deals with emotion, feelings and sentiments. It is a region in the brain called – Amygdala – and it is responsible for multiple emotional responses. A good story is meant to automatically activate this part of the brain; studies have found that the genre/ types of films that have been able to achieve this most effectively is through Animation. So, what exactly is animation? How does one define it?

The Latin word – animationem – means “the action of imparting life”. It is used in a way to indicate that one is giving life to something. In English, it is also synonymous with: liveliness, action, vigour and movement. But rather than looking at it as the action of imparting life, one would like to say that animation (in a way) is also the action of depicting and impacting life. To be animated means that you are using action to think, indicate, communicate, influence and impact your audience to act. It is also one of the oldest means of communication.

The history of animation started much before the development of cinematography. Evidence of the early human trying to indicate or depict movement through images is proof. Ancient civilisations have depicted movement on objects like stone tablets or pots and walls of monuments. Even the Palaeolithic Man had depicted movement through the animal drawings that were inscribed in caves. The oldest Cave-paintings date back to more than 70,000 years. So, in a way, Animation isn’t just the oldest forms of film-making but also one of the oldest of media and communication.

Over the years, many inventors, artists and enthusiasts have contributed to the world of Animation to make it truly extraordinary. The power of animation today reaches young and old and touches upon a string within us that makes us want to be better human beings.

In the year 2002, The International Film Association - that was responsible for recognising all forms of cinema and art decided that every year on the 28th of October, we would celebrate World Animation Day. The creation of illusion, the realisation of fantasy, the company of magical characters and worlds where we all lose ourselves is something that we all connect with. Today, we at Assemblage Entertainment pride ourselves to be a part of that elite league which helps bring this magic into the world. With this, we urge you to carry forward the phenomenal spirit of animation and spread the love of what animation stands for. The love for freedom. The love for creativity. The love to constantly re-imagine all possibility.