The early animation short Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) entered the MoMA collection soon after the founding of the Film Library in 1935. Since that time, MoMA Film Department curators have been interested in the varying styles, methodologies, technologies and narratives that make up the animated film. From traditional hand-drawn cartoon animation to silhouette animation, to animation including live action to computer-generated imagery (CGI), the MoMA film collection represents each distinctive category. With nearly five percent of the collection containing animated works from the earliest days of cinema to today, it would be impossible to present them all. Modern Matinees: An Animation Omnibus provides a snapshot of some favorites that represent the diversity of feature length animation works in the collection. To kick off this program, we’ll commence with the iconic animation short Gertie the Dinosaur, catalyst for a genre.
Organized by Anne Morra, Associate Curator, Department of Film.
