Hitchcoc This groundbreaking effort is not only a curiosity; it is also a clever, imaginative film. Probably the best known piece of early animation, it involves a minor bet among a group of animators who find themselves at the Museum of Natural History in New York. When they see a dinosaur (they call a dinosaurus--a brontosaurus--although that name is now passé), one of them bets he can bring the dinosaur to life, using animation. The bet for a dinner is accepted and off goes the animator, doing thousands of drawing and creating a truly memorable dinosaur, full of personality and fun. Of course, the main characters are only line drawings on a sketchy setting, it works marvelously. Gertie proves to be petulant and uncooperative at times but, ultimately performs her tricks. I had never seen this film before and am quite impressed with the accomplishment.

bob the moo Gertie is touted as being one of the first animated films and for its place in cinema history I decided to watch it. Having seen many very ordinary films from the first decade or so of silent film (trains pulling into stations etc) it was fun to see a sense of creativity here. The animator enters a museum and gets into a bet that he can bring a dinosaur to life with his drawing. This he does with the creation of Gertie the Dinosaur and it is not long before he is interacting with her, giving her instructions and, ultimately, entering the frame to ride on her. In a period where even the ordinary was viewed with wonder, it is something to have the creativity to not just animate a dinosaur but do so in a way that sees interaction with real life and in particular see real life enter the film in a way that is perhaps normal a century later – but not then.In terms of the actual film, it is less good than its historical value but is still quite fun. The dinosaur animation is basic for sure, but for me what made the difference was that it is pretty static and repetitive at times – with lots of the dinosaur repeating actions and rocking in a manner that seemed looped. Specific episodes with an elephant and with the creator himself were stronger and offered more, but they were still built around these sections. Perhaps it was because I had just watched a very creative and energetic short film from the same sort of period and this seemed very static next to it.So, not as great as a film to just watch, but it is pretty entertaining and watching it within a historical context will enhance what you are watching.

Robert Reynolds Winsor McCay did a great many things of which he could be justifiably proud, but I think Gertie the Dinosaur ranks at the top of that lengthy list of accomplishments and I suspect McCay may have felt the same way, for it is still remarkable all these years later. Gertie is more life-like than some people I know! Funny, believable, touching and fascinating, sometimes all at once. This is one of the cornerstones of modern animation and also succeeds on its own terms and merits as both art and entertainment. Winsor McCay grew unhappy and somewhat disgruntled and disillusioned as animation became, in his eyes, more commercial and less artistically inclined. I've often wondered what McCay would have made of the independents, such as Will Vinton and Bill Plympton, among others, and the different forms, like Claymation and the stop-motion work of George Pal and others. I hope he would be pleased with at least some of the work done in the last 90 or so years. An absolute gem. If you haven't seen Gertie, I envy you for the treat you have in store. She's a delight. Well worth getting. Most highly recommended.

GeneralB This short and rather old cartoon about a dinosaur is quite enjoyable. It was one of the earlier cartoons, and one of the first dinosaur movies. It may also have introduced cartoon violence to the world; Gertie chucks a mammoth named Jumbo into the ocean. I have found that it is more fun to watch the original silent version than the one with sound, although others may disagree.