How a Mosquito Operates

A mosquito in a top hat follows a man home, sharpens its beak on a strop, and drinks until it bursts. Winsor McCay drew every frame himself for his vaudeville act in 1912, two years before Gertie, and the insect has weight, effort and a small vanity about the hat. It refills more than once. Animation acquires a character here before it acquires a plot. Six minutes.