The History of Flash Animation

Before we jump head first into the history of flash animation we should really explain what exactly flash animation is. Basically flash animation is nothing more than a flash cartoon. By utilizing Adobe Flash and a variety of animated software, the animated film is given birth. The format that is most commonly utilized for flash animation is the .swf file. Although there are obviously a variety of different opinions about flash animation and the quality it presents; it is safe to say that the process has been widely used and appreciated all over the television media.

From commercials to series television flash animation has been utilized for well over a decade to create numerous work destined for web distribution. Flash animation is like any other computerized procedure in practice. Some of this work is impressive and others are not as impressive suffering from movements that are jerky and simply don’t look crisp and clear. For the cleaner picture it is often understood that drawings that are vector based are more effective in flash animation. This Internet based process can be interactive in nature but should not be mistaken for the web comic that is not presented in animation.

Flash Animation: The Beginning

The history of flash animation has actually been rather short in the big scheme of things. On that note it should be observed that the Internet age itself is quite young although it has grown so vibrantly. It was John Kricfalusi who first used flash animation successfully. Most cartoon enthusiasts would know that he was the founder of the odd ball animated series Ren & Stimpy. It was back in October 1997 that the flash series The Goddamn George Liquor Program was developed by Kricfalusi to be displayed specifically on the World Wide Web. Once this project was deemed a success he went on to utilize flash for a variety of other television and video music programs.

Just a few years later in February 1999 the web series WhirlGirl established flash animation as successful technology when Showtime presented it on their premium cable channel and on their website as well on a regular basis. Before it was all said and done this flash animated series would appear over 50 times and was part of a marketing extravaganza involving millions of dollars for Showtime.

Flash Animation Summary
Today there are way too many flash animated series being utilized all over the Internet to be mentioned in this article. Flash animation has come a very long way in the last decade in a half. The process was actually created by Macromedia, but was purchased by the Internet Media Mogul Adobe in 1995. Flash animation has been a powerful media process and has drawn many music labels and big name entertainers into projects of established popularity. The history of flash animation is ongoing. With the ever changing technology on the Internet it is hard to predict the future of flash animation, but it is safe to say that it will be interesting indeed.