Preservation Conversation: “The Only Woman Animator” – Women at the Dawn of an Industry, Academy Film Museum, December 19, 2022

Hosted by Academy Film Scholar Mindy Johnson
Restoration World Premiere

In the earliest days of the animation industry, one woman animated and directed alongside the men who later became titans of the artform, yet her name and work have been lost – until now. The discovery of this pioneer changes everything.

In a landmark event, this ground-breaking artist, and her surviving films, are finally introduced to the world, marking the debut of the earliest-known hand-drawn animation – animated and directed by a woman. Join author/historian Mindy Johnson, as she once again transforms our animated past with a premiere event celebrating the pivotal discovery of “the only woman animator” in the earliest days of animation as well as other women artists at the dawn of an industry.

Live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla.
Note by Mindy Johnson, author and film historian.

For more information on the event, visit The Academy Museum’s website.

Read more about Johnson’s research in a recent NYT article “Reclaiming a Place in Animation History for a Female Pioneer.”