Title: Little Nemo Release Year: 1911 Director: Winsor McCay Studio: Winsor McCay Studio Runtime: Approx. 11 minutes Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Animation, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy --- Overview: Little Nemo, also known as Winsor McCay, the Famous Cartoonist of the N.Y. Herald and His Moving Comics, is a landmark animated short created by newspaper cartoonist Winsor McCay. It is based on his groundbreaking comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland, which ran in the New York Herald. This film is widely regarded as one of the earliest examples of character animation in American film history. --- Plot Summary: The film begins with a live-action sequence where Winsor McCay wagers he can animate his famous comic strip characters. The remainder is animated, showcasing iconic characters like Little Nemo, Flip, and the Princess as they cavort in imaginative scenes full of transformations, fantastical creatures, and surreal transitions. --- Animation Technique: McCay personally hand-drew approximately 4,000 individual drawings for the animated segment, which was photographed onto rice paper. The animation was remarkably fluid for its time, with expressive characters and smooth transitions that far surpassed contemporary efforts. No backgrounds were used—only figures on white—highlighting the movement and artistry of the characters. --- Historical Significance: One of the first films to feature recognizable cartoon characters with personality and expression. Demonstrated animation as an art form capable of storytelling, influencing generations of animators. Preceded the development of traditional animation studios by nearly a decade. Set the standard for animation in the U.S. before the rise of Walt Disney and others. --- Preservation Status: Little Nemo is in the public domain and is widely available through film archives and online resources, including the Library of Congress and the Internet Archive. It is preserved as a key work in animation history. --- Trivia: McCay was a vaudeville performer and would often present this film as part of his act, drawing live on stage. The film was created using only basic tools and no assistants—each drawing was done by McCay himself. Flip and the Princess were later featured in McCay’s follow-up short Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). The comic strip Little Nemo was revived multiple times and influenced modern fantasy stories and animated films. The animated portion of Little Nemo was initially black-and-white, but later hand-colored versions also circulated.