| Fantoche | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Puppet |
|
First Appearance |
Fantasmagorie (1908) |
|
Original Publisher |
Société des Etablissements L. Gaumont |
|
Created by |
Émile Cohl |
Origin[]
Fantoche, or Fantoche the Clown, is the main protagonist of the 1908 film, Fantasmagoire, which is considered the first traditional cartoon. He is a short stick figure with a party hat, a clown suit, or clown overalls, with a cross in the middle of the body, puffy clown pants and long clown boots.
The film largely consists of a stick man moving about and encountering all manner of morphing objects, such as a wine bottle that transforms into a flower which becomes an elephant. There are also sections of live action where the animator's hands enter the scene. The main character is drawn by the artist's hand on camera, and the main characters are a clown and a gentleman. Other characters include a woman in a film theater wearing a large hat with gigantic feathers, and a strongman.
His main enemy is the Swordman, who tried to attack him, but was burned alive with his candle.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Fantoche from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- Fantasmagorie (1908)
- The Puppet's Nightmare (1908)
Notes[]
- Fantasmagorie is one of the earliest examples of traditional (hand-drawn) animation, and considered by film historians to be the first animated cartoon.The title is taken from the original French word for phantasmagoria; a mid-19th century magic lantern show with moving images of ghosts.
- While appearing in the first traditional cartoon, He is not the first animated clown. An animated clown could be seen in the earlier film called Humorous Phases of Funny Faces.