The first Fantasy/Animation Footnote Episode proper launches with this short discussion on the origins and genealogies of animation, from cave paintings and Victorian children’s toys to the lightning sketch tradition and the comic books. Over the course of 10 minutes, Chris and Alex offer a rapid quickfire journey through the many optical illusions of animation and the performance (and performativity) of the medium, including the spectacular vitality of characters and objects coming to life; the solidification of cel-animation as a viable economic industry in the U.S. during the 1940s; key studios and creative figureheads; silhouette, sand, and stop-motion animated movements; and the impact of digital technology on animation’s past, present, and future.

**Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**