1911 - Little Nemo

    Billed as the first display of moving cartoons, Windsor McKay's film delivers on its promise. It starts as a live-action film with McKay announcing to his artist collegues his intentions to which they laugh heartily, but this does not deter Windsor, and soon enough we're watching a cartoon. Windsor tells his friends that he will make four thousand drawings that will move within the month. He has a shitload of ink and drawing paper delivered for the long road ahead. The drawings pile up around him, all over his office, when a young man with a feather duster enters and knocks them everywhere. It's as infuriating as it sounds, trust me. At about seven and a half minutes in we see the fruit of the cartoonist's labor. 
    A little character in a clown suit smoking a cigar with the words "Watch Me Move" appear on screen. And move he does. he and his animated companions dance and stretch, and it's kind of intoxicating in a way. The animation is crude by today's standards, but that's what makes it so appealing. You can feel the work it took to make these characters come to life. It's a lively and entertaining short and a must for anyone interested in animation and the origins of moving cartoons.