Special Event

Winsor and Gertie by Donald Crafton

At the initiative of David L. Nathan, a leading expert on the work of US animation pioneer Winsor McCay, experts Donald Crafton (University of Notre Dame) and Marco de Blois (Cinémathèque québécoise) led a team (which included Luc Chamberland and NFB staff Eloi Champagne and Sylvie Marie Fortier) in restoring the original version of McCay’s 1914 animated short, Gertie the Dinosaur. More than 250 missing drawings were recreated in the process.

This extraordinary reconstruction  – Gertie –  will be presented as a theatrical performance, written by Donald Crafton, on Sunday, November 25 at 5:30 p.m. Stéphane Crête will portray Winsor McCay and Sébastien René will play Robert, his son and assistant. Gabriel Thibaudeau will accompany them at the piano, performing his newly composed original score.

Original Film:

GERTIE THE DINOSAUR (1914) is considered the first-ever character animation film, created by pioneering American cartoonist, animator, and impresario Winsor McCay. In the film, Gertie interacts with her surroundings but also with her creator, McCay, who stands on stage in front of the screen. As a curtain call, McCay “enters the screen” and becomes an animated character to ride on top of Gertie.