The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said, “I have been given five things which were not given to anyone else before me....
BITS ‘N’ PIECES
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah:
The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said, “I have been given five things which were not given to anyone else before me.
1. Allah made me victorious by awe (by His frightening my enemies) for a distance of one month’s journey.
2. The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform Tayammum, therefore anyone of my followers can pray wherever the time of a prayer is due.
3. The booty has been made Halal (lawful) for me, yet it was not lawful for anyone else before me.
4. I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Resurrection).
5. Every Prophet used to be sent to his nation only but I have been sent to all mankind.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 7, Number 331
The world’s first animated feature film was created in Argentina.
The pioneering film El Apóstol (The Apostle) was released in 1917. It was directed by Argentine cartoonist Quirino Cristiani, a significant figure in the history of animation, though his name is not as widely known as other animation pioneers. El Apóstol is considered the first animated feature film in the world, preceding Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) by 20 years.
El Apóstol was a political satire that depicted the life of Argentina’s then-president, Hipólito Yrigoyen, as he ascended to the heavens to consult with the god Jupiter about how to rid Buenos Aires of corruption. Yrigoyen, known for his reformist agenda, was portrayed using dark humour, which was a hallmark of Cristiani’s work. The film was a scathing commentary on political issues, targeting social and political corruption in the country. It consisted of around 58,000 frames and ran for about 70 minutes, an impressive achievement given the limitations of technology at the time.
The film was created using cutout animation, a technique in which characters and objects are made from paper cutouts, then moved frame by frame to create the illusion of motion. This method was labour-intensive, as each frame had to be meticulously crafted and photographed to ensure smooth transitions. Cristiani, along with a team of artists, worked painstakingly to bring El Apóstol to life.
Unfortunately, the film itself no longer exists, as the only known copy was destroyed in a fire in 1926. This loss has made it difficult for modern audiences and scholars to fully appreciate Cristiani’s contribution to animation history. However, Cristiani continued to innovate in the world of animation, creating several other feature-length films and shorts.
Despite the tragic loss of El Apóstol, Quirino Cristiani’s contribution to the global animation industry remains significant. He was a trailblazer, creating not just the world’s first animated feature film, but also the first sound animated feature; one of his later works, Peludópolis (1931), was the first animated feature film with sound. Argentina’s role in the early days of animation is a testament to the country’s innovative spirit in arts and entertainment, and Cristiani’s work paved the way for the animation industry we know today.
