Winsor McCay (1871-1934), the cartoonist most famous for the newspaper comics "Little Nemo" and "Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend," was also a pioneer in animation. He was responsible for the short "Gertie the Dinosaur," which introduced what many consider the first animated cartoon character.

Precursors

Before Gertie's debut, Winsor McCay had created two animated shorts: "Little Nemo" (1909) used 4,000 hand-drawn, hand-colored images that depicted his characters moving, but with no real plot. His second short, "How a Mosquito Operates" (1912), featured 6,000 drawings.

Gertie the Dinosaur

"Gertie the Dinosaur" (1914) was McCay's third short, using 10,000 drawings. It featured a dinosaur named Gertie who seemed to have a personality as she indulged in activities like eating food and having a spat with a woolly mammoth.

Performance

McCay also worked as a vaudeville performer, and incorporated "Gertie the Dinosaur" into his act, pretending to interact with Gertie as the film was projected onto a screen in a carefully choreographed performance.

Alternate Version

Later in 1914, a version of "Gertie the Dinosaur" was released into theaters that featured a live-action introduction and inter-titles to make up for the absence of live interaction.

Legacy and Influence

"Gertie the Dinosaur" was immensely popular with audiences. Moreover, it influenced many cartoonists like Paul Terry, who saw the short and went on to found Terrytoons, which created Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle.

Source:

Winsor McCay Biography

A Brief History of Gertie the Dinosaur

Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Gertie the Dinosaur

More Information:

Internet Archive: Gertie the Dinosaur video

Film Reference: Winsor McCay

Cartoonist Group: Background About Winsor McCay