The early twentieth century was filled with major innovations for the film industry. As
technology continued to develop, the complexity of filmography and cinematic production
were rapidly enhanced. Two of the most groundbreaking filmmakers during this time who
clearly set the tone for the rest of the industry were Georges Melies and Walt Disney.
These two revolutionized entertainment through film by not only integrating special effects
but establishing their own fashion of special effects. However, I believe that Georges
Melies initially established his manner of special film techniques whereas Walt Disney
followed but recreated his own distinguished style of special effects.
Stated in the text, “It is perhaps significant that Melies, a caricaturist and magician by
trade, began to explore the capacity of motion pictures… beyond the bounds of human
power.” (Sklar 22) Especially exhibited through one of his most favorites pieces of work
Trip To The Moon (1902), Melies used special editing and film altering to create effects
that brought imagination to life. One scene in the silent film shows the group of astronauts
being filled into a capsule which is then shot by a cannon to the moon. As the camera
zooms into the moon, the capsule all of a sudden appears as though it just had landed on
the moon. This intricate editing of film gave viewers a taste of what bringing imagination
to life really was. The use of advance technology in that era along with sophisticated
production gave Georges Melies the power to utilize and create motion pictures into
