Cutout Animation

Cutout animation is animation made with cut out bits of paper, card, photographs and other materials on a flat surface. The camera is above the cutout models, to create the illusion that it is stood up. Below are some examples of this kind of animation.

This is the Adventures of Prince Achmed by Lotte Reiniger. It is a silhouette cutout animation made in 1926, and is the oldest lasting feature animation film. Because it is a silhouette animation, you do not actually see the models, but rather you see their shadow through a piece of paper. There will have been a light behind it to make the shadows stronger.

This is Les Trois Inventeurs, a cutout animation by Michael Ocelot from 1980. It was made using white paper and was intricately cut out to create this animation. It also looks as if lace or paper doilies has been used, which has a charming effect. Unlike the Adventures of Prince Achmed, the models here are actually seen and are not just silhouettes.









As with other types of animation, cutout animation is done by taking a picture, and then moving the models slightly, and taking another. Then, when put together, it creates the illusion of a moving picture - persistence of vision.