Winsor McCay’s “Little Nemo” gets an interactive celebration

Google Doodle:

La Crónica de Chihuahua
Octubre de 2012, 09:57 am

A little boy sleeps in his bed, unaware he’s about to tumble into a magical dreamland.

Google pays homage to animator Winsor McCay today, whose Little Nemo in Slumberland comic strip debuted on this day, 107 years ago.

A click over to Google’s search home page triggers an interactive image. Titled “Little Nemo in Google-Land,” it features many images from McCay’s original work. Internet users can then click on a yellow and blue arrow at the bottom right to pull down more panels, each one opening up to reveal the next stage in Nemo’s nocturnal adventures.

Born in 1869, though this date is often debated, McCay was influential in his use of design, creativity and narrative fantasy. The Nemo strip ran between 1905 and 1914 in several newspapers, going on to inspire other works for the big and small screens.

McCay is also known for his Gertie the Dinosaur animated film.

According to a storyin the Telegraph, the seminal work “is considered by historians to be the first to feature a character with a likeable, realistic personality to which viewers could relate.”

Sounds a bit like Pixar’s Little Nemo.

Today’s Google Doodle is already earning raves.

“We’d go as far as saying it’s the best Google Doodle ever,” writes Tech Digest.