In Argentina, the Animation was born thanks to the talent and the enterprising attitude that characterized the inhabitants of its capital city, Buenos Aires: the porteños. A society that emerged from the integration of immigrants that arrived mostly from Europe, with the descendants of Spanish colonization and the original inhabitants of South America. Photo 1: 1900: Inmigrants arriving to Bs. Aires. Photo 2: 1900: Bs. Aires Hipodrome. Photo 3:1890: Dancing “tango” In the Ballroom “Armenonville”.

The history of animation in Argentina starts at the beginning of the twentieth century, along with that of world cinema, with the first films made by the pioneering Argentine animators. The political humor was also installed early in the newspapers of Buenos Aires, through artists and cartoonists.

Photo 4: 1916: Hipolito Irigoyen, First President of Argentina elected by popular vote. 5) & 5 a): 1916: Caricatures published by argentine magazines.

Quirino Cristiani, arrived in the country with his family from Italy, was one of those artists, and in 1916 he worked for a weekly newsreel with drawings of political satire. Photo 6: Left to Rigth: Mr.Decaud, Mr.Valle, Mr.Allo, Mr.Arnold and Mr. Etchebere, cameramen of “Noticias Valle” a Weekly Newsreel produced by A. Valle. Photo 7: Young Q. Cristiani working in his film “El Apostol”.

Its producer, Federico Valle, also of Italian origin, encouraged him to invent the way for the drawings to have movement. Cristiani invented a patented system, and on November 9 of 1917, he premiered at the cinema Select Suipacha of the Federal Capital, a film that would make his tory: the First Full length Animated feature film made in the world. Photo 8: Characters from film “El Apostol”. Photo 9: Character “El Apostol”, nowadays is the logo of ASIFA Argentina.

From this historical fact, the animation studios flourished in Argentina whose owners were artists, who were both animators and businessmen. That’s why his films were produced with the technique of the cartoon classic, and from the beginning, his main efforts focused on the production of animated feature films of fiction and to the development of national characters. Photo 10: 1973: Frames from Commercials for TV. 10a) “Raid” Insecticide, 10b) “Fulton” Perfume, Father’s Day, 10c) “Tres Cruces”, Hotdogs. . Photo 10d): Mantecol.

In the ’60s, with the appearance of three air channels, the private TV opened a stable market and the daily work led to the professionalization of a large number of animators artists. Photo 11: Year1973: Animators Team of “Mafalda’s World”: From top: N.Pichel, R.Garcia, J.Martin, M.Nanni, O.Desplats.

Year 1973 Frames from Entertainment for TV: Photo 12a) Anteojito y Antifaz. TV B/W. Photo 12b): Hijitus TV B/W. Photo 12c): Year1973: “Mafalda’s World” TV/BW. Photo 12d) Year1973: O.M. Desplats visiting Bill Menendez Studio. Photo 12e): Year 1977: Balon y Mascota. TV, B/W. Photo 12f): 1982: Casimiro, TV, Colour. Photo 12g): Year 2006: Olocoons, TV Colour Mexico. Photo 12h): Year 2007: City Hunters. TV Fox.

This opened the way to return to the highly successful entertainment of Full length features, which are still present in the film and TV screens or persist in the memory of the audience. Finally, the production of argentine animation reached the quality and the amount required to be exported. Photo 13: Years1972/1990: Frames from Full Length Animated Films: Photo 13a): Year 1972: Mil intentos y un invento. Photo 13b): Year 1983: Ico, el caballito valiente. Photo 13c): Year 1999: Manuelita. Photo13d):Year 2004: Patoruzito. Photo 13e): Year 2006: El Arca. Photo 13f): Year 2007: Raton Perez. Photo 13g): M.Fierro.

In 1978 the relevance of the animation made possible the birth of the first Association that joined together the argentine animators: AARCA.: Argentine Association of Animated Films Filmmakers. Photo 14: 1978: Directive Board at AARCA: Argentine Association of Animation Filmmakers Left to Rigth: U. Galuppo, M.Nanni, C.Berrino, J.Martin, A.del Castillo, R. Lamponi, O.Desplats, N.Gaite, L.Cedres. Photo 15: AARCA Newspaper.

It hosts also the teams of artists and technicians working in classical animation and its objectives were inspired by those of ASIFA, the International Association of Animated Film. Although it was short-lived, eclipsed in the ’80s with the decline of advertising products and the move to globalization itself, its sponsors reached conferences, screenings for members and of general circulation. They spent thirty years before a new Association crystallizes that determination of union for the diffusion of the animation. Photo 16a): Year1976: ASIFA Magazine Cover. Photo 16b) ASIFA Magazine Cover 1977.

On October 28, 2005, as suggested by Olivier Caterin, who was President of ASIFA France, took place in Buenos Aires, the celebration of the International Animation Day. The making of the event for the first time in Argentina, was in charge of the Association “New Look”, which included it in their “4th Festival of Films for Children and Youth.” Its programmers, plus the contribution of the “Animators in action,” who worked to public view, made the celebration a suc cess. During the “Meeting of leaders”, was installed the idea of an association that brings together professional animators working in the Industrial Animation and Short Film Independent Filmmakers. Year 2005: 1st Celebration of the IADay in Bs. Aires in charge of “Nueva Mirada” Association. Photo 17a) OM.Desplats opening the meeting. 17b) panel of animators: N.Cordoba, M.Nanni, A.Grisolia and A. Rojas Tellez (from Chile), Photo 18: Poster IADay in Bs. Aires.