Hooves and Frames: The Evolution of Horse Animation in Classic Cartoons

I think it is safe to say that cartoons don’t look the same from when we were kids, right? Some of the most iconic classic cartoons will always be remembered like Micky Mouse (Steamboat Willie), Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Avatar, Tom & Jerry, Popye, Scooby Doo, The Powerpuff Girls (good Cartoon Network times), and many others.

But what we can spot is that in most classic cartoons, there is an equine character. That’s quite explainable just because horses have left their footprint on our civilization, and since they are our most loyal human companion, it is not surprising that we can find horses in many classic cartoons.

However, we are more interested in the animation of horses, which is the hard part. Cartoon animation has also evolved over the years, but horses still remaign one of the most challenging animations in the industry. 

These four-legged animals with unique movements always pose a challenge to graphic designers and animators, which inspired us to take a look at how animation has evolved over the years.

The Early Days of Cartoons

If we go back 100 years to the 1920s, we can see that cartoons were black-and-white and silent, but horses also took center stage. We are talking about cartoons like Felix the Cat’s 1922 short Felix Saves the Day, where a horse pulls a cart, its legs moving in rigid loops, drawn, frame-by-frame on paper.

Yes, the process of animating horses back in the day was very difficult and time-consuming. First, you need to nail the horse’s physique, then you get to the difficult part of creating a loop that looks like the horse is trotting. That’s why most horse animations in older cartoons are short.

Early animators like Otto Messmer used basic cycles – 12 drawings per second, which is ideal for mimicking a trot, but the movement looked stiff and unnatural. So, the motion isn’t like when you are watching the Kentucky Derby race on TV. In fact, those animations rarely featured horse running since it was very difficult to animate.

But if you are looking for some realistic drama, you can always check the top Kentucky Derby contenders at TwinSpires.com.

One of the first people to nail a horse in motion was Eadweard Muybridge in 1878 with 24 photos proving all four hooves lift off, which was a piece called “Horse in Motion”.

So, in the early days of cartoons, drawing 12 pictures of horses per second was very difficult, and also looked odd.

Disney’s Galloping Leap Forward

When we talk about cartoons, we cannot write an article without mentioning Walt Disney. This was a company that by 1930s was able to create a smooth animation of horses running. We can see that in 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where Prince Charming’s horse glides across the screen.

They were also the first ones that focus on other things like flowing mane, and arched neck, but the only reason they were able to do that is because of rotoscoping. This was a technology that was able to trace live horse footage frame-by-frame.

Additionally, they were determined to nail a horse animation, which is why Disney’s animators studied Lippizaners at a California stable, giving those equine cameos a more realistic appearance.

Then came 1940’s Fantasia—the Pegasus family in “Pastoral Symphony” flaps and frolics with hand-inked cels, 24 frames per second, blending myth with motion. Online fans still gush over the baby Pegasi’s wobbly trots—Disney made horses not just props but personalities.

Warner Bros.’ Wacky Racers

Over at Warner Bros., the 1940s and ’50s turned horses into comedy kings. 

Bugs Bunny’s 1948 short Haredevil Hare features a bucking bronco with exaggerated squash-and-stretch—legs splaying, eyes popping—drawn by legends like Chuck Jones. 

Then there’s Yosemite Sam’s steed in 1953’s Southern Fried Rabbit, a wiry nag that collapses mid-chase, all rubbery limbs and snorts. 

Looney Tunes leaned on caricature—horses ran at cartoonish 30 mph, defying physics for laughs. The trick? Timing—12-18 frames for a gallop, stretched for chaos—making them wilder than any real racer.

Hanna-Barbera’s Quick Draw Charm

Enter the 1960s, and Hanna-Barbera trots out Quick Draw McGraw—a bumbling sheriff horse that debuted in 1959, voiced by Daws Butler. 

This white steed, hat cocked and badge gleaming, flips the script: he’s the hero, not the ride. Limited animation—reusing cels, dropping frames to 6 per second—kept costs low, but his choppy canter and deadpan “El Kabong!” guitar smash stole the show. 

Quick Draw’s design nodded to Trigger, Roy Rogers’ palomino—same golden mane, simpler lines. It was not on the same level as other cartoons but always had that clunky charm.

Tex Avery’s Red Hot Riot

Tex Avery took horses to the absurd in MGM’s 1940s heyday—we are talking about 1946’s The Hick Chick, where a lovesick rooster rides a horse that stretches like taffy, hooves sparking at 40 mph (cartoon logic, of course). 

Avery’s crew cranked exaggeration—eyes bulging, necks twisting—using 18-frame cycles for breakneck gags. 

Fleischer’s Gulliver Gallopers

Rewind to 1939—Fleischer Studios’ Gulliver’s Travels pits tiny Lilliputians against towering horses, hand-drawn with Max Fleischer’s rotoscope magic. 

These bays and grays haul Gulliver’s ropes with fluid trots, their 24-frame strides rivaling Disney’s polish. Fleischer’s team filmed Central Park carriages to capture that sway—less whimsy, more weight. 

Modern Animations

Nowadays, we are in the digital era, where cutting-edge tech can help animators recreate the most realistic horse movement. Just take a look at Spirit Untamed (2021), where the CGI is so fluid thanks to motion-capture rigs that track horses at 60 frames per second.

Other animators are still stuck in the 2D animated world, but all of this is done digitally, and thanks to AI, we can now create some incredible things very quickly.

It’s always fun to take a step back and observe how we got to this point, and if it weren’t for those clunky cartoons in the 1920s, we wouldn’t have advanced so much.