Max Fleischer was a technical genius and possibly an unsung hero in animation. What Walt Disney achieved in Hollywood, Max and his brother David worked hard on the East Coast. At a young age, Max worked as a technical illustrator for Popular Mechanics in the early 20th century. He went on to invent and patent the concept of rotoscoping, a way to trace animation from live action film to create a more fluid movement.
He and Dave went on to animate such popular characters as Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, and Superman. Their first "breakout" character was Koko the Inkwell Clown, animated by filming and then rotoscoping Dave's antics.
As a visual effects artist, I am no stranger to rotoscoping, by erasing wires, or drawing directly on top of the digital film. My hat comes off to Max. He may not have had Disney's publicity, but his efforts in animation do not come unnoticed!
