An article in Scientific American Magazine claimed there was no way a silent movie could be made to explain the complexity of Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity. The only format such a film was to make any sense and be viewable, stated the article, would be if it was part of a lecture with supporting literature.
The Fleischer Brothers, Max and Dave, cranking out 'Ko-Ko The Clown' cartoons from their 'Out of Their Inkwell' series, took up the challenge to prove those elites at the magazine wrong. Collaborating with science writer Garett Serviss, they felt the best way to illustrate Einstein's brilliant theory was to combine animation with stop-motion effects. Serviss, a former news reporter, had a knack for explaining scientific complexities to the average layman. The writer of several tomes, he loved astronomy and was a natural to break down Einstein's advanced thinking.
Six months after the magazine article, the Fleischer Studio released in February 1923 "The Einstein Theory of Relativity," the first feature educational animated documentary ever made. The studio took liberty to glean some of the footage from an earlier German short film on the same subject. The brothers then produced two versions, one, a 20-minute movie for general audiences, and the second, a longer 50-minute film for more sophisticated viewers who wanted to go in depth on Einstein's explanations.
The Fleischer Brothers, Max and Dave, cranking out 'Ko-Ko The Clown' cartoons from their 'Out of Their Inkwell' series, took up the challenge to prove those elites at the magazine wrong. Collaborating with science writer Garett Serviss, they felt the best way to illustrate Einstein's brilliant theory was to combine animation with stop-motion effects. Serviss, a former news reporter, had a knack for explaining scientific complexities to the average layman. The writer of several tomes, he loved astronomy and was a natural to break down Einstein's advanced thinking.
Six months after the magazine article, the Fleischer Studio released in February 1923 "The Einstein Theory of Relativity," the first feature educational animated documentary ever made. The studio took liberty to glean some of the footage from an earlier German short film on the same subject. The brothers then produced two versions, one, a 20-minute movie for general audiences, and the second, a longer 50-minute film for more sophisticated viewers who wanted to go in depth on Einstein's explanations.