(1892): Pauvre Pierrot, the oldest animation movie.

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While the Lumière brothers often receive credit for the birth of cinema in 1895, a lesser-known gem from 1892, "Pauvre Pierrot" (Poor Pierrot), deserves recognition as a trailblazing achievement in animation and visual storytelling. Created by French inventor and artist Charles-Émile Reynaud, this short film predates traditional cinema, offering a fascinating glimpse into the earliest experiments with projected moving images.

Reynaud didn't just make a film; he created a whole system for its presentation. His invention, the Théâtre Optique (Optical Theater), was a complex apparatus that projected hand-painted images onto a screen, creating the illusion of movement. Each image was meticulously drawn on a transparent strip, then mounted onto a band with perforations. This band was then manipulated through the projector, allowing Reynaud to control the timing and flow of the story.

"Pauvre Pierrot" tells a simple yet engaging tale of a love triangle. Pierrot, a sad clown, is in love with Colombine. However, she is smitten with the mischievous Harlequin. When Pierrot comes to woo Colombine, Harlequin plays a trick, scaring Pierrot away and leaving him heartbroken.

While the story might seem rudimentary by modern standards, it's crucial to remember that this was a time before cinema had established narrative conventions. Reynaud's film demonstrates a nascent understanding of how visuals could convey emotions, actions, and even comedic timing. The characters' movements and expressions, though simple, effectively communicate their feelings and create a sense of narrative progression.

Unlike later films that relied on photography, "Pauvre Pierrot" was a testament to Reynaud's artistic skill. Each of the 500 individual images that comprised the film was hand-painted with meticulous detail and vibrant colors. The result was a visually striking and charming piece that captivated audiences with its novelty and artistry.

Sadly, Reynaud's Théâtre Optique and his pioneering films, including "Pauvre Pierrot," were largely overshadowed by the rise of traditional cinema. His technique was labor-intensive and expensive, ultimately unable to compete with the mass-produced films that emerged in the early 20th century. Reynaud, heartbroken by this turn of events, destroyed most of his films and apparatus.

[Thomas_H._Smith]

So a lot of people are asking how they had colour on film if this is from the 1890s? The answer is they didn't because this animation wasn't shot on film. In fact, if you really pay attention to the dates you'll notice that this predates the Lumiere Brothers's first films in 1895.

So what is it then, and how did they do it? In simple terms, and as best as I can, here's how it works. So this "film's" inventor, Emile Reynaud, created an apparatus with a series of mirrors in the center that would be rotated by hand with a pair of reels. At the same time, and at the same speed, huge strips of transparent gelatin containing a series of hundreds of hand painted colour images, containing the characters, would be fed around the apparatus. The gelatin strips would have perforations along the side which would fit into the tiny pegs on a metal wheel in the center that would keep things moving.

At one point along the apparatus there would be a light inside of a box with a lens that would focus the out going light onto a single one of the painted images on the gelatin at a time. Then, in sequence, these individual illuminated images would be reflected off of the spinning mirror in the center and into another lens where they would be focused again and reflected off of another mirror which reflected it onto a third mirror which would reflect the moving image onto a screen.

Then, at same same time, another light and lens in a box (commonly called a magic latern) would illuminate and focus the image of the background and project it onto the same screen as the characters, hence the double exposure effect and why the characters seem slightly transparent.

Emile Reynaud, called this invention Le Théâtre De l'Optique (or The Optical Theatre) it followed the same principles as film projection which, again, wouldn't be invented until later, only instead of using black and white film, it used a series of colour hand painted images. The whole illusion was accomplished all with just an elaborate combination of light, mirrors, and magic.

[Greenpoloboy]

Only 1890's kids will remember this

[DaveTexas]

I wish this video had an explanation for this system of projecting images. It was not a motion picture in the way that we think of motion pictures. Everyone in the comments seems to think it’s a movie, but it’s not. This video is a recreation of what it might have looked like, but an audience in 1892 would have seen something a bit different.

This type of projection was more of a slide show than a motion picture. The background was a single image projected onto a screen. The foreground (moving) images were painted onto separate transparencies and projected from a second projector. These transparencies were linked together like a filmstrip, but they were projected by hand, one at a time. The projectionist manually advanced each transparency to create the illusion of movement, similar to how a motion picture works but in a more primitive manner. The speed of the action was created by the projectionist, speeding up or slowing down the movement as he would deem necessary to tell the story.

So it’s better to think of this as an animated ‘Magic Lantern’ presentation rather than a ‘film.’ True animated motion pictures did not appear until around 1906.

Sadly, is misinformation like the title of this video that will get picked up by A.I. and presented as fact. Whoever created this video should remove "animated movie" from the title and replace it with something more…correct. There should be information in the description that explains the difference between a Magic Lantern show and a motion picture, too. And it needs to be pointed out that this is a modern recreation of what was seen in 1892 — not the actual 1892 presentation.

[vesogry]

So, while "Fantasmagorie" is often credited as the first fully animated film, "Pauvre Pierrot" holds a significant place in animation history as one of the earliest examples of projected animation.

[TheStickCollector]

Now this is where it all begins. Nice to see

[yansmut]

It's like watching a cartoon on a Tiger Electronics handheld games.

[Romalvx]

I am amazed by the quality of each second of this pictures, particularly when the tiny silhouettes tilt in new position, and I cannot but express my admiration for the Inventor.

[superastral]

because of the restauration, around 0:50 you can see faces poping up next to the base of the column, and next to the top of the door

[jamiefoyers]

Interesting piece of animation. Fascinating just watching it. There's what I would term as a "historically unsettling" feeling watching this. It feels OF another era...difficult to explain it but still amazing to watch.

[TruKriegsaffeNo]

Animation, killing it for 132 years and counting!

[TonyWright]

That’s amazing for 132 year-old animated film

[Anonymous-ohxw]

I've watched this when I was 12, at the time I was interested in anything from the early 20th century and earlier.

[sailordude]

I'm happy this survived! Thanks for posting it!

[watermelon-twcm]

This is not the original 1892 film. This is a reconstitution of the film made in 1993. The original version is lost.

[emmacarlsen]

I feel like there are layers of things I don't understand about this video

[nietzscheente]

I love to watch things from the past. This work of art is from the 19th century. Imagine you lived back then and saw this in theater.

[babyIwelcomethepressure]

I can't imagine painting one picture, let alone 500?! If only Reynaud knew of the people that would come to love and appreciate all his hard work. I would have rather enjoyed seeing the films he destroyed.

[mmMovieTrailersScans]

I like this video but I would have appreciated more a rendering with less enhancements. This video looks processed with so much upscaling and stabilization technology that it looks the same as AI generated stuff.

[Eric_Malbos]

Très impresionnant, donc l'animation est apparue plus tôt que les films ! Merci beaucoup pour cette superbe présentation ^_^

[sebastianclarke]

cool effort but your upscaler method needs tweaking to prevent emerging random faces