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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 863

Gertie the Dinosaur

191412 minUnited States
FantasyAnimation
Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
17:42
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Winsor McCay · Public domain

Synopsis

A cartoonist promises to bring a dinosaur to life through drawings, and Gertie emerges as more than a demonstration of movement. She follows instructions, resists them, eats, plays and reacts with a personality of her own. The encounter between artist and creature turns the technical feat of animation into a performance built around temperament and apparent companionship.

Cast

DirectorsWinsor McCay

Behind the scenes

McCay first presented Gertie in a live vaudeville act and later added filmed introductory material for theatrical distribution. Thousands of drawings and carefully repeated backgrounds allow the dinosaur's individual gestures to sustain the illusion of a living performer.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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