The history of early animation 10 what was the first looney tunes cartoon named. Sinkin in the bathtub or steam boat willy windsor mccay produces the first successful cartoon, gertie the trained dinosaur. Aug 17, 2016 mccay invented inbetweening and lots of other techniques and popularised animation for the masses. The magic lantern has a concave mirror in front of a light source that gathers light and projects it through a slide with an image scanned onto it. His 1976 documentary, remembering winsor mccay, consists of an interview with one of mccay s surviving assistants. The magic lantern the magic lantern or lanterna magica is an early type of image projector developed in the 17th century. The longer running times of roll media removed the constraint of drawing only cycles. Herald and his moving comics, also referred to simply as little nemo, is commonly considered one of the first bits of true animation ever created.
He does a very good job of helping the audience understand mccay s importance to the history of animation and even his possible motivations for entering and then abruptly exiting the field of animation. Scanned for from little nemo 19051914, published by taschen, isbn 3822863009. An influential figure for cartoonists and animators throughout the 20th century and beyond, winsor mccay 18691934 is perhaps best known for the creation of the little nemo in slumberland comic strip. The occasion was the 107th anniversary of what has proved to be mccays most loved and enduring comic strip, little nemo in slumberland. Visit the world of little nemo artist winsor mccay. See more ideas about little nemo in slumberland, comic art and illustration.
Robert at various times worked as a teamster, a grocer, and a real estate agent. A man named john bray developed and patented a streamlined process for creating. A frenchman name emile cohl produced a film called fantasmagorie. Winsor mccay began doing poster work and chalk talks in cincinnati in the 1880s, and by the turn of the century he was a successful newspaper illustrator. Winsor mccay is well known as the creator of the first animated cartoon star, gertie the dinosaur, 1914. A canadian native, winsor zenas mccay was born in 1867 and had his first commercial art job in. Winsor mccay biography birthday, trivia american animator. Animation, the art of making inanimate objects appear to move. In 1914, winsor mccay produced one of the first film animations. At twelve minutes it has been called the longest work of animation at the time of its release. Jul 29, 20 from wikipedia how a mosquito operates 1912, also known as the story of a mosquito, is a silent animated film by american cartoonist and animator winsor mccay.
As a comics artist mccay made several series featuring characters having dreams or nightmares. In 1904, after working as an illustrator and cartoonist for various newspapers in chicago, in cincinnati, ohio, and in new. Winsors exact place and year of birth are uncertain he claimed to have been born in spring lake, michigan in 1871, but his gravestone says 1869, and census reports state that he was born in canada in 1867. Cartoonist and artist winsor mccay 18691964 is often considered the father of. It features a short 12 minute explanation of the sinking of rms lusitania after it was struck by two torpedoes fired from a german uboat. The sinking of the lusitania, released in 1918, is an animated short film by american artist winsor mccay. Although not the first to experiment with animated films, mccay achieved artistic and technical heights that established animation as a viable form and that set ground rules for a style of pictorial illusionism and closed figurative forms in american animated cartoons. John canemaker born 1943 is an academy awardwinning independent animator, animation historian, teacher, lecturer, and author perhaps best known for his many books about the disney studio, including walt disneys nine old men and the art of animation. He developed animation as an art form and delighted the public with his beautiful, elaborately drawn characters. Animation is an artistic impulse that long predates the movies. Most cartoon characters of the early 20th century had their origins in. Mccay entered animation early in the art forms history, but late in his own. Winsor mccay 18711934 introduction american winsor mccay is considered the first great film animator.
He also is remembered for his animated recreation of the sinking of the lusitania, 1918 and for his long and amazing career as a comic strip artist. Winsor mccay 18671934 is universally acknowledged as the first master of both the comic strip and the animated cartoon. He lifted both media out of their childrens shoes and elevated them into genuine art forms. Mccay was the son of robert mckay later changed to mccay and janet murray mckay. Herald and his moving comics, also referred to simply as little nemo, is commonly considered one of the first bits of true animation ever created, exploring the frontiers of a thennascent storytelling medium that we have now grown to. The winsor mccay award was established in 1972 to recognize individuals for lifetime or career contributions in animation, and is presented as part of the annie awards. A selftaught artist and cartoonist, he first began working for new york newspapers. Winsor mccay 1911 mccay had already made a cartoon version of his famous little nemo in 1911, releasing it to both movie theaters and then using it in his vaudeville act. His silent film shot in thomas edisons black moria studio in new jersey is credited as the first animated sequence on film ever. Animator and academic john canemaker, author most recently of the art and flair of mary blair, has just reissued winsor mccay. His life and art, a comprehensive bio of mccay informed by unique and wonderful raw materials from the late artists estate. Hell animation might never have gone beyond flip books and kids toys without mccay. Winsor mccay is best known for his innovative experimentation with his newspaper comic strips as.
Stuart blackton, who some call the father of animation. I like that mccay interacts with gertie using the text and uses a simple story to develop gerties personality. Emile cohl in france 1908 and windsor mccay in new york 1911. In 1914, winsor mccay set out to create a character that had genuine personality. I thought i would archive them on the internet so they would not be lost to time they are too wonderful. He is best known for the comic strip little nemo 190514. Manual construction and animation of images gave birth to cinema and slipped. Herald and his moving comics, also referred to simply as little nemo, is commonly considered one of. In 1980, he began teaching and developing the animation program at new york university, tisch school of the arts, kanbar institute of film and. A black and white cartoon, it was a laboriously drawn series of 10,000 line drawings dirks. The sinking of the lusitania 1918 is an american silent animated short film by cartoonist winsor mccay.
How a mosquito operates 1912 winsor mccay animation. The two most important people in animation are winsor mccay and walt disney. A patent on the process a man named john bray developed and patented a streamlined process for creating animated films. He tried, unsuccessfully, to force other companies to use his designs. Winsor mccay, american newspaper cartoonist who was also a pioneer of animated films. It is a transparent plastic that enables drawings to be made in layers.
Winsor mccay, 1930 an editorial cartoon by winsor mccay. This essay concerns how early film animator winsor mccay first. Winsor mccay is generally regarded as the first american auteur of animation. Although invented by others, both genres were developed into enduring popular art of the highest imagination through mccays innovative genius. An influential figure for cartoonists and animators throughout the 20th century and beyond, winsor mccay 18691934 is perhaps best known for the creation of. For contractual reasons, he worked under the pen name silas on the comic strip dream of the rarebit fiend from a young age, mccay was a quick, prolific, and technically dextrous. Answers history of early animation common core sheets. Little nemo 19051914 by winsor mccay internet archive. Read about what it contains and what these tidbits mean to animations history. He also wrote lesson one, but his work as a teacher of the art form he helped to create has long been forgotten. But the father of them all, and a man who deserves to be known as the father of american animation, is winsor mccay, whose creation gertie the dinosaur was the very first dinosaur to be on the big screen mccay was one of those enormously important innovators who create whole new art forms. Joshua glenn of the boston globe has created an audio slideshow presentation that points out the influence of cartoonist winsor mccay on cinema. The history of early animation or the history of bugs bunny 10 what was the first looney tunes cartoon named. The influence of winsor mccay on cinema cartoon brew.
It is a work of propaganda recreating the neverphotographed 1915 sinking of the british liner rms lusitania. The original idea came from his son playing with flipbooks, in which a child rifles the pages of a book rapidly with his finger, thus causing the individual drawings to appear. Some early animation history principles of animation computer animation. Historys first recorded animator is pygmalion of greek and roman mythology, a sculptor who created a figure of a woman so perfect that he. The evolution of animation a timeline fudge animation. His gertie 1914 was the first american masterpiece of animated film. Aug 07, 2014 it is one of the first recorded uses for animated advertisement. Animation pioneer winsor mccay draws gertie the dinosaur for a group in this undated photo. Although invented by others, both genres were developed into enduring popular art of the highest imagination through mccay s innovative genius. Cartoon figures announce, via comic strip balloons, that they will move and move they do, in a wildly exaggerated style. Herald and his moving comics, also referred to simply as little nemo, is commonly considered one of the first bits of true animation ever created, exploring the frontiers of a thennascent storytelling medium that we have now grown to take for granted.
Article information, pdf download for the making and remaking of winsor. He does a very good job of helping the audience understand mccays importance to the history of animation and even his possible motivations for entering and then abruptly exiting the field of animation. The magic lantern has a concave mirror in front of a light source that gathers light and projects it through a. Nov 06, 2018 the evolution of animation a timeline 1900 the enchanted drawing. Winsor mccay is one of the founding fathers of newspaper comics and animated cartoons. With winsor mccay, john bunny, maurice costello, george mcmanus. Mccay made 10 thousand drawings and it took him 6 months. Oct 28, 2002 read about what it contains and what these tidbits mean to animation s history. Thus animation evolved from the concept of a phase picture to the concept. Winsor mccays animation lesson number one, 1919 animation.
For starters, mccay was born in 1867 the same year as frank brangwyn, arthur rackham and sidney sime and had an eccentric and checkered career behind him when he moved to new york in 1903. His 1914 film gertie the dinosaur was the first to feature keyframe animation, where mccay would draw the main scenes and have an assistant later referred to as inbetweeners fill out the motion and backgrounds. It was a hit, and is known today as the first true animated film. Nov 09, 2005 animator and academic john canemaker, author most recently of the art and flair of mary blair, has just reissued winsor mccay. Jun 30, 2011 winsor mccay, the famous cartoonist of the n.
Winsor mccay september 26, 1871 july 26, 1934 was a prolific artist and pioneer in the art of animation and comics. The making and remaking of winsor mccays gertie 1914 david. He created the strip dream of the rarebit fiend for the new york evening telegram in 1904, and the next year began drawing little nemo in slumberland for the new york herald. At age 21, mccay started working as a poster and billboard artist for a chicago company.
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