HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — "When animation started, it was very basic. Everything was hand-drawn," said Sherry Brukner, Director of Communications for Huntsville Museum of Art, "What's so important about Gertie the Dinosaur is that this is one of the very first objects that we have from animation history."
It's not just Gertie the Dinosaur currently on display at the Huntsville Museum of Art. The museum is currently featuring the "Journey Into Imagimation" exhibit. There are 140 pieces on showcase. Those range from Claymation to CGI, featuring the behind the scenes details of your favorite characters, like Steamboat Willie, Bugs Bunny, SpongeBob SquarePants and others.
"It's really interesting to see the characters that you love come to life," said Brukner, "For me personally, it's like walking down memory lane, reliving my childhood and there's nothing better than that."
We've come a long way from hand-drawn sketches like Gertie the Dinosaur and even Computer-Generated Imagery, like what was used in "Tron". Now, animators are using current technology like A.I. to recreate some of our favorite animated characters. Brukner said, "Now you can just put in some prompts and tell A.I. what to do and It'll create something for you."
It goes without saying there's a lot of change in the 100+ years of animation history. "You could see the evolution of how it has evolved over the years," said Brukner, who also believes while the way these characters are being created is changing, the passion of the project will never change.
"I believe that the love for these animated characters will always be there," said Brukner, "No matter what holds the future for animation, I think that it's still going to embody the spirit of humanity and the love for animation, a love for these characters and the connection to that.
The exhibit is on display at Huntsville Museum of Art until September 29th.