I’ve written about Winsor McCay before, however I wanted to revisit another animation by him. McCay created “How a Mosquito Operates” in 1912. We discussed that McCay created comic strips before he did animation, and it really shows in how clean and precise his drawings are. Since he is first an illustrator, it is interesting to see how he turned drawings into animation. There is nice movement in the second scene as the man walk towards the door of his house. His dress drags behind him and there are wrinkles in the fabric to show the twisting of his body. McCay’s draftsmanship shines most when either the man or mosquito do any rotating motions. While they rotate, they stay exactly on model and the forms really seem round, which McCay achieved without any interior construction lines.
The design of the mosquito is hilariously large. It really adds a fun element to the animation starting from with first scene to see the scale in comparison to the man. I noticed that McCay uses looping animation and this “stuttering” where the animation will reverse and then continue several times. At first, I thought it looked strange, yet now the more I watch the animation, the more I enjoy the style and the overall look that the looping adds.
The man feels more like an illustration in motion while the mosquito, more like an animated character. It is less stiff and does some expressive movements with its legs and long nose. Lastly, I really like this animation because it is relatable. I have dealt with mosquitos pestering me while I try to sleep, and I’ve been in the man’s position. It feels like the mosquitos are never satisfied after one bite and it’s funny to see that experience translated into this animation with a ginormous mosquito.
Sydney McPherson
ANIM223 - HISTORY OF ANIMATION - FALL 2019 