Gertie the Dinosaur

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Release Year: 1914

Director: Winsor McCay

Review:  Gertie was originally created for Winsor McCay's Vaudeville act, and later this film was made, which took the cartoon and put in live action bookends to the cartoon.  The setup to the cartoon, is that there is a bet on whether or not McCay can make a dinosaur come to life.  He wins this bet by hand drawing ten thousand frames, and creating one of the first animations.  The cartoon itself is impressive for the time.  It may be a simple line drawing, but there is some great attention to detail.  When the dinosaur dances back and forth, its very fluid, with every part of the dinosaur moving naturally.  It's more of a demo cartoon than anything.  However, packaged with the live action, it makes for an interesting look at the beginnings of animation and is a true part of cinema history.
Rating: 3.5/5