Quirino Cristiani was an Italian-born Argentine animation director and cartoonist, responsible for the world's first two animated feature films as well as the first animated feature film with sound, even though the only copies of these two films were lost in a fire. He is also the first person to create animation solely using cardboard cutouts.
Photo of Quirino Cristiani for the Dibujantes Magazine
Cristiani showing in 1956 the cut and articulated figure of his satirical character El Peludo (based on President Yrigoyen); Cristiani patented these figures in 1916 for the realization of his films.
El Apóstol is a 1917 lost Argentine animated film using cutout animation. Italian-Argentine immigrants Quirino Cristiani and Federico Valle directed and produced, respectively. Historians consider it the world's first animated feature film. The film began production after the success of Cristiani and Valle's short film, La intervención a la provincia de Buenos Aires, and was produced in less than ten months or in twelve months; accounts differ. Its script was written by Alfonso de Laferrére, the background models of Buenos Aires were created by Andrés Ducaud, and the initial character designs were drawn by Diógenes Taborda.
Cutout and articulated figure of El Peludo (based on President Yrigoyen), used in the film.
