One of the earliest animated films showcased to the public was Gertie the Dinosaur from Winsor McCay (b. 1869 - d. 1934.) This wasn't McCay's first foray into animation. He had previously made a cartoon about a mosquito. There's an old story that states that the people who had watched the mosquito cartoon (How a Mosquito Operates) were convinced that, instead of painstakingly drawing each frame for the cartoon, McCay had simply trained a real mosquito and filmed it. Gertie the Dinosaur was made in response to that since McCay figured that, to prove that he had actually animated a story, he would have to use something that simply didn't exist anymore.
Gertie became quite popular and a handful of cartoons were based on the dinosaur, one of the first animated characters with any sort of unique personality.
Imagine the view from the top of Gertie's head... Wouldn't have to worry about anyone blocking the screen of the drive-in.
Realized I should mention what may be Winsor McCay's most famous work was... He was the creator and artist of "Little Nemo in Slumberland."
