This section gives some descriptions of the early animation systems with pointers to where additional information is available. Most of the early systems ran on mainframe computers generating output that could be read by an SC4020, or compatible, microfilm recorder producing 16mm or 35mm film.

Later systems used smaller computers interactively to develop the animation with more options as to the film production. Most systems evolved over several years so dates are approximate

An overview of computer animation systems is available in a 1970 UAIDE session on Interactive Computer Mediated Animation and Remarks on Interactive Computer Mediated Animation.

A 1970 paper by Charles Csuri considers the problems to be solved for a system for Real Time Film Animation.