Who is credited with inventing the technique of using cells in animation?

• A. Bray
• B. Hurd
• C. Barre
• D. Disney

Answer: (B)

Cel animation, drawing on transparent celluloid sheets that sit over a painted background, revolutionized how moving pictures were made. This technique lets the background be reused while only the characters (on the cells) are redrawn, making production faster and more flexible. Earl Hurd is credited with inventing and patenting this approach around 1914, establishing the standard method of using cells in animation. While John Bray’s studio and other early animators contributed to the field, the specific invention of painting on clear cells to layer animation is tied to Hurd. Disney later popularized and perfected the process in feature films, but the original inventor is Hurd.