Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What is a zoetrope? This video shows you two different versions of a zoetrope, which is a manual device that gives the illusion of motion pictures. Before motion, picture cameras and movies were invented, the zoetrope was invented to combine a series of steel pictures and create the illusion of a moving picture. In this video, I was at the museum of the Academy of motion, picture arts, and sciences, and I show you two different Zoetropes that they have on display. One of them is a very simple model that you would’ve seen in the 1800s, and another one is very modern and uses flashing lights and toys on a spinning wheel to create the illusion of motion. Both the simple original version and the new modern version of the zoetrope give you the same effect, and they are fun to see and play with in person. 
What is a zoetrope? This video shows you two different versions of a zoetrope, which is a manual device that gives the illusion of motion pictures. Before motion, picture cameras and movies were invented, the zoetrope was invented to combine a series of steel pictures and create the illusion of a moving picture. In this video, I was at the museum of the Academy of motion, picture arts, and sciences, and I show you two different Zoetropes that they have on display. One of them is a very simple model that you would’ve seen in the 1800s, and another one is very modern and uses flashing lights and toys on a spinning wheel to create the illusion of motion. Both the simple original version and the new modern version of the zoetrope give you the same effect, and they are fun to see and play with in person. 
