EZTakes Movie Downloads Blog

Animation's clearly come a long way. If you think hard, I bet you can picture that first Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Steamboat Willie," that was released in1928. That image is ingrained into America's consciousness. Now, picture "Kung Fu Panda." Look what can be accomplished in 80 years.

 The roots of animation are still fascinating, though. Drawings have been around since caveman days...but the idea of making those drawings move was truly revolutionary. And the revolution began around the world at about the same time in filmmaking history.
The earliest surviving stop-motion film was an English advertising short by Arthur Melbourne-Cooper called "Matches: An Appeal" in 1899. Three decades later came the Mouse, and in 1941, China released its first feature-length animated film, "Princess Iron Fan."

 The story of Princess Iron Fan is based on the Chinese novel "Journey to the West." Both stories tell the tale of Princess Iron Fan, the wife of the Bull King, and her magical fan. The fan is the only thing that can fight the flames of Fiery Mountain. The monks that are journeying to the west, past the mountain, therefore need the fan.

The characters in "Princess Iron Fan" are truly characters: the wise sage Tang Seng, his three apprentices and the princess and her husband. The movie focuses on the antics of the three apprentices, the monkey Sun Wukong, the pig Zhu Bajie and the stuttering human Sandy. Each tries to steal the palm leaf fan from the princess in his own. The monkey's success wasn't quite what he thought it was, and the pig's success was foiled by his own stupidity. The apprentices call each other "fool" quite a bit; it's a fitting moniker.

 The introduction to "Princess Iron Fan" states that the moral of the story is that we all need to work together to achieve our goals, and eventually, that's what the apprentices and the villagers near Fiery Mountain discover. The story is a great one for young children, but due to the quality of the film, it may be difficult for them to watch. I think adults will also appreciate the story and the quality of the early animation work itself.

 Soaring vistas, the interior of the Fiery Mountain and the realistic movements of the characters are what stood out for me. A few scenes start out far away from the center of focus and then there's a zooming in onto the characters. Each time this took place, I was amazed at how wonderfully it was done. The same could be said for the inside of the mountain. The licking flames looked so realistic at times I could have sworn there were not animated, but filmed. The fire demon inside the mountain was also impressive.

 Considering the level of technology available to animators in the first half of the 20th century, "Princess Iron Fan" is truly a cartoon masterpiece. The animation skills displayed in this movie far exceed those in some of the current series shown on Nickelodeon or on Saturday morning. The movie is not only a feat of skill but a feat of stamina as well. By 1940 the film would render past 20,000 frames, using up more than 200,000 pieces of paper. The final cut would contain 7,600 feet of film -- with all the work being done during World War II. The soundtrack and the film quality haven't held up superbly against the test of time, but if you're willing to take the time to focus on "Princess Iron Fan," I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Click here to download Princess Iron Fan.

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Tags: Animation