4 highlights
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Which is India’s first animated film? Well, the answer is kinda complicated. THE Dadasaheb Phalke produced a few animated short movies such as Agkadyanchi Mouj (Matchsticks’ Fun), Laxmicha Galicha and Vichitra Shilpa. In 1934, The Pea Brothers, directed by Gunamoy Banerjee was released in Calcutta making it the first Indian animated work to be released in theatres.
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The first full-length animated color film was The Banyan Deer. The Films Divison sought the help of Clair Weeks, a Disney animator with deep ties to India, who had worked on Bambi and Peter Pan.
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Speaking of iconic animation from India, who remembers Ek Anek Aur Ekta? This highly influential 7 minute film aired in 1974 and was written and directed by filmmaker and historian Vijaya Mulay. It also won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film.
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And finally, I’m sure we’ve all watched Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as Yogi Bear, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones and many more. Have you ever wondered why ALL these characters wear ties or collars? Well the reason is really interesting. The animations were done by hand which was a time consuming process. By having a separation between the head and the rest of the body, they could only animate the head and save a lot of time. This meant that the body could remain static when the character was speaking, and the artists would only have to re-draw the character’s face in each frame.