Origins of combining live-action and animation The origins of live-action animation date back to the early 20th century, with pioneers such as the Frenchman
Georges Méliès. Méliès is often credited with creating the first examples of this genre through his innovative use of special effects, animation, and live-action footage. His 1902 film,
A Trip to the Moon, although not a live-action animated film by the modern definition, laid the groundwork for the integration of imaginative elements into live-action films. The genre really began to develop with the advent of techniques such as
Rotoscoping, developed by
Max Fleischer in the 1910s. Rotoscoping allowed animators to trace moving images, frame by frame, to generate realistic animations which could be integrated with real action scenes. Many previous films have combined live-action with
stop-motion animation using
back projection, such as
Willis O'Brien and
Ray Harryhausen films in the United States, and
Aleksandr Ptushko,
Karel Zeman and, more recently,
Jan Švankmajer in
Eastern Europe. The first
feature film combining these forms was
The Lost World (1925). In the Soviet film
The New Gulliver (1935), the only character who was not animated was Gulliver himself.
Warner Bros.' black-and-white
Looney Tunes cartoon
You Ought to Be in Pictures, directed by
Friz Freleng, featured animated Warner Bros. characters interacting with live-action people, and the genre broke new ground for the first time and paved the way for future films that also used this technique.
Donald Duck cavorts with several Latin-American dancers, plus
Aurora Miranda (sister of
Carmen Miranda), who gives him a kiss. In
Song of the South (1946) with an extensive sequence located "inside" a
street painting, including
Dick Van Dyke dancing with penguin waiters. In 1971
Bedknobs and Broomsticks transported
Angela Lansbury and
David Tomlinson to an underwater nightclub for dancing, followed by Tomlinson competing with anthropomorphic animals in an aggressive soccer match. Inspired by the Swedish film
Dunderklumpen! (1974), Walt Disney Productions produced ''
Pete's Dragon'' in 1977 to experiment with similar techniques, placing the animated dragon, Elliot, in a live-action setting. The genre broke new ground again with
Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988, with
Disney and
Amblin Entertainment producing advanced
special effects and photo-realistic interactions among animated characters and live actors. Memorable moments include the entrance of
Jessica Rabbit in the Ink & Paint Club and
Bob Hoskins handcuffed to
the animated title character. == Exceptions ==