International Animation Day

Animation is a medium of art, cultural expression, and communication. It is present in numerous forms of media, is found on television, commercial theater screens, and the internet, but it also flourishes more specifically as an art form, in feature films and shorts from independent filmmakers, authors, artists, students, and children. Drawing, painting, puppets, and objects made of clay, sand, and paper, and computers are the main tools used to make animation.

Created in 2002 by the Association Internationale du Film d'Animation (ASIFA), International Animation Day (IAD) is a global celebration of animation. It honors animation's birth—the "first public performance of projected moving images"—which occurred when Emile Reynaud's Theatre Optique was shown for the first time ever on today's date in 1892.

The ASIFA helps to coordinate and promote International Animation Day celebrations around the world. Cultural institutions screen animated films, exhibit artwork and stills, provide technical demonstrations, organize workshops—where everything from student to professional, and full-length to short films are shown—and organize other events that promote the art of animation. Two decades after International Animation Day got its start, more than 1000 events were being held each year in 50 countries.

How to Observe International Animation Day

Get your celebration started with these ideas:

• Visit the official International Animation Day website to find more information about this year's observance.
• Attend a screening, workshop, exhibition, or conference about animation.
• Check out posters from past celebrations.
• Show your animation work publicly. Perhaps you could enter it into a film festival.
• Host a small or large group celebration and screen an animated film. You could also watch an animated film on your own.
• Learn how to animate.
• Join ASIFA.

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