This article will review the electrical and optical properties of thin film electroluminescent (EL) displays. A simple electrical model for thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) device operation will be presented and used to describe the luminance and power consumption of TFEL devices. The basic material characteristics that are desirable for EL phosphors will be described. Progress in the development of multicolor and full color EL displays will be presented including device structures and phosphor advancements. Recent work on devices that combine EL technology with high resolution active matrix circuitry to achieve high resolution displays for head-mounted applications will be described.