Canadian animation, a welcoming land

Considered the father of Canadian animation, Norman McLaren was, let’s not forget, an immigrant from Scotland. In the wake of Norman McLaren, many foreign artists have contributed to shaping Canadian animation, bringing with them their own vision, sensibility and culture. This session illustrates this invaluable contribution through 10 titles, some of them historic, others more recent.

In the presence of Marco de Blois, curator and programmer at the Cinémathèque québécoise and artistic director of the Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal

In partnership with the Sommets du cinéma d’animation de Montréal and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Line-up : ( length 59 min )

Alouette by Norman McLaren & René Jodoin
Canada – 1944 – 2 min – Animation – ONF

This animated short co-animated by René Jodoin and Norman McLaren was produced for inclusion in the Let’s All Sing Together sing-along series. It illustrates the popular song Alouette, gentille alouette. The technique used is single-frame animation of paper cutouts.

La mort de Gandji by Moustapha Alassane
Canada – 1965 – 4 min – Animation – ONF

An animated film with humor and tenderness, set in a small village in the African bush.

 “E” by Bretislav Pojar & Francine Desbiens
Canada – 1981 – 6 min – Animation  – ONF

Under the guise of a pretty fairy tale, this animated short makes a strong political statement. Animated paper cut-outs enact a drama in which a dictator imposes his delusions on his unfortunate subjects. The humour is black and, despite the absence of dialogue, the message is crystal clear.

Hunger by Peter Foldès
Canada – 1974 – 11 min – Animation – ONF

In this animated short, director Peter Foldès depicts one man’s descent into greed and gluttony. Rapidly dissolving and ever-evolving images create a contrast between abundance and want. One of the first films to use computer animation, this satire serves as a cautionary tale against self-indulgence in a world still plagued by hunger and poverty.

The Sniffing Bear by Co Hoedeman
Canada – 1992 – 7 min – Animation – ONF

This animated film uses the Arctic landscape and the traditional Inuit characters of the Bear, the Seal and the Owl to raise young people’s awareness about the harmful effects of substance abuse. A polar bear experiences hallucinations after inhaling fumes from an abandoned gas can. A nearby owl and seal help to show the bear the error of his ways, thus preventing him from falling further into addiction. This film was an initiative of the Natives of the Institution La Macaza to warn children of the dangers of inhaling toxic chemicals.

 Nightingales in December by Theodore Ushev
Canada – 2011 – 3 min – Animation – Festival du Nouveau cinéma de Montréal

This surreal metaphorical tale is an allusion, a journey that transports us both into collective memory and into the terrain of present-day realities. What if nightingales worked instead of singing or flying south? There are no nightingales in December… What remains is the story of our beginning and our end.

The Sounds of Things Ablaze by Hayat Najm
Canada – 2025 – 6 min – Animation – ONF

A woman walks down the sidewalk, avoiding the cracks in the pavement like a child. Her body remains on high alert, remembering the horrors of a war that continues to haunt her. The Sounds of Things Ablaze transforms a story about human atrocities into a poignant tribute to women who face adversity—one step at a time.

 Woman by Gilnaz Arzpeyma & Arash Akhgari
Canada – 2023– 3 min – Animation

Woman is the first part of a trilogy that engages with the Iranian feminist revolution from the vantage point of diaspora. Through documentary media showcasing protesters on the streets, the film presents their civil disobedience as a collective performance, and explores the emerging narrative for woman, life and freedom.

Saama by Ehsan Gharib
Canada – 2024 – 2 min – Animation – ONF

A caged bird flutters and flails in a struggle for freedom. But only by surrendering to the transcendent power of music and movement is the bird finally able to soar.

Crac ! by Frédéric Back
Canada -1981 – 15 min – Animation – Société Radio Canada

The rocking chair sets the pace for the entire life of a Quebec family. When the city invades the countryside, the family shrinks and the chair no longer takes pride of place. Unless the janitor of the Museum of Modern Art has retained his taste for rocking…