Winsor McCay's most famous creation, Gertie the Dinosaur 'the only dinosaur in captivity', was originally created as part of a vaudeville act that seemingly allowed McCay to interact with the animated creature. McCay would read a script, giving Gertie various commands and the dinosaur would 'react' accordingly. The finale of the show would see McCay step into the prehistoric landscape and ride on Gertie's back, which demonstrated the potential for compositing together animated and real footage, which many decades later would become a staple of cinema.
Credited with pioneering the use of key frames, inbetweening and registration marks, McCay's aptitude for timing can be seen in the way that Gertie's movements are much more fluid and natural looking than many previous animations. The fact that the animation requires interaction also places added significance on timing, as the act would have been marred were McCay to miss a cue.
Gertie's characterisation, which no doubt contributed to her popularity, was aided by a consideration of anatomy. McCay consulted New York Museum staff to gain the best informed opinion of how the relatively enigmatic creatures would move, and consequently the dinosaur moves as we would expect a living breathing creature to, and McCay keeps her volume consistent as she performs her tricks, which, in combination with the ground moving beneath Gertie's feet, creates an illusion of weight and presence within the animated landscape.
All of these methods, which give Gertie a greater sense of depth and life, have since become standard animation techniques, adopted by some of the greatest animators such as Disney and the Fleischer Brothers. Indeed, as the first animated dinosaur, McCay's creation became highly influential, and is referenced in many cartoons and films, such as Jurassic Park.
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