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The ABCs of Film Animation
This selection of films features portraits of the best NFB animators as well as their animation techniques, from pixilation to pinscreen and everything in between.
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The Light FantastickRupert Glover & Michel Patenaude 1974 57 minA detailed retrospective of the animation film at the National Film Board of Canada, of the techniques employed, and of the men and women who used and sometimes invented them. Documentary footage explains the techniques, and clips from NFB films illustrate the often spectacular results. Topics include Norman McLaren, hand-drawn-on-film and pixillation techniques, the "sing-along" animated songs of the 1940s, Alexandre Alexeieff's pinscreen, and Evelyn Lambart's fairytale improvisations. -
Co Hoedeman, AnimatorNico Crama 1980 27 minThis short film paints a portrait of Oscar®-winning filmmaker Co Hoedeman (The Sand Castle, Ludovic). It focuses on 3 aspects of his life – family, farm, and studio. We see excerpts of his work and watch him create a new animation clip.
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Creative Process: Norman McLarenDonald McWilliams 1990 1 h 56 minThis feature length documentary is a journey into Norman McLaren’s process of artistic creation. A cinematic genius who made films without cameras and music without instruments, McLaren produced 60 films in a stunning range of styles and techniques, collecting over 200 international awards and world recognition. Drawing on McLaren's private film vaults, a gold mine of experimental footage and uncompleted films, this film explores McLaren's methods, including his celebrated "pixillation" technique.
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PinscreenNorman McLaren 1973 38 minThis documentary shares a behind-the-scenes look as husband and wife Alexandre Alexeieff and Claire Parker demonstrate the pinboard technique of film animation they invented together. With a group of NFB artists and animators, they share and explore the techniques and astounding visual effects achieved by filming patterns and shadows created using 240,000 pins.
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Animated Motion: Part 1Norman McLaren & Grant Munro 1976 9 minThe first part of this series by Norman McLaren deals only with tempo. It starts by showing the disc travelling in one move (1/24 of a second) from A to B, and progressively demonstrates slower and slower tempos.
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Animated Motion: Part 2Norman McLaren & Grant Munro 1976 8 minIn this short animation film, Norman McLaren presents the first 3 of the 5 categories of motion: constant, accelerated and decelerated. Various types of acceleration and deceleration are demonstrated, and examples are shown of how these types of motion may be applied in regard to gesture, gravity and perspective.
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Animated Motion: Part 3Norman McLaren & Grant Munro 1977 9 minThe third in a series of five colour films that offer an introduction to the basic techniques of film animation. McLaren explains and demonstrates different aspects of movement that are essential to the animator’s art. In this case it is the pause and irregular movement.
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Animated Motion: Part 4Norman McLaren & Grant Munro 1977 7 minIn this fourth film, Norman McLaren explains and illustrates composite motion, where two of the categories of motion occur simultaneously in one action, such as the motions of jointed or pivoted parts (as occur in animal and human movements). Also shown is a human gesture with increasing amounts of emotion; and finally, the phenomenon of 'strobing' in animation is examined.
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Animated Motion: Part 5Norman McLaren & Grant Munro 1978 7 minIn this fifth part, Norman McLaren deals not with motion (if motion is defined as a change of location in two- or three-dimensional space) but with change--change in the amount and color of light within an otherwise static screen. Normally, the animator combines such change with motion, but here it is studied in isolation.
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Eleven Moving Moments with Evelyn LambartDonald McWilliams 2017 1 h 3 minThis feature-length documentary shines a much-deserved spotlight on Evelyn Lambart, who stood side-by-side with Norman McLaren for 21 years. Dubbed The First Lady of Canadian Animation, Lambart was an accomplished animator in her own right. This compilation, playfully contextualized by filmmaker Donald McWilliams, aims to prove just that.
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AnimandoMarcos Magalhães 1987 12 minIn this short film, we watch Brazilian artist Marcos Magalhães bring an animated figure to life on the drawing board. Using different materials and techniques, he manipulates his character to walk, jump and interact with his surroundings. This whimsical film was made during an apprenticeship program at the National Film Board of Canada.
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Making Movie History: Gerald PottertonJoanne Robertson 2014 5 minDirector and Animator Gerald Potterton recalls arriving at the NFBs celebrated Animation Studio and some of his forays into live action fiction.
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Making Movie History: Grant MunroJoanne Robertson 2012 5 minIn this short interview, Grant Munro, the celebrated animator, actor and director recalls being recruited by Norman McLaren to join the NFB's legendary animation studio.
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Making Movie History: Jacques DrouinDenys Desjardins 2013 5 minJacques Drouin's artistic trajectory is closely tied to the Alexeïeff-Parker pinscreen. No other filmmaker has employed the device with such dedication since Alexeïeff himself, who created the design in 1931. Consisting of a perforated board with 240,000 adjustable pins, the pinscreen can be manipulated to create evocative moving images. Having made a series of notable pinscreen films with his wife Claire Parker, Alexeïeff gave one of his 10 prototypes to the NFB. Intrigued by its creative potential, Drouin made good use of the precious item--to the great pleasure of its elderly inventor--crafting remarkable animation like Mindscape (1976) and Imprints (2005). Now recognized as the leading master of the technique, Drouin was called upon by the French Film Archives in Paris to oversee the 2007 restoration of their own pinscreens.
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Making Movie History: Kaj PindalJoanne Robertson 2014 5 minCelebrated animator Kaj Pindal reflects on his arrival at the NFB, his signature cartoon style and and some of his early works including the Oscar nominated What on Earth!.
