Revised Essay Introduction

Winsor McCay

This essay discusses the work of Winsor McCay, and the kind of animations he produced. The study of what his work was like at an early age from the sketches he done as a child to one of his first comic strips; Little Sammy Sneeze right up until his later films that include his first; Little Nemo in Slumber Land to later films such as Gertie The Dinosaur and The Sinking of The Lusitania. McCay’s first forms of art will be discussed using the books; Before Mickey by Donald Crafton and Winsor McCay by John Canemaker. McCay’s comic strips and how successful they became will be analysed with the use of the book; Masters of American Comics by John Carlin. The websites; www.digitalmediafx.com and www.bpib.com have been used to describe McCay’s later productions and their influences on modern day cartoons. This essay starts by introducing Winsor McCay and what kind of work he did, followed by his early forms of work though to his later projects. Why his work was important as well as its influences will then be explained.