Rubber hose animation
Encyclopedia
Rubber hose animation was the first animation
style that became standardized in the American animation industry. The defining feature of the style is "rubber hose limbs" — arms, and sometimes legs, that are typically simple, flowing curves, without articulation
(no hinged wrists or elbows).
In the early days of the hand drawn animation in the 1920s, the studios' main areas were not Hollywood
, but New York City
. Animation was a new phenomenon and there weren't experienced animators. Yet there were skilled artists working in newspapers, creating comic strip
s in a time when even the comic strips themselves were relatively new. Many of them became fascinated with the introduction of moving drawings, and saw them as new possibilities and new challenges to use their skills on something they found more exciting than the newspaper strips.
For this reason, many of the first cartoon
s had many similarities with moving comic strips. The artists experimented with what worked and did not, what they could do and what they couldn't. In the strips they didn't need to think of their work in three dimension
s or how they moved, but at the same time it gave them the opportunity to introduce gags and elements not possible in comic stills. And because the drawings would have to be mass produced to create the illusion
of movement, they had to come up with a compromise where characters were less detailed and time consuming, but at the same time alive and complex enough.
As the animator
s gained experience through trial, error and collaborations, the cartoons became more professional and dominated by specific rules in how to make them.
The studios would have to be very sensitive to any new trend in the business to be able to survive in the competition. One of the consequences of this was that the most successful cartoons, characters and studios would have a strong influence on the rest of the industry. The first with such a strong influence was Otto Messmer's Felix the Cat
, causing copies of Felix the Cat to be produced by others' studios. Also the style and design had a great impact, and this feedback mechanism
with successful cartoons affecting the rest of the animation business combined with the natural evolution of animation, would at the end result in a dominating design that would be known as the rubber hose style, even if there were individual differences between the studios. Bill Nolan
(aka William Nolan) is credited for the perfection of this animation style.
The rubber hose animation gradually faded away when further sophistication of the cartoons was introduced, especially by Walt Disney
who decided he wanted to make his cartoons more realistic and have them to follow much of the same rules as live action
, a direction that would later be named full animation. He is quoted to have said that in animation, you can do everything you can't in live action, which could mean he to some degree saw animation as a possibility to make it a potential surrogate for live action where he could do what was impossible in live action once it achieved his demands of realism. This was a direction that didn't allow the fluid bodies seen in rubber hose, and due to Disney
's success, this trend was spreading to the remaining producers of cartoons on demands from their distributors, most of them located in Hollywood at this time.
Later cartoons would sometimes include some of the trademarks of rubber hose, such as Tex Avery
or Ren and Stimpy
, but the original style and its influence became a part of animation history
by the start of the 1940s.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
style that became standardized in the American animation industry. The defining feature of the style is "rubber hose limbs" — arms, and sometimes legs, that are typically simple, flowing curves, without articulation
Joint
A joint is the location at which two or more bones make contact. They are constructed to allow movement and provide mechanical support, and are classified structurally and functionally.-Classification:...
(no hinged wrists or elbows).
In the early days of the hand drawn animation in the 1920s, the studios' main areas were not Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, but New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Animation was a new phenomenon and there weren't experienced animators. Yet there were skilled artists working in newspapers, creating comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s in a time when even the comic strips themselves were relatively new. Many of them became fascinated with the introduction of moving drawings, and saw them as new possibilities and new challenges to use their skills on something they found more exciting than the newspaper strips.
For this reason, many of the first cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s had many similarities with moving comic strips. The artists experimented with what worked and did not, what they could do and what they couldn't. In the strips they didn't need to think of their work in three dimension
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
s or how they moved, but at the same time it gave them the opportunity to introduce gags and elements not possible in comic stills. And because the drawings would have to be mass produced to create the illusion
Optical illusion
An optical illusion is characterized by visually perceived images that differ from objective reality. The information gathered by the eye is processed in the brain to give a perception that does not tally with a physical measurement of the stimulus source...
of movement, they had to come up with a compromise where characters were less detailed and time consuming, but at the same time alive and complex enough.
As the animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
s gained experience through trial, error and collaborations, the cartoons became more professional and dominated by specific rules in how to make them.
The studios would have to be very sensitive to any new trend in the business to be able to survive in the competition. One of the consequences of this was that the most successful cartoons, characters and studios would have a strong influence on the rest of the industry. The first with such a strong influence was Otto Messmer's Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history...
, causing copies of Felix the Cat to be produced by others' studios. Also the style and design had a great impact, and this feedback mechanism
Feedback
Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
with successful cartoons affecting the rest of the animation business combined with the natural evolution of animation, would at the end result in a dominating design that would be known as the rubber hose style, even if there were individual differences between the studios. Bill Nolan
Bill Nolan (animator)
William "Bill" Nolan was an Irish-American animated cartoon writer, animator, director, and artist. He is best-known for creating and perfecting the rubber hose style of animation and for streamlining Felix the Cat. From 1925 to 1927, he worked on a loose animated adaptation of George Herriman's...
(aka William Nolan) is credited for the perfection of this animation style.
The rubber hose animation gradually faded away when further sophistication of the cartoons was introduced, especially by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
who decided he wanted to make his cartoons more realistic and have them to follow much of the same rules as live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
, a direction that would later be named full animation. He is quoted to have said that in animation, you can do everything you can't in live action, which could mean he to some degree saw animation as a possibility to make it a potential surrogate for live action where he could do what was impossible in live action once it achieved his demands of realism. This was a direction that didn't allow the fluid bodies seen in rubber hose, and due to Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's success, this trend was spreading to the remaining producers of cartoons on demands from their distributors, most of them located in Hollywood at this time.
Later cartoons would sometimes include some of the trademarks of rubber hose, such as Tex Avery
Tex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
or Ren and Stimpy
The Ren and Stimpy Show
The Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series, created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat...
, but the original style and its influence became a part of animation history
History of animation
Animation is a graphic representation of drawings to show movement within those drawings. A series of drawings are linked together and usually photographed by a camera, or scanned into, or generated by a computer...
by the start of the 1940s.