Before Gamera, before, Godzilla, before Mighty Joe Young, before King Kong. And way before, the Pink Panther, Mighty Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Popeye, Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse, there was a dinosaur named Gertie. She was the first cartoon character and the first movie monster. Audience were thrilled when she appeared on screen as if people saw King Kong and laughed at her silly antics as if they saw Mickey Mouse's silly antics. It is basically started out as a bet and Windsor McCay won the bet. The movie is such an admirable landmark milestone in animation history, there was an ice-cream stand in honor of the dinosaur at Disney MGM Studios (now called Disney Hollywood Studios) in Florida. She made a cameo appearance in the comic book adaptation of "Dinosaurs Attack" and the movie LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND (1991). The cartoon got referenced in an episode of ENCYCLOPEDIA where the dinosaur was designed and animated by Joey Ahlbum. In a world where classic cartoon characters are making a comeback for the new generation, I think it is time for Gertie to make a comeback don't you think? Give the cartoon a watch, it is pure family fun. Not rated, but a "G" would be nice.

Cinema's first look at dinosaurs has all the creativity that anyone could want. Winsor McCay's "Gertie the Dinosaur" is a simple but funny short. I first saw the cartoon in a documentary about the history of animation. McCay stood in front of an audience and explained what he was about to do. Then the playful reptile made her grand entrance. It shows what one can do with animation. It is, after all, simply another form of filmmaking. Since then, animation has ranged from the soft and cute (the Silly Symphonies) to the mordant (Ralph Bakshi's "Fritz the Cat").You have to see "Gertie the Dinosaur", if for no other reason except to get a look at early animation. A masterpiece.

The cartoonist, Winsor McCay, brings the Dinosaurus back to life in the figure of his latest creation, Gertie the Dinosaur.McCay first used the film before live audiences as an interactive part of his vaudeville act; the frisky, childlike Gertie did tricks at the command of her master. McCay's employer William Randolph Hearst later curtailed McCay's vaudeville activities, so McCay added a live-action introductory sequence to the film for its theatrical release.Animation historian Donald Crafton called Gertie "the enduring masterpiece of pre-Disney animation". And that about sums it up. The film is relatively simple, and if used live is a pretty basic gimmick. But i bet it worked to impress audiences. If they had never seen a cartoon before 9and they probably had not), this would be quite the treat.

Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) *** 1/2 (out of 4)This Winsor McCay film starts off very much like his first as McCay and a friend are inside a dinosaur exhibit when the artist says he could make them walk. The friend and others at a local club laugh at him so he makes a bet that he can bring a dinosaur to life. A month later McCay displays Gertie, a lovable dinosaur who will do whatever he says. I will admit that the start of this film is a tad bit slow because we've already seen this same opening in an earlier film. With that said, there's no question that this is a very important film and one that is a must see. The most amazing thing to me about this film is how much life McCay is able to give Gertie. There's not a single frame where you feel as if you're watching a bit of animation because the director does such a nice job at bringing her to life and making her seem so real. The animation includes Gertie doing various tricks, a dance and a few other things but we also get a sea serpent that shows up. The animation looks incredibly strong and we're given some great humor throughout. I hate using the word cute but that's exactly what this film is and it's so impressive that even those who can't stand older movies should be drawn into it.