Meeting McCay

native son

2009-06-30T08:41:00.001-04:00

Here's the letter from Winsor Robert McCay (great-grandson of artist Winsor McCay) that Kevin Collier read at the historical marker's unveiling:

Dear Mr. Collier and the Spring Lake Heritage Festival Committee,

On behalf of the McCay Family, I would like to take this opportunity to commend your organization and thank-you for honoring Winsor McCay at the McCay Day festivities. Our family would like to express their gratitude and are pleased that your organization has chosen to recognize Winsor McCay for his outstanding talents with this historical marker. It is fitting that you have chosen to honor him as a native son of Spring Lake. We know that this tribute will provide further inspiration and joy to future artists and fans worldwide.

His artistic genius and unique imagination were revealed at a young age in the village of Spring Lake. The foundation for this impressive ability as a master of both the comic strip and the animated cartoon is being recognized here today due to the hard work and determination of many of you. The dedication of this historical marker will remind us all to never stop dreaming or forget our childhood fantasies.

We regret that the family is unable to attend the festivities, but we look forward to visiting Spring Lake in the future. Again, thank-you for this wonderful tribute.

Best regards,
Winsor R. McCay

It all started here...

2009-06-18T17:00:00.001-04:00

Here's the Grand Haven Tribune's recap of McCay's marker unveiling. Great article by Marie Havenga and wonderful photos by Abbey Moore. You can read the full article here: Winsor McCay historical marker dedicated
Here are a few excerpts:

"This is something to be very proud of, "said Mark Miller, chairman of the Spring Lake Historic Conservation Commission and the Winsor McCay Committee. "It all started here. This area influenced his beginnings and that's something to be very proud of."

About 50 people attended the dedication of a state historical marker at that site on Tuesday. It included speeches by historians and local and state officials, followed by a 90-minute presentation of McCay's life history and animation projects.

Michigan Historical Commission member Tom Trescott said Tuesday's historical marker dedication is the first of a planned West Michigan Pike tourist initiative, designed to promote West Michigan beach towns as far north as Ludington and perhaps Mackinac Island.

The cartoonist's great-grandson sent a letter to the local historical committee to express his gratitude for the honorary plaque and the work that brought it into being.
"We look forward to visiting Spring Lake in the near future," wrote Winsor Robert McCay in a letter read by Grand Haven Tribune cartoonist Kevin Collier.

McCay Day 2009!

2009-06-17T23:30:00.002-04:00

McCay Day 2009 was tons of fun! Thanks to everyone who planned, presented, and participated. It was a wonderful, memorable day! Here are a few highlights for anyone not able to make it...

Chef Jim LaPerriere prepared Welsh Rarebit for a full room. And woah-ho-ho-nelly... was it good...

The McCay Party held for the younger set included crafts...

...and cookie decorating.
(Here's what happens when you let kids loose with frosting)

Children's book author/illustrator Aaron Zenz took everyone on wild adventures with Little Nemo and his friends.

Then all the kids were invited to create one last dream for Little Nemo to explore:

That's one CRAZY dream!

Later in the day, cartoonist Kevin Collier guided a full house through a great comic class.

And the evening held one of the events we'd been dreaming of for years: the dedication of a marker honoring Winsor McCay in his hometown of Spring Lake.

A crowd begins gathering for the unveiling and dedication...

Greeting were given by Mark Miller, chairman of the Winsor McCay Memorial Committee and the Spring Lake Historic Conservation Commission.

Some thoughts were shared by animation expert and historian, Ray Pointer.

Kevin Collier reads a letter from Winsor Robert McCay, the great-grandson of Winsor McCay.

Some of the kids in attendance were invited to help with unveiling...

Ta-da!

Here's a view of the backside of the marker, while Michigan Historical Commission member Tom Trescott gives some concluding remarks.

All in all, one great day! Stop by to see McCay's new marker... And give thought to McCay Day 2010!

Historic

2009-06-13T14:09:00.002-04:00

A nice article about the upcoming Winsor McCay historical marker dedication appeared in the Grand Haven Tribune. Here are some excerpts:

"Winsor McCay is one of the many little-known Michiganians who have had a lasting impact on our state and our nation," said Michigan Historical Center Director Sandra Clark. "His pioneering work in animation is part of our state's historic and modern leadership in the field of design."
Mark Miller, chairman of the Spring Lake Heritage Festival and a local Winsor McCay committee, said he's been waiting for this day.

"Every community looks for that certain thing that really helps it stand out," Miller said. "Winsor McCay is just that. He grew up here. He's famous to this day. When he drew the SS Alpena sinking on the Union School chalkboard, that really kicked off his career. That ship sank in Lake Michigan in 1880."

Miller said the Michigan Historical Center found the McCay connection so fascinating that they sped up the historical marker dedication.

"They bumped it up so we could have it here for Winsor McCay Day," he said.

You can read the full article here: Winsor McCay Day celebrated Tuesday in Spring Lake

Fiend-Dish

2009-06-12T00:41:00.004-04:00

Even more McCay fun here in his hometown!

On Monday, June 15, at 7:00 pm. - (McCay Day Eve), Executive Chef Jim LaPerriere is coming to Spring Lake District Library to prepare Welsh Rarebit. Welsh Rarebit (which has nothing to do with our long-eared, cotton-tailed friends) is a savory melted cheese dish, which occasionally spawns some interesting comic nightmares, if you aren't careful. Enjoy some samples and take home some recipes. (Pre-registration required)

Historical Marker!!!

2009-06-05T18:30:00.004-04:00

Great News! We are getting a Winsor McCay historical marker!

We knew this had been put in motion, but it's creation and delivery was supposed to take months and months to accomplish. However the folks at the Michigan Historical Commission loved the focus of the project so much, they bumped it ahead of all the other projects in line so that it could be ready in time for the Heritage Festival's "McCay Day" celebration!

So... everyone is cordially invited to attend the dedication ceremony of the Winsor McCay State of Michigan historical marker on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. The event will take place in the park located between the Spring Lake Township Hall and the Spring Lake District Library, 123 E. Exchange Street. The site is the one-time-location of Union School which McCay attended as a child and is directly across the street from the location of his childhood home. You are invited to remain at the library for the Ray Pointer presentation on Winsor McCay beginning at 8:00 p.m.

There is hope that McCay's grandson and/or great-grandson will even be flying in to attend the dedication.

The marker is set to be delivered next week. It will be installed and covered, awaiting the big reveal. In the meantime, its resting place has been dutifully marked with what we've now dubbed the "Winsor McCay Memorial Stick":

McCay Day Events

2009-06-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Join us for McCay Day 2009!

When: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Where: Spring Lake District Library in Spring Lake, Michigan - Winsor McCay's hometown

10:30 a.m. McCay Day Party
Children ages 3 to 6 are invited to attend this fun filled party which will include cookie decorating, face painting, and a dinosaur craft. Special guest, artist and children's book author Aaron Zenz, will introduce us to Little Nemo and kick off a fun story time and art project!

2:00 p.m. I'm OK with McCay Cartoon Workshop
Artist and cartoonist Kevin Collier will highlight the art and life of Winsor McCay as well as lead a traditional cartooning and comics class. This program is designed for children in third grade and up.

7:00 p.m. Winsor McCay, Father of Animation
Ray Pointer, an animation expert and historian, discusses the many contributions of Winsor McCay to the world of animation. Currently the Creative Director of Inkwell Images, Pointer is also an instructor at the Kendall School of Design. With 40 years of professional experience in the field of animation, Pointer is a member of The Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Animation Peer Group, has worked with Nickelodeon Animation Studios and MGM Animation, and has over 300 credits to his name.

7:00 p.m. Winsor's Whimsical Creations
This fun program is designed for the kids. Boys and girls can participate in a scavenger hunt, put together their own Gertie the dinosaur puzzle, and paint a shirt.

McCay Day is on its way!

2009-06-03T12:34:00.002-04:00

The 2nd Annual "McCay Day" Celebration has been scheduled! Join us on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at the Spring Lake District Library in Spring Lake, Michigan. The day's events are planned in conjunction with the Spring Lake Heritage Festival, held in Winsor McCay's hometown.

Details to come in the next post... In the meantime, here's a look back at some of the family fun we had last year!

For all info regarding McCay Day - both this year and last - click HERE

The Comic Strip Library

2009-06-02T23:02:00.000-04:00

Over at the fantastic Comic Strip Library, all the Little Nemo episodes have been uploaded. Now they're working their way through Winsor McCay's "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend." What a great resource!

Quote:

2009-06-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

Quote from legendary Warner Bros. animation director Chuck Jones:

"The two most important people in animation are Winsor McCay and Walt Disney. I'm not sure who should go first."

Babu & Abu

2009-02-28T19:39:00.004-05:00

The talented Mall made herself a great birthday present!

political

2009-01-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

Golden Age Comic Book Stories has posted a great sampling of Winsor McCay's editorial cartoons...

Gertie makes her mark

2008-12-15T02:42:00.009-05:00

The Spring Lake District Library in Spring Lake Michigan, Winsor McCay's hometown, recently held their annual bookmark making contest for elementary age students. This year kids were encouraged to create a bookmark featuring Gertie the Dinosaur. There were HUNDREDS of great submissions! Lots of budding artists reside in McCay's hometown. Here are a few favorites:

Wordle

2008-12-15T02:27:00.005-05:00

I was just playing around with Wordle... I plugged in some text from Meeting McCay and got this thing of beauty:

Rex

2008-12-03T23:52:00.009-05:00

Alongside Winsor McCay, another of my favorite illustrators is Adam Rex. While perusing his book Pssst, I thought I sensed a McCay vibe in his drawings. Today I stumbled across further evidence that he is indeed a McCay fan of some sort -- he's got a cat named Little Nemo. Which is Great! Because now I have an excuse to celebrate some of Adam's work here on our McCay-themed blog...

Petit Lucien

2008-12-02T04:26:00.006-05:00

Hmmm... Could it be that Little Nemo was inspired by an obscure comic episode published 20 years earlier in France? Interesting comparisons at Topfferiana (or click here for mangled English via babelfish)

Drop on the deck and flop like a fish...

2008-11-01T14:45:00.004-04:00

On his blog, Roger Langridge shares some SpongeBob cartoons he did for Nickelodeon Magazine in the style of old-time comics, including this one in the style of Winsor McCay...

the location of Winsor McCay's childhood home

2008-09-23T11:43:00.013-04:00

We've sure learned a lot since we started meeting a year ago. Here's a blurb from one of the very first posts on this blog:

Years ago I had asked someone at the Tri-Cities Museum if there was any way to know where McCay might have lived -- or even to determine a geographic location where we could say he had definitely been. She said she highly doubted it because the layout of Spring Lake is very different now because so many fires had destroyed the town since McCay's time. The fires had also destroyed most records from those days.

That post then went on to relay how excited we were to discover the site of McCay's former school... A plot of land right next door to the current site of the Spring Lake District Library:

Well since that early post, we've discovered the location of Winsor McCay's childhood home! Little did we know we were already looking at it... It was right here:

Turns out the site is right across the street, on the corner of Meridian and Tolford, in the spot where the First Baptist Church building now stands.

Here's some information about the site that librarian Chris Davis has pulled together:

Robert McKay, Winsor McCay’s father, came to Spring Lake to work in 1864 or ’65. Our collection of Assessment Rolls dates back to 1874. By that time, the McKay’s (McCay’s) owned a house at the corner of the current Tolford and Meridian Street. We do not know the date of the fire mentioned in Winsor's biography, but the McKay’s (McCay’s) owned that property throughout their life in Spring Lake. It would be logical to think that their house burned in one of the frequent fires, as Spring Lake had numerous sawmills at that time. They probably would’ve stayed with friends, temporarily, until their home was rebuilt. The house is gone by 1899, likely destroyed in the Spring Lake Fire of 1893.

Most written accounts tend to paint the McKays (McCays) as a rather transient family in Spring Lake. This is, apparently, not the case. Actually, Robert McKay was a land owner, near the center of the village (which was a status symbol in those times). He was well respected, as his service on the Village Council would attest. In 1874, he received 157 votes for Trustee, only about 90 less than the Village Recorder, who ran unopposed. Many of the people in political circles, at that time, are still known in the community today (Hunter Savidge, Aloys Bilz, etc.).

Kid Lit

2008-09-10T12:58:00.009-04:00

So yesterday I was looking through Brian Lies' brand new children's book "Bats at the Library" and - surprise, surprise - saw this great Little Nemo/Rarebit reference:

Winsor McCay is an illustrator's illustrator. And I suspect children's book creators in particular love him. "Bats at the Library" is just the latest to pay homage to the man. William Joyce acknowledges Little Nemo in the dedication area of "Santa Calls," a book which includes this image of a galloping bed:

And of course I've already talked about Maurice Sendak in an earlier post... you can find all sorts of references to Nemo in "In the Night Kitchen":

So here are three kid lit examples... Who else am I missing? Does anyone know of any more Little Nemo tributes hiding in the pages of children's books? I'm sure they're out there...

20 Minute Loop

2008-08-25T20:13:00.004-04:00

I'm loving the sound of "Winsor McCay" by the band 20 Minute Loop. The song is a tribute to an artist friend of theirs who died of cancer. In a backwards way, it also tributes McCay himself, if I can assume in their minds he was the ultimate artist to reference... Listen to it here...

Gordy

2008-08-12T13:20:00.010-04:00

Here's a funny parody of McCay's film "Gertie the Dinosaur!"
Bryan Brinkman, Dan Pinto, and Matt Gaston of Uber Street Studios bring us the misadventures of "Gordy."
(It's funny, but gross... Funny and gross? Funny because it's gross? Just a warning...)

Volume 2 Times 2

2008-08-04T14:18:00.008-04:00

A heads up on two new collections of Little Nemo comics coming out this month - both of them sequels to fabulous first volumes...

"Many More Splendid Sundays" is a best-of collection, reprinting another 115 digitally-restored Sunday pages at their original size: 16 x 21 inches... huge! Volume One, "So Many Splendid Sundays" truly is astounding (you can see my previous report). It's no wonder Volume One's first printing sold out in just 90 days. I can't wait to come across this sequel... Visit Sunday Press for more details.

The other book being released is "Little Nemo in the Land of Wonderful Dreams." It's the second half to the complete collection of Little Nemo comics. Checker Publishing's Volume One is my favorite of the full Nemo collection's I've seen. Visit Checker's site for more details too...

King Nemo

2008-08-01T13:29:00.007-04:00

Marcus Thiele has a cool pitch for a comic book called "King Nemo."
Here's his synopsis:

This story imagines the later lives of characters first introduced in Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo" comic strip, which became public domain in 2005. As such, it is intended as a respectful homage to that great creator and his lasting impact on the history of comics, animation and the literature of dreams.

Love it! Check out three sample pages Here...

Overview

2008-07-28T14:45:00.001-04:00

"Meeting McCay" has quite a few posts under its belt now... So I thought I'd take a second, back up, and provide an overview of what we're doing here and where we hope to go.

Late last year a small group of Spring Lake residents met to discuss fellow Spring Laker, Winsor McCay, and the disturbing lack of recognition here in his hometown. We brainstormed fabulous ways to mark his time spent here, but quickly realized our first step was going to have to be Education. Before a town can applaud a man, they have to know who he is. And very few people in Spring Lake had ever heard of Winsor McCay. So we came up with five steps to reintroduce Spring Lake to its most famous unknown son.

Step One: Start a good collection of McCay resources at the Spring Lake District Library
And boy, they've done that. When we first started meeting, the library had maybe two books on McCay and one DVD. In just a year they've amassed a Super collection of resources. And they are prominently displayed in their own special area. I try to review many of these resources here on the site as they come in.

Step Two: Start this blog
This is the 60th entry so far. Hopefully "Meeting McCay" can be a one-stop-spot for anyone seeking information on McCay - his life, his art, and they many ways he's been honored over the years. And it's intended to be place (for anyone who is interested) to keep up-to-date on the progress we're making in Spring Lake MI to create a permanent, physical, tribute to the man and his legacy.

Step Three:
Launch "McCay Day"
The first McCay Day was held in Spring Lake last month, and it was a great success! (You can read about it in posts below...) We hope to make McCay Day an annual event. This last year was a learning experience, and we hope to make the event bigger, grander, and farther-reaching year by year.

Step Four: Post a Historical Marker
In less than a year, we've accomplished steps 1 through 3. Step four, a Marker, is our current focus. Right now there is Nothing physically acknowledging McCay's presence in Spring Lake. Not a plaque, not a sign, not a name on a bench. We'd like to get a big historical marker, with good biographical content, and place it near the location of his childhood home or school. We're looking at our choices, examining costs, and weighing all the options. This is a huge next step.

Step Five: A Permanent Physical Memorial
This is the ultimate goal. We've talked about lots of ways to pay tribute to McCay in his hometown. Here are a few of the many things we've discussed:

• Name a park after him
• Name a street after him
• Start a McCay Art Scholarship for local students
• Hold an annual Film Festival
• Sprinkle bronze Dinosaur Footprints around town with McCay content
• Start a collection of original McCay art
• Start a Tribute Gallery of art by other professionals inspired by McCay
• Build a Statue

All these are good ideas, and we hope to do as many of them as we can. But I think our hearts are set on the Statue most of all. A statue of McCay... or of Gertie... or of Little Nemo characters... or all of them mingled together. A statue to be placed either in an existing park, or a new park designed specifically for this. We're dreaming big.

Illustrator Aaron Zenz whipped up this concept drawing for us, and I think it's a good place to start. I won't repeat in this post what I've already said before, so you can read more about the statue ideas here. But that's what the Big Goal is. That's our Rarebit Dream. It'll be expensive, and take lots of planning and fund raising. But I think McCay deserves a monument Somewhere in the world. And why not here in his hometown?

So Reader, what do you make of all this? Is McCay and his work worthy of a physical Tribute? Feel free to throw your thoughts into the comments area...

2008 Winsor McCay Award Winners

2008-07-26T13:30:00.004-04:00

One way that McCay's animation legacy is honored is the annual bestowing of ASIFA-Hollywood's Winsor McCay Award. It "stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry in recognition for career contributions to the art of animation." It has been given out since 1972 and recipients of the honor include people like Walt Disney, Chuck Jones, both Hanna & Barbera, and Hayao Miyazaki.

The 2008 Winsor McCay Award winners were announced last night at Comic Con. The three newest folks to join an amazing list of recipients are:

John Lasseter (Toy Story)

Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit)

and Mike Judge (King of the Hill)

For full information, check out the announcement here...

A Bed Likes to Get Out Once in a While

2008-07-26T07:55:00.001-04:00

Here is what is probably the most famous of all of Winsor McCay's cartoons, published exactly 100 years ago today...

(Thanks goes out to the Comic Strip Library!)

Winsor McCay's first recorded picture

2008-07-21T11:59:00.007-04:00

I've long known about Winsor McCay's childhood/schoolhouse drawing of the sinking ship... Well apparently the Tri-Cities Historical Museum has a copy!

I was looking through David Seibold's new book on the history of Grand Haven MI, In the Path of Destiny, and was amazed to see this included in the section about Winsor McCay:

"Spring Lake's Great fire of 1893 destroyed the school and all the records which might have revealed some of the genius of the budding artist. But perhaps all was not lost. On October 15, 1880 the ill-fated Goodrich steamship Alpena left Grand Haven bound for Chicago with 46 persons aboard. It was never seen again. The event stunned everyone in the Grand Haven Area. In 1880, at age 11, Winsor McCay made a chalk drawing on a slate of his impression of the Alpena as it was sinking on a story Lake Michigan. The teacher was so impressed with the rendering she had a photographer take a picture of it, who then sold copies. A postcard appeared at that time which showed the sinking of the Alpena and, presumably, was the photo of the Winsor McCay drawing. A copy is in the Museum files."

I've never seen this photo reprinted anywhere else before... What a great find! The photo dates from the right time and is certainly white chalk on black slate. This whole story is especially interesting when one considers McCay's later animated masterpiece which depicted the sinking of the Lusitania. Perhaps the creation of that film was spurred, in part, by the emotional connection to this first moment of artistic celebrity from his childhood...

Slumberland Titles!

2008-07-19T07:55:00.005-04:00

It has always astounded me how someone with drafting skill like this:

...could fill dialog balloons like this:

Wha...? Clearly Winsor McCay was a master draftsman. And certainly the wonder of his comics is in the art, not the writing. But even though the the content of the dialog is inconsequential, still it seems he would have taken care with its visual presentation, yes? Perhaps the blight of his word balloons serves a purpose -- making the art all the more astounding by contrast?? Naw, there's no defense. They stink.

Anyway, it's not that he couldn't do lettering well. After all, he had a career as a poster designer for a while. And his title panels show exquisite lettering. So... to celebrate the fact that McCay COULD do excellent lettering when he put his mind to it, I've put together a collection - just a mere handful - of his gorgeous and varied title panels... Enjoy!

Winsor McCay Sketching

2008-07-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

I found this photo a while ago... I thought I'd wait until today to post it since the date on the photo reads 7/17/08 -- of course that's 1908, a hundred years ago today. McCay is the fellow in the dapper hat. He's sketching his son Robert at an Actor's Benefit event.

Superman meets McCay

2008-07-15T07:55:00.001-04:00

In 1998 Stuart Immonen created a series of Superman comics retelling origin stories the villains. The premise was that Lex Luthor was reading bedtime stories to his daughter, and Immonen illustrated them in the style of Winsor McCay's Slumberland comics!

You can see a whole slew of them here!

Michelangelo's Pieta

2008-07-13T07:55:00.001-04:00

In addition to introducing Spring Lake citizens to Winsor McCay, we also hope to use this blog to introduce its visitors to Spring Lake. Those of you with a taste for art history will be especially interested to discover that Spring Lake, Michigan is home to one of only three exact replicas of Michelangelo's Pieta.

In 1964 Michelangelo's original Pieta was put on public display at the World Fair. Millions of people who otherwise would have never gotten the chance to see this masterpiece now could enjoy it firsthand. However, just in case some unforeseen disaster should befall, before moving the statue from Rome, a mold was made directly from the original marble and three replicas were cast.

The first casting resides at the Vatican, the second is in Iowa, and the third is right here in Spring Lake Michigan. It resides outside St. Mary's, right up the street from Spring Lake District Library and the former sites of Winsor McCay's childhood school and home. The statue boasts exact reproduction of every minute detail from Michelangelo's original. You can read more about this treasure at St. Mary's website, here.

At The Mountains Of Slumberland

2008-07-11T07:55:00.002-04:00

Question -- What do you get when you cross H.P. Lovecraft,
Winsor McCay, and a bunch of mimes?
Answer -- One of the oddest thing you'll ever lay eyes on:
"Necropolis 3: At The Mountains Of Slumberland"
If you dare, check it out here...

Runnin' Down a Dream

2008-07-09T13:30:00.001-04:00

Here's a great tribute to Winsor McCay's "Little Nemo in Slumberland" -- there are tons of scenes straight from the comic. Take a look at the music video for Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down A Dream":

Little Nemo: the Dream Master

2008-07-07T17:44:00.007-04:00

Here's a video game that came out in the late 80's/early 90's based on Little Nemo in Slumberland. I've never seen it, and don't know much about video games myself in general. But over the years I've come across lots of people talking about it, and consistently they say it was "their favorite game" or "the best game released for Nintendo NES."

Annecy 2008

2008-07-05T12:40:00.017-04:00

Annecy is the world's largest Animation Film Festival, held annually in France. The event took place a few weeks ago, and there John Canemaker gave a presentation on "The Art and Life of Winsor McCay." Oswald Iten, an animator from Switzerland, was in attendance and had glowing praise on his blog for Canemaker's performance. I asked Oswald if he could expound on what made the the presentation so great, and he was kind enough to send in this report for us! Thanks Oswald!
(pictures via John Canemaker's site)

John Canemaker presents “Winsor McCay, his Life and Art” at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival

Imagine Winsor McCay’s first four films on a giant screen with live musical accompaniment (festival director Serge Bromberg on the grand piano) and background information provided by one of animation’s most accomplished historians.

John Canemaker’s highly informative and well-prepared lecture was illustrated by examples of McCay’s graphic and motion picture work on the big screen. On the basis of McCay’s first four (partly) animated films, Canemaker managed to explain not only McCay’s groundbreaking evolution in the field of animation but also how his showman skills were important to his success. In reference to the cartoonist’s extraordinary draftsmanship – he usually drew from top to bottom with almost no sketching even on poster sized pictures – Canemaker compared him Leonardo DaVinci.

With perfectly timed comments during the screenings of Little Nemo (1911), How a mosquito operates (1912) and Gertie the dinosaur (1914) the historian revealed interesting background information while helping a contemporary audience to fully appreciate and enjoy the gags and allusions. The presentation included McCay’s clearly staged live-action efforts to emphasize that he was the creator of what is on the screen. Canemaker pointed to the sense of weight McCay put into his early films decades ahead of Walt Disney. When Gertie empties the sea, for example, her body is not inflated but the ground starts giving way to the increasingly heavier dinosaur.

If you ever thought that Gertie was nothing more than a lengthy exercise of mere historical value, you should see John Canemaker presenting it the way it was intended: as a vaudeville act. Although he also showed the live-action intro that was made for “standard” theatrical exhibition, he then proceeded to take on the role of Winsor McCay and started telling Gertie to do some tricks. Whenever she didn’t follow his commands he called on the audience (almost 1000 people that afternoon) to encourage Gertie to be obedient. Suddenly strange looking parts such as back and forth loops or endless repetitions became understandable as either dancing or refusing to lift a foot on orders, for example.

While most experiments in character animation (squash and stretch in Nemo, weight and re-use of drawings in Mosquito) were applied expertly to Gertie, the background still had to be traced frame by frame. So Canemaker ended his presentation with a short introduction to McCay’s first cel animation The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918) which was then projected accompanied only by Serge Bromberg’s sensitive piano playing to bring out the sheer beauty of the film.

John Canemaker achieved the feat of transporting the audience back to the 1910s and opening their eyes for an unfamiliar experience of familiar movies. No wonder John was brought out “for an unprecedented curtain call at the end of his presentation.”

- Oswald Iten

(Wow -- wouldn't it be great to get Canemaker over here in West Michigan??? McCay Day '09... or the Muskegon Film Festival... or the Kalamazoo Animation Festival... Hmmmmm...)

Original Art for Sale

2008-07-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

I don't know historically how much original Winsor McCay drawings have been going for, but I recently saw these two pieces of animation art for sale in an auction. Curious to know how much they're worth? The Gertie had a starting bid of $7500 and the Lusitania was $8000. I would have expected Gertie to be the higher of the two, but I bet McCay's signature raises the second one.

Makes you sick when you think of how those drawings were treated in McCay's films. Remember in the "Little Nemo" and "Gertie" movies when, as a gag, hundreds of McCay's drawings get dropped all over the floor and trampled? As I understand it, those weren't props - those really were his actual drawings... They had already been filmed frame by frame of course, and no one saw any need/value in the actual physical drawings anymore.

What the...

2008-07-01T10:13:00.003-04:00

I stumbled across this and hesitate even to post it... It's some kind of production called "Gertie the Dinosaur Tales." I would love to believe it's some bad, bad Onion joke, except there's the problem of the elaborate website. The character designs are just terrible! And listen to this horrific synopsis!

An original time travel adventure about a 10 year old, Sept. 11 orphan and his dog who find an ancient, magic trunk and travel through it to a fantastic colorful cartoon universe and to 1914 New York City and Chicago. Walt finds friendship and learns to love while apprenticing widower, Winsor McCay, and the real Gertie the Dinosaur. Mr. Michael the vaudeville theater magnate threatens to take Winsor's home and films for being behind in loan payments. He steals Winsor's animated film in hopes to learn his animation secrets and become the king of cartoons. Gertie's funny animated sidekick Moe Skeeto throws great punchlines. Winsor finds love again with both Walt and Maude, his smart, beautiful, modern sister-in-law who is the spitting image of his late wife.

What the heck?!

I'm all for tributes to McCay, but this... this seems very, very wrong. Widower? Sister-in-law love? 9-11 orphan? Hopefully this goes away...

May Ann Licudine

2008-06-29T00:31:00.002-04:00

A treat for the eyes! May Ann Licudine from the Philippines creates BEAUTIFUL images and is very open about her love for and inspiration by Winsor McCay. Her site has several tributes...

Comic Strip Library

2008-06-27T12:47:00.002-04:00

Here is an AMAZING resource! Over at The Comic Strip Library, Zachary Chavez has been creating a digital library of comic strips now in the public domain. Right now it looks like he's got just about every episode of George Harriman's Krazy Kat, and he is currently working his way through getting all of McCay's Little Nemo uploaded. Here's the episode of Little Nemo in Slumberland, published exactly 100 years ago tomorrow...

Studio Ghibli's Nemo pitch

2008-06-25T03:11:00.006-04:00

In the last post I reviewed "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland" which was ultimately released in into US theaters in 1992. However, at one point earlier in its development many people from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Friend Totoro) had been involved with the project. In 1984 they produced this ELABORATE test pilot. Unfortunately all these folks eventually left the movie, and the film that was released never lived up to the wonder and potential of this amazing pilot. Ahh, what could have been...

Think about the timing in historical context too... if this original crew would have continued on, their movie could have been competing with films like "Black Cauldron" and "Great Mouse Detective." Instead, the actual inferior movie came out years later between "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin" (...probably another reason no one remembers it).

You can read more about the production of this clip at Conversations On Ghibli and at Cartoon Brew.

Adventures in Slumberland

2008-06-23T11:00:00.007-04:00

So I finally saw the "Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland" movie yesterday. (This is the 1992 movie and not to be confused with Winsor McCay's first pioneering animated film "Little Nemo" from 1911). I had always been hesitant to see this movie adaption of McCay's comic series, but it was actually better than I had been expecting. My kids enjoyed it. Most of my fun came from watching for all the things that actually came from McCay's comic... usually the movie just kind of randomly strings them together instead of working them into the plot. Befuddle Hall, the twisty stairs, the car with the goat wheels and frog horn, giant butterflies, the walking bed... all there. The gratuitous flying squirrel sidekick was just that - gratuitous. But he didn't hurt anything. The best part of the film was the Nightmare Goo that grabs Morpheus. Great animation there.

As the credits rolled I was surprised to recognize a lot of names! Chris Columbus, Jean Moebius Giraud, Brain Froud, Ray Bradbury, Canemaker, Richard M and Robert B Sherman -- even Frank and Ollie are listed in there as consultants.

Although entertaining enough for kids, ultimately the story doesn't hold together well. The end battle scene is anticlimactic and unintelligible.

I read these comments from Brad Bird (Iron Giant, The Incredibles) a little while ago: "Jerry Rees and I also worked on [Adventures in Slumberland] for about a month. We were sent down because we were told the project was drifting and were asked to check it out and give our assessment... We were staggered at the quality of the artwork on the walls... AMAZING stuff. We were floating around, talking to people casually, asking them about what they were doing, and they said 'we’re just illustrating what Ray Bradbury is writing'... We asked Bradbury about the story he was writing for the film. “I’m just putting in writing what these wonderful artists are drawing”, he said. Jerry and I looked at each other; 'Uh-ohhh'."

For Inspiration

2008-06-21T13:07:00.002-04:00

See Dreams and Obsessions on Shelf and Screen, in which Huib van Opstal gives an analysis of the groundbreaking innovations made over a century ago in Winsor McCay's series ‘Dream of the Rarebit Fiend’. It's a commentary on the fantastic collection put out by Ulrich Merkl. (Spring Lake Library does have two copies now by the way. It's a Great book. It's massive... solid... it's like holding a brick)

Celebrity Pop Star

2008-06-19T22:38:00.010-04:00

The Grand Haven Tribune had a nice article about McCay Day. Below are some excerpts I found very cool -- apparently our efforts to get McCay recognized in Spring Lake are working! Had no idea a second grade teacher was onboard and introducing kids to McCay! Read on:

More than 50 youngsters gathered Tuesday morning at Spring Lake District Library for the cartooning workshop, which featured McCay history and art lessons by longtime McCay fan and Tribune graphic artist Kevin Collier.

Children who were not involved in the standing-room-only event stumbled upon the library's McCay display and books as if he was a celebrity pop star.

"Winsor McCay is awesome," said Gray, 8, who will be a third-grader next year. "Our teacher taught us about him. I know all about "Gertie." I like how he makes his pictures pop out. He's a really great artist."

Rachel said she couldn't wait until the McCay books are off the library's display and available for checking out. "I looked at the author (on display) and said, 'Oh, my gosh, this is Winsor McCay stuff,'" she said. "We learned about him in school."

"I've waited 18 years for this," said Collier, who joined a local Winsor McCay recognition committee about a year ago and has been teaching cartooning in schools for almost three decades. "It's nice to see the recognition for Winsor McCay. I've been telling the story over and over again. He was raised right here."

You can read the whole article here: SL Heritage Festival kicks off by honoring animation pioneer

McCay Day 2008! (Part One)

2008-06-17T22:15:00.001-04:00

McCay Day has arrived! All 3 events at the Spring Lake District Library drew big crowds, and everyone had a Great time. Today kicked off with tons of fun for Preschoolers as they were introduced to Winsor McCay's Gertie. Here are Gertie shaped Dino-Buddies and cookies waiting for the kids to arrive:

And someone was going to win this GIANT layered Gertie Cookie!

Let the Buddy stuffing begin!

Decorating those cookies...

Happy buddies with their Buddies...

Winners of the GIANT cookie:

Then it was time to decorate that super 10 foot Gertie...

Here's the finished product!

Thanks to the library for all the great work that went into this -- and thanks to you Spring Lake for coming!

McCay Day 2008! (Part Two)

2008-06-17T22:10:00.009-04:00

Today's afternoon session focused on Winsor McCay's cartooning legacy. It was another full house, with folks standing in the back. Local illustrator Kevin Collier spent the session's first half introducing the audience to Little Nemo, Sammy Sneeze, and the Rarebit crew. He talked about Winsor's early drawings, made while he was a kid here in Spring Lake.

Kevin spent the second half leading everyone in a cartooning workshop, sharing hints, tips, and tricks of the trade...

Surprise, surprise... there was another giant cookie to give away!

There was also a special awards ceremony for the talented kids from Spring Lake Intermediate School. All the McCay inspired artwork that has been on display at the library was judged, and prizes were awarded for what were deemed the top three pieces of art.

They received cool Little Nemo themed art supplies from Eeboo. Kyle shows us his great cartoon and his loot!

Thanks to SLDL and to Kevin Collier for the great afternoon!

McCay Day 2008! (Part Three)

2008-06-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

The final McCay Day event was a Movie Night, complete with popcorn and drinks. A full room listened as librarian Chris Davies gave a great biographical talk, walking us through McCay's life and work. Then we watched a documentary on McCay followed by his movies "Little Nemo," "Gertie the Dinosaur," "How a Mosquito Operates," and "The Sinking of the Lusitania."

I've seen these films a number of times myself, but never with an audience. What a great experience it was! More than half the room was under 10, so I was really worried about how they would receive these nearly 100-year old films. After all, these kids have grown up on cartoons -- flashier, faster paced cartoons, with color and sound what's more. But the audience had a blast! As Nemo began stretching and shrinking Flip and Imp, the room filled with laughter! That came as a surprise to me, but I was delighted! Everyone roared as Gertie flung "Jumbo" into the lake. There were squeamish groans every time the Mosquito made another stab. And when the Mosquito film finished with a bang, everyone broke out into applause! It was truly wonderful to see how timeless these movies are. It speaks to McCay's genius, his brilliant comedic timing, and his ability to infuse his characters with Life... these are things audiences will always respond to.

I think it's great that a room full of kids got to watch Winsor McCay's films while sitting over the very geographic location where Winsor himself ran around as a little kid all those years ago.

Thanks for a great day to everyone involved! Can't wait for McCay Day 2009! See you there!

Art!

2008-06-15T17:50:00.000-04:00

Last month Spring Lake Intermediate students learned about Spring Lake native Winsor McCay in their art classes. Mrs. Moynihan's 6th grade class looked at this Little Nemo illustration for inspiration and then created their own fantastic Racers in the Sky. All their artwork has been on display at the Spring Lake District Library. It will stay there through Spring Lake's Heritage Festival next week (including McCay Day - June 17!) Stop in to see all the great racers - there are lots more... Here is a sampling of their super work:

Cartoons!

2008-06-13T16:47:00.009-04:00

Mr. Zuelke's 5th grade art class also studied McCay's classic "Little Nemo in Slumberland." The class then created their own cartoon adventures. All their hard work is also being displayed at the Spring Lake District Library. There are about 30 cartoons altogether, so those shared blow are just a sampling. Be sure to stop in and see all the originals... (my digital camera wasn't the best method to capture these!) Great work guys!

Great Gertie!

2008-06-11T23:35:00.000-04:00

Stop by the Spring Lake District Library with your kids on McCay Day, June 17, and help us decorate and color this giant 10 foot tall Gertie!

Complete Little Sammy Sneeze

2008-06-09T15:30:00.007-04:00

The Spring Lake District Library continues to expand their McCay references. Stop in to enjoy the complete collection of Sunday color "Little Sammy Sneeze."

Little Sammy Sneeze was one of McCay's first comic strips. Every episode is the same joke, just a different locale. The first panels show Sammy slowing winding up with larger and larger inhales, until he let's his sneeze loose in the 2nd to last panel causing much havoc, and he gets booted in the final panel. Same thing every week. Poor kid. The fun is seeing the new environment. One week he destroys a grocery store. One week a circus. One week a skating rink. We know the outcome, so it's the anticipation that's the fun.

It's great to flip through these one after the other. The first thing I noticed when seeing them all together in one place was that, not only is the gag the same week to week, but Sammy's pose as he gets booted in the final panel is Exactly the same - at least for the first half of the series. Just different clothes, different "booter."

The next thing you quickly realize is how close these panels resemble frames from a clip of animation. (Of course, these all pre-date animation.) The background is a stationary "stage," while the figures make subtle changes in their action over top. No wonder McCay later went on to pioneer animated film. Clearly his mind already worked that way. It would be great to scan some of these and play them one after another in a little six or eight-frame movie...

As a bonus, in this book we also get a collection of another of McCay's cartoons "Hungry Henrietta." Every week she throws a fit until someone gives her something to eat. The comparison/contrast to "Sammy Sneeze" is fascinating. Both are one-gag series. The thing that makes "Henrietta" interesting is that she ages over the course of the series. In episode one, she's a baby. Every week she ages just a bit until eventually she's portrayed as a young lady. Both strips show us the passage of time. While "Sammy" does so weekly in consecutive moments, "Henrietta" instead crawls slowly over the course of years.

There's even a great crossover strip where Sammy and Henrietta meet. Sammy sneezes onto a plate of food. Henrietta picks it up off the floor and eats it. Great fun!

It's yet another great volume from Sunday Press.

Mad Ink Beard

2008-06-07T22:55:00.000-04:00

If you are looking for a nice condensed overview of McCay, his comic work, his significance, his strengths (and weaknesses), Derik at Madinkbeard has one of the best summaries I've seen...

Gertie on Ice

2008-06-05T17:33:00.001-04:00

Here's a great tribute to Winsor McCay, and it's within the walls of Disney World. "Dinosaur Gertie's Ice Cream of Extinction" is Disney's way of paying tribute to McCay's masterpiece of animation that paved the way for Mickey to come along a decade and a half later. Love the life-size Gertie!

Stamped

2008-06-03T16:13:00.002-04:00

Rick Geary has designed some great rubber stamps of famous faces, including this super one of Winsor McCay!
See more here...

Kyle's Self-Indulgence

2008-06-01T23:01:00.001-04:00

Over at I Am Kyle's Self-Indulgence, Kyle from time to time shares a Little Nemo comic followed by good commentary. His intelligent observations are fun to read...

Eeboo!

2008-05-31T10:45:00.001-04:00

A few years ago I had the privilege of attending both BookExpo and ToyFair. I forget at which of these events it was that I discovered the company Eeboo, but I quickly decided they had the coolest product ever. Their catalog was full of sweet domino packs and card games and growth charts, all with art from amazing illustrators and designers like Chris Raschka, Dan Yaccarino, and Ross MacDonald. Their products come straight out of an artist's dreamworld.

My admiration was further multiplied when, years later, I came across amazing Little Nemo themed art supplies, and upon checking the manufacturer, saw the Eeboo brand once again. Yes, they have great taste.

Check out these amazing products! They're just a sampling. Be sure to hunt around Eeboo's site... they've got even more McCay product there.

Lusitania Review

2008-05-29T22:44:00.001-04:00

Via The Constant Viewer, you can read a 1918 movie review for McCay's animated masterpiece "The Sinking of the Lusitania." The reviewer struggles with what to make of an animated cartoon that, for the first time in history, is not intended for humorous entertainment... Here are some excerpts:

Winsor McCay seems the only American today interested in exploring this medium. Animations are particularly suited for the young.... However, after the amusements of Flip and Gertie, with his re-enactment of the Lusitania offense McCay turns pointedly away from the little ones, and assaults us with horror.... It is visually powerful in its intermingling of direct facts and outraged sentiment.... There is something at once momentous and audacious when an animated cartoon asks me to weep and rage.... But it's safe to say that McCay has engendered yet another shift in the history of this flickering art form. The animated cartoon, for better or worse, now has aspirations.

Windsor McKay who?

2008-05-27T16:55:00.003-04:00

I figured the blog would get some extra hits if I included a post with common misspellings...

So just for the record... It's Winsor, not Windsor. And it's McCay, not McKay or Mackay. You see his name spelled wrong almost as often as you see it right. Not that I blame anyone - they're both tricky. Imagine if he had continued going by his actual given first name too: Zenas!

I think the most ironic misspelling is on the Juried Awards section of the Annie Awards site. As they talk about the accomplishments that led to Canemaker winning the Winsor McCay Award, they mention that his tome on "Windsor McCay" is an essential reference!

Brian Fies

2008-05-25T15:33:00.004-04:00

Eisner Award winning comic artist Brian Fies has written more than once about his admiration for Winsor McCay. And his love shows through when he describes purchasing one of the original Gertie drawings. What a treasure! He writes about it here, here, and here.

McCay Day

2008-05-23T15:01:00.015-04:00

An article appeared in the Muskegon Chronicle about Spring Lake District Library's upcoming "McCay Day." Here are some excerpts:

Famed animator and illustrator Winsor McCay will finally get his very own day in his hometown of Spring Lake Village.
As part of next month's Spring Lake Heritage Festival, The Spring Lake District Library will host the first Winsor McCay Day ~~July 17~~ at the library, a day that will include events for all age groups. [Correction! The article has it wrong... the Festival is in June, McCay Day is June 17]
McCay Day events kick off at 10:30 a.m. with a special pre-school story time. Pre-school age children will be able to make a brontosaurus-shaped stuffed reading buddy based on images of Gertie the Dinosaur, one of McCay's most famous cartoons, then bring it to the story time.

At 2 p.m. local artist and illustrator Kevin Collier will host "I'm OK with McCay," which will include an introduction to McCay and his work, as well a a cartooning and comics class. The program is designed for adults and children starting in third grade.
The day also will include a Winsor McCay Film Festival starting at 7 p.m. McCay's animated films, "How a Mosquito Operates" and "The Sinking of the Lusitania" will be shown along with the documentary, "Remembering Winsor McCay" by film historian John Canemaker.

You can read the whole article here: Spring Lake Heritage Festival to honor animation pioneer Winsor McCay

Title Card

2008-05-21T02:00:00.001-04:00

"Winsor McCay, Inventor of Animated Drawing"

It appears McCay himself thought he was first. I wonder if he was even aware of Blackton??? McCay's work looks nothing like the few fiddlings that preceded it. Perhaps he was working from complete originality - unaware of anything prior to build from... Or maybe he knew of Blackton, but considered his process so different as to be a different art form...

(Later Update: Okay - I just recently discovered that McCay actually worked WITH Blackton when creating his (McCay's) animated films. In my mind, this just confuses things all the more... Did Blackton ALSO see McCay's work as significantly different than his own, as a brand new art form? Odd...)

NOW article

2008-03-23T22:10:00.001-04:00

The North Ottawa Weekly had a nice article on McCay tribute efforts in Spring Lake. Here are some excerpts... I'll see if I can find a link to the full article...

A Noted Spring Lake Cartoonist is Drawing More Local Interest

[The committee] is focused on establishing a memorial to the storied artist [Winsor McCay]. The first step is to make McCay a part of this year's Spring Lake Heritage Festival.

Efforts to recognize McCay's hometown began nearly 20 years ago when [local illustrator Kevin] Collier first realized McCay was actually from Spring Lake, but nobody knew it.

"I became aware that nobody in the town knew about him. This obscure piece of history had been buried for years," he said. "Not even a plaque, not even a park bench had his name on it. I was surprised to find that."

Collier says the committee wants to make sure McCay is strongly and authentically recognized by the residents of the village in ways that last for years and years. The committee is excited about having McCay as part of the Heritage Festival, but it has a vision to establish a memorial park as well.

[Aaron] Zenz has sketched a vision of what the park could look like, and the centerpiece is a bronze statue of Gertie the dinosaur, one of McCay's most popular characters.

"We would like to have a piece of land that is a park and a statue of Gertie for kids to climb on," said Collier. "It really needs to be a place for kids to play."

"I think it's something that Spring Lake can identify with," said [committee chair Mark] Miller. "Every community has something they are especially proud of, and [McCay is someone] known around the world."

Winsor McCay Awards Ceremony

2008-02-12T20:15:00.005-05:00

The Annie Awards were presented last Friday. Here's a report about the three Winsor McCay recipients... The entire article can be found here: A Night Out at the Annie Awards

Three of the most prestigious trophies were awarded next, the Winsor McCay Awards. The first went to animation historian, educator, lecturer, and Academy award winning animator John Canemaker, who admitted backstage that he was nervous. “This award is more important [than his Oscar],” and he thanked everyone from the bottom of his heart.

Glen Keane, son of cartoonist Bill Keane, director of Disney’s upcoming film Rapunzel, and whose influence on Disney has earned him endorsement of one of the “Nine New Men,” was the second to receive the award. He has worked as supervising animator for Beast in Beauty and the Beast, and title characters for Tarzan, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Little Mermaid. He took the stage to another standing ovation. He thanked many of his own heroes, but the one that drew the first “awwwwww” of the evening, elicited almost involuntarily from the crowd was when he thanked his wife, “Linda, who was the inspiration for [Little Mermaid character] Ariel, and also my live-in own special fairytale princess.”

John Kricfalusi took the third Winsor McCay. His unique style such as the Ren & Stimpy Show has made his stand out as one of the most “original and outspoken directors.” He was accused of making every step creative, and now shares his knowledge on his blog, “All Kinds of Stuff.”

A Conversation with Robert Winsor McCay !

2008-01-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a report, exclusive to Meeting McCay! But first, let's peek at the McCay family tree because it could get a bit confusing...

Winsor McCay had a son named Robert.
Robert had a son named Winsor Robert McCay.
Winsor Robert McCay had a son named Robert Winsor McCay.

So... it goes Winsor/Robert/Winsor/Robert. Got it? Now here's that exclusive report!

Robert Winsor McCay, the great grandson of artist Winsor McCay, is enthusiastic about what might become a memorial park in Spring Lake, Michigan, honoring his famous relative. "I could see myself stopping by to pay a visit," he said.

Robert's father, 79-year-old Winsor Robert McCay, was the grandson of the legendary cartoonist, and according to his son, has vague memories him. "He was about 6 when Winsor McCay died, but he has some small stories."

Great grandson Robert said artistic talent has crossed generations of McCays. "My daughter is the one who's got the talent in my (immediate) family." He also said, on occasion, his name draws attention. "I've been asked if I am related to Winsor McCay."

Original Winsor McCay comic artwork, descendent photographs with Walt Disney, and much more exist in the McCay family archives. There is hope that some of these items could be put on loan for a prospective Winsor McCay historical display of work at the Spring Lake District Library.

"Grandma saved everything," Robert said, hinting she was the keeper of the family history until she passed away 7 years ago. "Now all that is in dad's possession."

According to Robert, he and his father, Winsor, will be attending the Annie Awards in a few weeks. "We'll meet with John Canemaker, who is this year's recipient of the Winsor McCay Award." Canemaker is also credited with authoring the definative book on the comic and animation career of Winsor McCay.

Meeting and Reports

2008-01-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

Two articles reporting on our last Winsor McCay meeting:

The Hollannd Sentinel: Spring Lake begins planning to honor pioneering animator
Some article highlights:

Although there was no formal vote, Winsor McCay committee members meeting at the Spring Lake District Library on Friday agreed to a first-step sequence of honoring the legendary cartoonist perhaps during a film festival and display case during Heritage Festival.

"I'm only speaking for myself but I think our Heritage Festival Committee would have no problem with this," [Heritage Festival President Dave] Hamather said. "We would welcome this. We take pride in honoring this community and its residents."

And The Muskegon Chronicle: Animation pioneer coming to local screens
Article highlight:

Members of a committee considering ways to honor McCay and his work are trying to tie the animator in with Spring Lake Village's Heritage Festival and possibly the Muskegon Film Festival. If the group is successful, both events could show some of McCay's most famous animated films.

Mat Moore, president of the Muskegon Film Festival, which runs this year from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, told the committee Friday his organization would be willing to include McCay's works at future festivals.

The next Winsor McCay Honor Planning Commitee meeting (boy - we need to get some sort of name!) is scheduled for March 14 at 4:00 at the Spring Lake District Library. All are welcome to attend!

Putting an 8 where the 7 is

2008-01-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

Here's Little Nemo in Slumber Land from exactly 100 years ago today. (You can click it for a larger view)

Madcap Puppets

2007-12-12T22:59:00.000-05:00

Wow! I would love to see this! Playing at the Cincinnati Art Museum on Dec 8, 9, 15, and 16:

Adventures in Slumberland
Using the magic and wonder of Black Light Theatre Madcap vividly brings to life Winsor McCay’s creation of a young boy’s adventures. From the Golden Age of newspaper comic strips and in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Little Nemo in Slumberland, Madcap creates the surreal landscape of the Kingdom of Slumberland that Little Nemo can explore only in his sleep. We meet the astonishing characters that made his adventures famous and follow little Nemo in his quest to reach the Princess.

Come live the wonders of Little Nemo’s dreams as children around the world did a century ago. But reserve your seat soon! Adventures in Slumberland will leave Cincinnati at the end of December to tour the country!

Touring the country, eh? I wonder if we could get them to come our way! Check out Madcap Puppets here.

Maurice Sendak's homage

2007-12-04T03:59:00.000-05:00

Children's author Maurice Sendak pens the forward to John Canemaker's biography on Winsor McCay. In it he says:

"My book In the Night Kitchen is, in part, an homage to Winsor McCay."

I always thought this was figurative -- as in, "the spirit of McCay." But after taking a closer look, there are also super strong Visual parallels between "In the Night Kitchen" and "Little Nemo in Slumberland."

The most obvious similarity is Kitchen's opening image. Sendak starts his book the same way McCay ends every Nemo comic:

Nemo does lots of falling:

Spends some time nekid:

This one is probably a stretch:

And look what I found hiding in the Night Kitchen! Clever, clever me with peekings and seekings!

It's disguised well -- it actually says "Chicken Little, Nemo Mass..." Nicely hidden!

2007 Annie Awards

2007-12-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

The folks at the Annie Awards just announced this year's recipients of the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement which is "Animation's Highest Honor."

I am so excited by this year's recipients! The 2007 honors go to John Canemaker, Glen Keane, and John Kricfalusi.

Glen Keane has been the lead animator for many of Disney's best characters: Ariel, the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan, John Silver. Personally, he is my favorite artist of all time. He's been my hero since I first saw his Beast sketches 15 years ago.

John Canemaker is an Oscar winning animator and the author of many animation history books including the definitive Winsor McCay biography. Local reporter Terry Judd has been speaking to him in recent days about our Spring Lake McCay memorial plans and Canemaker's thoughts have been recorded in the Muskegon Chronicle. Congrats on the honor John!

Here's what the International Animated Film Society's page says about the Winsor McCay Award:

Since 1972, ASIFA-Hollywood has bestowed a very special award to individuals in recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation in producing, directing, animating, design, writing, voice acting, sound and sound effects, technical work, music, professional teaching, and for other endeavors which exhibit outstanding contributions to excellence in animation. The Winsor McCay Award stands as one of the highest honors given to an individual in the animation industry.

The list of recipients reads like a who's who in animation. From Max Fleischer to Daws Butler, and from Walt Disney to Gene Deitch, the honor's legacy to the history and craft of animation will continue to be a tribute to animation's finest.

You can read more about this year's recipients, and see a list of 35 years of winners here: Winsor McCay Award

Buster Keaton

2007-12-02T00:32:00.000-05:00

I had no idea there were also local Buster Keaton ties! Apparently he called Muskegon home. After our last McCay meeting I had the pleasure of talking with Ron, a Buster Keaton fan, who maintains the Actor's Colony site and helps organize the annual Buster Keaton festival in Muskegon. How could I not know there was an annual Buster Keaton festival in Muskegon? I am so there next year.

Ron was intrigued by the local McCay meeting because of a major Keaton/McCay tie. In Buster's first film "The Three Ages" he parodies Winsor's work. Buster makes his grand debut film entrance by riding in on a dinosaur, mirroring the way McCay exited his film masterpiece - riding out on Gertie the dinosaur:

Here's a quote from "Before Mickey: The Animated Film" by Donald Crafton:

"Even Buster Keaton paid homage to McCay, in his 1923 film The Three Ages. He asked his writer, Clyde Bruckman, 'Remember Gertie the Dinosaur? . . . The first cartoon comedy ever made. I saw it in a nickelodeon when I was fourteen. I'll ride in on an animated cartoon.' "

You can watch The Three Ages here, and you can watch Gertie four posts below...

Dream Memorial

2007-11-28T14:06:00.003-05:00

This is only dreaming, mind you...

There are quite a few ideas we've tossed around regarding how to honor Winsor McCay here in Spring Lake MI, his hometown. This is just one of them. You can't talk tribute without having statues come to mind. Here's a quick sketch by illustrator Aaron Zenz:

This is just a starting place to get some thoughts rolling. When the idea of a Winsor McCay memorial pops up, I think the universal first reaction is "Gertie statue!"

In my opinion, I think a Gertie statue would have to meet two requirements. Number one: it's got to be a real statue, like bronze. And number two: it has to be designed in such a way that kids are encouraged to climb all over it. You've gotta. I mean, even Winsor McCay got to ride Gertie, right? So keep it safe just like the sketch above (don't have Gertie's neck up high so kids are falling off). But at the same time, don't sacrifice number one - keep it real. It can't be some kind of foamy playground equipment.

The Central Park Alice in Wonderland statue in New York is a super example.

I think it's great that the above concept drawing also includes Little Nemo characters scattered around. And just as food for thought... at the park, wouldn't it be cool if you could also sit inside something like this:

Or if you could look in mirrors that do this:

Again we're at the very beginning here. This is just dreaming. But for Winsor McCay, wild Dreams are more than appropriate...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T21:16:00.001-05:00

(I could only find it online in French.... But it's the image of a giant house-eating turkey that counts, right?)

Great Quote

2007-11-20T17:09:00.000-05:00

Not only did McCay come out of the character animation gate first, but he also did so with sheer technical brilliance. You would expect the first character animation to be clunky and crude and take time to work it's way up to what we know today. But no -- McCay's work still stands superior to much of what is produced today. Here's a quote from Chuck Jones (Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes) that says it better than I could:

"It is as thought the first creature to emerge from the primeval slime was Albert Einstein; and the second was an amoeba, because after McCay's animation, it took his followers nearly twenty years to find out how he did it."

found in a comment posted at Cartoon Brew

Animation History

2007-11-20T16:00:00.003-05:00

Any time animation history is discussed, Winsor McCay will always be mentioned. And although it wasn't his first film, it's "Gertie the Dinosaur" that will be noted. This is due to the fact that for the first time audiences were seeing a real animated character, a real personality. Winsor McCay realized you could use film to do something New -- you could go beyond simple animated gimmicks that had already been seen in flipbooks for years -- you could use film to tell stories, to bring characters to life.

When talking about the chronology of animation history, the two names that get mentioned before McCay are J Stewart Blackton and Emile Cohl. I thought I would provide movies from all three filmakers here in one spot so you can see the progression -- and the HUGE leap between McCay's accomplishment and the few experiments that proceeded him.

First up is Blackton. He was an American artist and, like McCay, created his first film as a variation on his vaudeville speed-drawing act. "Humorous Phases of Funny Faces" was created in 1906 and is considered to be the first animated film. That is, it's on film and the pictures move. This was accomplished by drawing pictures on a blackboard, shooting a frame of film, then erasing and redrawing parts of the picture:

The next name that gets mentioned is Emile Cohl. This French artist created "Fantasmagorie" in 1908. This is considered to be the first example of "traditional hand drawn animation" because it was drawn on successive sheets of paper. It was shot on negative film however to make it look like white line on blackboard:

Then comes Winsor McCay. After now having seen what came before him, I hope appreciation for what McCay accomplished is greatly magnified. His first film was in 1911, but I'm going to show Gertie (1914) because, again, this is the film that gets mentioned in animation history because it's the first character driven personality to appear in animation. Again, think of what came before, now look at what Winsor did:

I marvel at how detailed and fluid the movement is. In terms of animation, this is more beautiful than a lot of cartoons being produced today! Gertie looks so dimensional, she has such a sense of weight - she looks real. In fact, the reason McCay chose a dinosaur was to prove he wasn't somehow just tracing live action. Notice how all those animation techniques taught today -- slow ins and outs, use of arcs, secondary actions, etc -- those principles are all there! Before those techniques were ever articulated, McCay intuitively worked all that in. Also keep in mind that this was before cels. When animation later advanced, backgrounds were painted on a separate surface, and all the frames of animation were created on transparent cels so the background could show through from beneath. But McCay is inventing all this from scratch, and no one has ever considered cels yet. That complicated background had to be redrawn by hand on every single frame --- drawn over and over thousand and thousands of times! "Gertie the Dinosaur" is a marvelous feat.

I think it depends on what your definition of animation is. If animation is simply "making something move," Blackton and Cohl did that. But if animation is "bringing something to life," McCay is first in my book.

Second Chronicle article

2007-11-20T15:57:00.000-05:00

A second article by Terry Judd ran in the Muskegon Chronicle immediately following our meeting last week. I'm so thankful people recognize this is newsworthy! A few highlights from the article:

On Friday, a committee organized through the library considered several ways to honor McCay, including:

• Approaching the state about a possible historic marker for McCay in the village.

• Using a small park to the west of the library that was the site of McCay's Union School for a McCay tribute -- possibly a statue of Gertie the Dinosaur that could be used as a playground structure.

• Establishing a scholarship in McCay's name that could be administered through a local foundation.

• Gathering historical McCay documents for a permanent collection at the Spring Lake District Library.

Read the whole article here: Group considers ways to honor famous artist

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend

2007-11-16T12:34:00.000-05:00

This is the next Winsor McCay book I would LOVE to see the Spring Lake Library acquire:

"Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" is a book that collects the entire run of McCay's comic of the same name. The strip pre-dates his Little Nemo comics but is parallel in its content. Every episode takes place inside a wildly fantastic dream and ends when the dreamer awakes. While the Nemo series continues its story from week to week, "Rarebit" episodes are self contained. Each episode has a new protagonist. And while Nemo fantasies are adventuresome, Rarebit's dreams are downright bizarre! Very creative and crazy. Like real dreams (or nightmares).

The book just came out and has been getting lots of nice reviews -- I came across some at Drawn and at BoingBoing and at CartoonBrew.

And there is a super video review put out by the Boston Globe -- definitely check that one out!

What is rarebit by the way? Take a look:

McCay meeting

2007-11-12T00:29:00.000-05:00

Anyone is welcome to attend our next meeting to further discus possible ways to recognize McCay here in Spring Lake, MI. It will be held Friday, November 16 at 4:00 in the Spring Lake District Library.

Muskegon Chronicle article

2007-11-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

The Muskegon Chronicle picked up on the news about the attempt to honor McCay here in Spring Lake. They even tapped McCay biographer John Canemaker. Here are some excerpts from a nice long article:

"This is not like having some aviator from Spring Lake. This is like having someone who invented manned flight," [Aaron] Zenz said. "Winsor McCay isn't just some animator. He's the guy who invented animation as we know it."

"What struck me is there was nothing in this town to commemorate him," [Kevin] Collier recalled. "It was pretty clear to me there was nothing. The district library had one book on him. For the most part, Spring Lake had no idea the guy existed."

"One of the things that really surprised us about him is he is so preeminent in his field that you can go to practically any illustrator any place in the world, and ask 'Who is Winsor McCay?' and he will be able to tell you," [Chris Davis] said. "But you walk down the street in Spring Lake and nobody will be able to tell you."

"We can truly say he was the first artist who started a type of animation that Disney would do later -- personality animation where they want you to believe the characters they have created are real. Disney did not try that until 20 years after Winsor McCay." [John] Canemaker said

"I'm glad people are trying to push this forward [a Spring Lake tribute to McCay]," said Canemaker.

Read the whole article here: Spring Lake man influenced Disney, Walter Lantz

The Arrival

2007-11-10T22:45:00.000-05:00

I fell head over heels in love with illustration when I first laid eyes on the picture book "The Cinder-eyed Cats" in 1997. Looking at that cover -- those tigers staring back at me -- it touched something deeply intrinsic to who I am and drove me to be an illustrator.

I've not had that degree of inspirational excitement since then.

Until now.

"The Arrival" by Shaun Tan just came out, and flipping through it I was struck again with that same awe and inspiration. It is a story of Immigration, told through powerful images. The setting is a fantastical landscape, so the effect is that we journey with the immigrant, seeing what he sees, feeling what he feels, confused as we also see the odd arrangement of foods and buildings and modes of transportation for the very first time.

The illustrations are gorgeous -- mind-blowing in their detail and scope. The work is, in a word, "Epic." One of the most amazing books I've ever seen.

So why mention it here on this blog? Two reasons -- first, to plug the book! It's super!

And second -- there is a Winsor McCay tie. On the back cover in the midst of the praise quotes, Jeff Smith author of Bone says,

"Wordless, but with perfect narative flow, Tan gives us a story filled with city-scapes worthy of Winsor McCay."

So how far back do you have to go to find a comparison worthy of the decade's most wonderful book? Yep - you stop at Winsor McCay...

Bad Luck!

2007-11-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

A quote from Winsor McCay:

"Animation should be an art. That is how I conceived it. But as I see what you fellows have done with it, is making it into a trade. Not an art but a trade. Bad Luck!"

More at anim8ed

Grand Haven Tribune Article

2007-11-06T22:11:00.000-05:00

Wow! Things are moving fast! The Tribune ran an article today about the discussion that has started about publicly recognizing McCay here in the community.

Here are some excerpts:

"Village Council is preparing to give the artist his due by considering an historic monument between Spring Lake Township Hall and the Spring Lake District Library to honor Winsor McCay, who attended Union School, the first "graded" school that stood on that site in the 1800s.

Councilwoman Linda Albonico suggested the village consider an annual animation film festival to draw tourists and honor McCay. Councilman Mark Miller said McCay's legacy is a source of pride for Spring Lake. 'I think this (monument) is an incredible thing to pursue for the village,' Miller said."

I'd point out that technically McCay birthed "Character Animation." But the prospects are still exciting! Read the whole article here: Monument would illustrate village as 'birthplace of animation'

Union School

2007-11-03T17:02:00.000-04:00

Years ago I had asked someone at the Tri-Cities Museum if there was any way to know where McCay might have lived -- or even to determine a geographic location where we could say he had definitely been. She said she highly doubted it because the layout of Spring Lake is very different now because so many fires had destroyed the town since McCay's time. The fires had also destroyed most records from those days.

Recently, at the first meeting held to discuss all things McCay, a small group of us were gathered at the Spring Lake District Library and were recounting what stories we knew of Winsor's childhood. Someone was mentioning the time McCay drew the sinking of the Alpena on his school chalkboard. Librarian Chris Davis said, "Hey, I wonder if that's the same school that was in the empty lot next door?" It turns out there is a small strip of land right next to the library where the town's one-room schoolhouse used to stand. The school was later destroyed... yep, in the fires. There is nothing on the plot to call attention to this, but the town has never let anyone build there because it's a historical site. "You can still see the foundations of the school," Chris said. "I've tripped over them while walking through on my lunch break." He quickly slipped out of the room to check some village records (good thing we were in a library) and returned with confirmation. "Yep - Union School was still there when McCay was school-aged!"

I couldn't even remember there being an empty plot of land next to the library. So right there, we all jumped up and walked outside, and sure enough, there is a nice little grassy plot with some trees and a checkerboard table the boy scouts recently built. I could just imagine little Winsor running around, all those decades ago.

Here are some photos of the lot:

Here you can see the school's foundations both on the left and also in the upper rignt corner of the image:

So Many Splendid Sundays

2007-11-01T16:09:00.000-04:00

At the first meeting we had to discus possible steps to re-introduce the Spring Lake community to Winsor McCay, I did my best to impress upon the librarians present that they HAD to get "So Many Splendid Sundays." It's a pricey enough book that I knew I personally would never own it. But I thought perhaps I could convince the library of its importance.

They listened.

They purchased.

It came.

It is a thing of beauty. To approach the book is like being in the presence of a giant bowl of candy that you could never possibly finish in one sitting.

The book measures 16x22 inches and consists of original-size reproductions of 110 of the best "Little Nemo in Slumberland" Sunday comics, lovingly reproduced by Peter Maresca. I had first learned of this book online after its initial printing had already been quickly snatched up. Then when I went to Book Expo last year, I stumbled across the Re-print. I didn't know it even existed. I gasped and approached the table in wonder. "I've read so much about this..." I whispered. The booth-worker eyed me suspiciously. "I never thought I'd see one." The booth-worker hovered closer, obviously very protective of this display copy. I sensed that I should ask permission first if I planned to flip through it. She granted, but with a hint of disapproval. I flipped through quickly, not able to let my brain soak everything in. I walked away wondering if I could somehow sneak back in disguise so I could flip through it again.

As soon as I heard our library was interested in McCay, I made sure they knew about this book. It's a book that Every library system should have access to -- but especially the library in McCay's hometown.

Spring Lake District Library has their copy proudly out on display, and I encourage all you locals to take a look. If I'm around, I'll do my best not to protectively hover too closely.

You can check out reviews and see sample pages at Sunday Press

Spring Lake: The Birthplace of Character Animation

2007-10-24T00:45:00.002-04:00

Think of all the animated cartoon characters running around out there. Mickey Mouse. Bugs Bunny. Fred Flintstone. Buzz Lightyear. SpongeBob. Scooby-Doo. Dora the Explorer. There are thousands, perhaps millions, of characters that have been brought into this world. Do you know who was the first - the very first animated cartoon character ever created? A dinosaur named "Gertie" holds that distinction, and she was created in 1914 by Spring Lake native Winsor McCay.

Winsor McCay was born in the 1860's and grew up in Spring Lake. His artistic talent was evident at an early age. Spring Lake historians know that the village was plagued by a number of fires in those days. One of these destroyed the McCay home. In the shelter of a neighbor's house, young Winsor drew his very first noted picture. It was a scene recounting the tragedy, etched in the frost of a window pane. Later the steamer Alpena sank in Lake Michigan, and Winsor drew a picture as he imagined the scene on the school chalkboard. It was so impressive that a photographer heard about it, took photographs, and sold them. The foundations of the school (Union School) can still be seen in the park to the west of Spring Lake District Library.

McCay knew national fame in his lifetime, first as a newspaper cartoonist. He authored several comic strips, the most famous of which was "Little Nemo in Slumberland." It is a highly inventive fantasy that takes place within the dreams of a little boy named Nemo. The artwork continues to be hailed today for its wild imagination, intricate detail, and archetectural brilliance. It was the first comic strip to enter the Louvre. Children's author Maurice Sendak says, "Little Nemo is nearly pure gold."

Later McCay became a pioneer of animated film. The scant handful of experiments in animation previously attempted were extremely crude and had been conceived as mere "tricks" or "gimmicks." McCay's "Gertie the Dinosaur" was the first animated cartoon character with a distinct and engaging personality. The film was an amazing five minutes long, the typical length of a one-reel film in those days. It was a huge endeavor with thousands of painstakingly full, detailed drawings and sophisticated, fluid animation.

Today both Winsor McCay and his creations are known around the world. In art, cartooning, and animation circles he is universally known, beloved, and praised. Each year at the Annie Awards, the "Oscars" of the animation world, the Winsor McCay Award is given for lifetime achievement. It is the highest honor given to an individual in the animation industry.

Although in the art world McCay is internationally recognized, in his own hometown of Spring Lake he is virtually unknown. No monument or memorial commemorates his life here.

Recently the Spring Lake District Library has expanded their collection of wonderful books and videos highlighting McCay's life and work, and has hosted programs spotlighting illustration and animation. Additionally, representatives of the community have been meeting to work on ways to recognize McCay and his work in Spring Lake.

So yes, of all the places of the world, Spring Lake could be called "The Birthplace of Character Animation," for it is the hometown of Winsor McCay, pioneer of animated film.