Older Kids @ Dean Palmer Studio
Sun Nov 9 2 pm
Dean Palmer Studio

Animando
Marcos Magalhães, 1987, 12 min 42 s

In 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.

Canada Vignettes: Log Driver's Waltz
John Weldon, 1979, 3 min

This lighthearted, animated short is based on the song "The Log Driver's Waltz" by Wade Hemsworth. Easily one of the most often-requested films in the NFB collection, Kate and Anna McGarrigle sing along to the tale of a young girl who loves to dance and chooses to marry a log driver over his more well-to-do competitor. Driving logs down the river has made the young man the best dancing partner to be found.

The Sweater
Sheldon Cohen, 1980, 10 min 21 s

In this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, he was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton's. Unable to convince his mother to send it back, he must face his friends wearing the colours of the opposing team. This short film, based on the book The Hockey Sweater, is an NFB classic that appeals to hockey lovers of all ages.

Nightmare at School
Catherine Arcand, 2007, 8 min 43 s

Who hasn't felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school? This is the central theme of this short animated film. Playing on imagination and humour, the director offers viewers a thought-provoking piece dealing with the transition that young people between the ages of 10 and 13 experience. Inspired by the work of Escher and Magritte, Catherine Arcand has created a graphically rich film through optical illusions and trompe-l'oeil effects. Her style aptly illustrates the theme of perceptions and is perfectly suited to conveying the dream world into which the film takes us. A film without words.

Balablok
Bretislav Pojar, 1972, 7 min 32 s

Bretislav Pojar's animated short explores the human phenomenon of resorting to violence over reason. The cubes live happily amongst themselves until one of them encounters a ball. War erupts and they fight until they all become the same again – this time in the form of hexagons. All is right in the world until one of them stumbles upon a triangle… Winner of the 1973 Grand Prix du Festival for Short Film at the International Film Festival in Cannes.

Arkelope
Roslyn Schwartz, 1994, 5 min 17 s

Arkelope is an animated short that takes a pointed look at endangered species and human indifference. When a middle-aged couple come across a nature documentary on the decline of the Arkelope while channel-surfing, they learn that although the species has managed to survive a variety of natural disasters, it is now in imminent danger of extinction due to man's short-sightedness. With a serious yet funny approach, this little film illustrates human passivity in the face of the ubiquitous TV set.

Journey of the Blob
Bill Maylone, 1989, 9 min 52 s

A boy makes a decision about how to dispose of a green glob he has concocted. What will happen if he dumps it into a stream? Where does water come from and where does it go? This film illustrates the water cycle and raises many questions about environmental responsibility and the consequences of our decisions. Film without words.

La Salla
Richard Condie, 1996, 8 min 11 s

In this animated short, the classic tale of temptation is revealed in the form of a comic opera. In a room full of wind-up toys, our hero sets a chain of events into motion that ends up disturbing both his own, and the viewer's, sense of reality. La Salla has won many awards and earned an Oscar nomination.

What on Earth!

This film shows what many Earthlings have long feared (and what Martians might logically deem to be the case)--that the automobile has inherited the Earth. An animated film, it shows life on Earth as one long, unending conga-line of cars. The Martian visitors judge them to be the true inhabitants of Earth, while we seem to be parasites infesting the autos.
1966, 09 min 35 s