Gertie the Dinosaur Trivia Quiz

Answer: Winsor McCay

All three other men were also involved with early animation. Disney, in particular, acknowledged the pioneering of McCay. When McCay's son visited Disney's studio in the 1950s, Disney told him, "Bob, all this should be your father's." McCay and his assistant, John A. Fitzsimmons, drew thousands of pictures on sheets of rice paper to create the animated portion of the film. McCay refused to patent his animation techniques, saying, "Any idiot that wants to make a couple of thousand drawings for a hundred feet of film is welcome to join the club." It's amazing to think that we've gone from this to computer animation in a hundred years.

Answer: At a banquet

You can see the plates and utensils on the table around which the men have been sitting. McCay, in his evening wear, has risen from the table and stands before the screen. The movie then moves from live action to animation.

Answer: A car.

The inter-titles describe the men as being on a "joyride". They get a flat tire near the entrance to the museum and decide to visit the museum while their car is being repaired. Opening in 1877 in New York City, the American Museum of Natural History sits across the street from Central Park.

The museum includes 27 connected buildings. The museum includes exhibits about botany, zoology, and earth science. The dinosaur exhibits are found in the fourth floor halls.

Answer: A dinosaur with a long neck standing on four legs

In modern terms, Gertie would most resemble an Apatosaurus. In 1914, she would have been called a Brontosaurus. She clearly is a very large quadruped dinosaur that eats plants and not animals. At this time, the study of dinosaurs was less advanced than it is today. The American Museum had only begun putting dinosaur skeletons on display in the early 1900s.

Answer: A caveman

When Gertie eats the tree, you can see the dirt clumped to the tree roots. You also see Gertie eat a pumpkin. Though the animator/narrator appears in the movie, he is clearly not a caveman. Gertie eats neither him nor any other person.

Answer: A Wooly Mammoth

In reality, Gertie (a Brontosaurus/Apatosaurus) and a Woolly Mammoth existed at different times. However, when the Woolly Mammoth walks onto the screen, you clearly get an idea of how big Gertie is. The Mammoth, which would have been 10 to 12 feet tall, looks like a small dog next to Gertie. Ironically, the narrator refers to the Mammoth as "Jumbo". Gertie is quite fascinated by the Mammoth.

Answer: She cries.

You can see the tears falling from Gertie's eyes. They help to give Gertie "personality". The narrator seems to feel bad about this, because he then gives Gertie a pumpkin to eat. The pumpkin looks smaller than a grape in Gertie's mouth. She is much happier afterwards, however.

Answer: In a cave

The opening of the animation shows Gertie's head and neck bobbing in and out of the cave before she walks onto the screen. The accompanying music seems to really match well with her walk at this point. Her entrance may seem a little herky-jerky, but this is hundred-year old animation.

Answer: She throws a rock at the animal.

This involves the previously mentioned Woolly Mammoth. As he was walking across the screen, Gertie, using her mouth, picks the Mammoth up by the tail and throws him into the water. The Mammoth retaliates by spraying Gertie with water and begins to exit the screen. Shortly before the Mammoth leaves the screen, Gertie picks up a rock with her mouth and throws it at him.

The narrator specifically tells Gertie not to eat the Mammoth.

Answer: From a lake

The narrator tells her that she can get a drink from the lake. Gertie is so thirsty that she drinks enough water to seemingly empty the lake. You can see the layers of rock/dirt on the sides of the lake as the water is removed from the lake. Gertie's stomach is clearly distended after drinking this large quantity of water.