History of Re-Animation

Farmer Alfalfa Sees New York released in 1916 by Bray Studios was one of several early animation series this one being done by Paul Terry who worked at Bray Studios somewhat under duress. The film is an excellent example of early cel animation, the use of clear celluloid film with the character only which is then used over a separate (and often more detailed) background image. Bray studios would make stock series of actions for their characters to speed up the process of making animations to increase production and reduce the costs. The characters in Farmer Alfalfa are very stereotypical, the scam artist looking for out of towners to swindle, the girl who gets Alfalfa Farmer drunk to take his money, the goon who takes him to a rigged poker game, even the poker players. This wasn't just an easy way to make a character, it allowed those character and their already drawn animations to be used in many different films and series. Stereotypical based characters also make for an easier to...