For the history of animation after the development of celluloid film, see history of animation.
The early history of animation covers the period up to 1888, when celluloid film base was developed, a technology that would become the foundation for over a century of film. Humans have probably attempted to depict motion long before the development of cinematography. Much later, shadow play and the magic lantern (since circa 1659) offered popular shows with projected images on a screen, moving as the result of manipulation by hand and/or minor mechanics. In 1833, the stroboscopic disc (better known as the phenakistiscope) introduced the stroboscopic principles of modern animation, which decades later would also provide the basis for cinematography.