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Diplomacy fails and tensions mount when two cultural icons battle for no reason. In this blockbuster action adventure, egos explode on two islands—one volcanic, the other municipal.

Canadians in search of the national identity will not find it fully fleshed in this film. An animated cartoon, it sees Canadians as pragmatists, adaptable to whatever climate or history place in their way. It is a boisterous, bubbling analysis of the Canadian character and, although it may not answer the question of the title, it does leave the feeling that being Canadian is not so exhausting as one might expect.

Made as part of a Triton Gallery show to publicize the poster art of Canadian artist Vittorio Fiorucci, filmmaker Wakefield Poole cut apart posters and hand-animated the film using his 8mm camera to create stop-motion. The film was combined with dancers, lighting and projections to create an innovative gallery show.

Very first animated Orphan Annie--and a wonderful Christmas tale it is. Daddy Warbucks has Annie at his huge estate with Sandy, her big dog, It seems Daddy is more like Scrooge this season. He is irrated and crabby---so cranky that Annie runs off into the night with her beloved Sandy. Punjab tells Warbucks Annie is gone! and that this event is unlucky and will upset the Grand Order of things. So, Warbucks and Punjab take off searching for missing duo. An adventure begins and the rest you must find out for yourself because I don't want to give the plot away!

A non-narrative film that showcases brief moments of the director's everyday life under a luminous and dreamlike veil.

In this short animation Damien Hess attempts to connect with the tragedy of the First World War, a conflict that helped define Canada. In this film he uses imagery of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial monument in northern France to summon up names, faces and shadows that are fading from our memory. This film was made as part of the third edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Peter enlists his sarcastic one-legged friend Wiley to help conjure a myth based around the idea of giving. Seeing the chance to make a profit off the selflessness of others, the two cavemen create a figure that develops into the first Santa Claus but are then baffled when the "myth" they've created apparently becomes real. Substituting gain for fulfillment, Peter and Wiley experience the true meaning of Christmas.

A butch lesbian tells the story of her queer body with the help of her mother and the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui.

Inspired by found sound of baby noises, this very short animation takes a good hard look at the bizarre behaviour of people working out in a gym. Produced as part of the 11th edition of the NFB’s Hothouse apprenticeship.

This short puppet animation from the fifties tells the story of Magic Bow, a First Nations boy endowed with magic gifts. Magic Bow is in the big city for the first time, thrilling audiences with his tricks at the Wild West Rodeo. Outside the arena, cars, trucks and buses zip by at dizzying speeds. With the help of some savvy city dwellers, Magic Bow learns a few important traffic rules to help him navigate the streets safely.

An animated vignette about the role of Thomas Spence in the formation and demise of the Republic of Manitoba at Portage la Prairie in 1867-68.

As world tragedies pile up, a bored couple is looking for their next distraction. This explosive dark comedy is a blunt take on the privilege of boredom and the dissonance that is needed to pretend everything is okay. Lebanese-Canadian illustrator and animator Bahij Jaroudi compels us to recognize our own apathy in this relatable black-and-white animated short.

Through concrete soundtrack and evocative images, this animated short invites the audience to reconstruct the genesis of an event and give it a dimension commensurate with their imagination or courage.

Life is certainly stranger than fiction. Even if he’d tried, filmmaker Sheldon Cohen couldn’t have made up the events that led to his being rushed to an Emergency room one sunny summer afternoon. This is the true story of “a nice Jewish boy with Buddhist inclinations” who should have been the last person in the world to need cardiac surgery.

Hot wax painting on a Barcelona directory; a palimpsest reflecting the violence and madness of the riots that shocked Spain in October 2019.

A house is abandoned in the middle of the forest. The dogs must leave before winter ends.

An ugly man rises to power with the benefit of a handsome looking lump on his head.

An animated film reminding industrial workers of the vital necessity of being on the job all day, everyday, so that military requirements for fighting World War II can be met.

Short animation by Eliot Noyes Jr. exploring the alphabet through transformative animation.

u really hurt me

Lotte Reiniger's last film, following the adventures of two kingdoms through the overseeing eye of a destiny-knitting witch.

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.

An animated short film about The Four Seasons by Norman McLaren.

An attempt to animate an abstract Charlie Chaplin-esque figure.

Kevin, an angry boy on Earth, is mad because he has to move away from his friend Donna. Declaring that he doesn't care, he decides to run away and ends up in The Land Without Feelings, which is ruled by Professeur Coldheart. The Care Bears, along with Donna, go into the Land Without Feelings to save Kevin.

The K9-4 is a merry group of musical dogs that rap and rock their way through this colorful Christmas cartoon. In it, Fetch, Licks, Rollover, Bones and Roxie journey back to their hometown for a special Christmas Concert, and a very special reunion for Rollover.

Immersive experience where four users are invited to sit at one of the tables in the Okawari restaurant (both physical and virtual) to discover a wide variety of dishes, sides and drinks from the Japanese izakaya gastronomy. The purpose of the experience stems directly from the interactions of the users during their meal. Each experience will be totally unique and will depend on the participants' choices.

Seeking shelter from a thunderstorm, a man sits in a pub watching the ice in his glass melt away. Howie Shia marries his graphic illustration style with subtle animation and a haunting soundtrack to conjure up anxiety and foreboding. He used pen and ink on tracing paper and later composited and coloured digitally. This film was made as part of the second edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Kaspar is drowning. Several people who want to save him rush forward. Some of them are filled with good will, others are pumped up with pretentiousness. They are all equally inefficient in this satirical animated film about public spiritedness.

The Wizard of Oz legend continues with The Marvelous Land of Oz, based on the second book in the series by L. Frank Baum. This adventure features a brave young boy named Tip, the lovable Jack Pumpkinhead, the gruff wodden Sawhorse, and the evil witch Mombi, who is Tip's guardian. Tip and his amazing friends escape Mombi and head toward the Emerald City, now ruled by the Scarecrow. Joined by Dorothy, who has returned to Oz, they meet General Ginger and her all-female army who are planning to invade and take over their beloved Emerald City. Meanwhile, Glinda, the good Witch, has learned that the original King of Oz had an heir. While battling with the forces of General Ginger, Tip, Dorothy and their friends discover that the rightful ruler of Oz has been amazingly transformed.

A haunting tribute for the late Dede Fortin, the frontman of the Quebecois band Les Colocs.

Directed by Japanese filmmaker Ryo Orikasa, this animated short was inspired by Henri Michaux’s book of poetry and drawings of the same name, about his experiences with mescaline. The film explores the limits of language and perception, creating connections between sound, meaning, shapes and movement.

An office worker loves his job, but for one problem: he has a horrible boss. The worker becomes so desperate that he starts looking for another job, but he really doesn't want to leave. Finally, he comes up with a brilliant and novel solution to his problem, in which everyone wins!

The re-animation via rotoscope of parts of Bud Fischers SLICK SLEUTHS (1928) into a loopform.

A useless, damaged, forgotten block of marble emerges from obscurity to become one of the greatest works of art in history.

Lilly, a 12-foot-tall orange monster, takes her friend Fluffle to visit patients in a hospital. What could go wrong?

Marielle Guyot uses her computer skills with great artistic sensibility to bring the sea to life, death, and hopefully, life again. This film was made as part of the second edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Ice cutting on the St. Lawrence River in the 1860s is illustrated in song and animated graphics.

When Aria receives an SOS from her long lost mother, she must travel to the edge of space and unlock the mystery of a ship called Somnius to find her.

This animated short from Norman McLaren features a human skull cautioning Canadians to “keep their mouths shut” in an effort to end gossiping during World War II.

Michael is dragged on an unwanted family camping trip which proves more enjoyable than he expected.

The Hungry Squid is 2002 animated short film by John Weldon, about a young girl whose homework and personal life is being disrupted by creatures, including a giant ravenous squid.[1] The film was animated using Weldon's personal style of do-it-yourself filmmaking, combining low-budget computer animation with puppets, photos and stop-motion animation in a technique he calls "digital recyclomation." The film's producer, Marcy Page, had coined the term "recyclomation" during production of Weldon's 1991 film, The Lump

From a solitary walk in the woods to sitting unaccompanied on a city park bench to eating a meal and even dancing alone, How to Be Alone, reveals the possibilities and joys waiting to be discovered when we engage in activities on our own. As she soothes the disquietude that accompanies the fear of aloneness, and celebrates the power of solitude to change how we see ourselves and the world, Tanya reveals how, removed from the noise and distractions of other lives, we can find acceptance and grace within.

An oafish ghoul and his soft exposed brain are met with ruin when the brain is unexpectedly killed. Though paralyzed, the ghoul attains a fresh brain and is fed with new life. This film was made as part of the 5th edition of the NFB's Hothouse apprenticeship.

Diane Obomsawin directed the segment Transatlantic : "Here we are at the Port of Montreal, about to leave for France".

An animated victory bond message with the advice, "Don't cash in your bonds."

Meet Prince Vince. He's hip! He's Hop! He's the man with the tan! When Mother Nature rains on his tanning parade, Prince Vince doesn't just pull out an umbrella, he calls on Merle, the magician, to cast a spell and make the rain go away — forever! But as Prince Vince learns, when you mess with Mother Nature, Mother Nature messes with you! Will he be able to make up with Mother Nature before his evil cousin, Smarmly, steals his crown and his bride? Find out in this wacky, song-filled adventure.

The story of a young woman facing her father’s death, remembering moments in life that help her make sense of it, and finding connection in unlikely places.

Black and white drawings blended with photographic images depict an old man, with various tiny gadgets, trying to find the anatomy of the wings of an angel.

A freewheeling cinematic experience, this film is the work of two filmmakers who relate their perceptions of each other through their respective animation techniques. Images and words are paired in startling associations. Each does a visual portrait of the other, based on characteristic gestures and impressions. A combination of techniques and materials produces a film of rich visual texture shaped by the hands and heads of two very different people.

A scientist develops an unusual pair of eyeglasses which allows the wearer's mind to see things objectively rather than the usual subjective manner.

In 1983, nine-year-old Hart attends Jewish summer camp for the first time, while in a nearby Alberta town a social studies teacher makes headlines after it’s discovered he’s been teaching anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. In the aftermath, the teacher’s former students are invited to Hart’s camp for a picnic and a basketball game. Hart and his campmates are both curious and afraid of what awaits them on the basketball court. Told from Hart’s perspective, The Basketball Game fuses animation, documentary and personal memoir in a poignant and humorous tale of hope and tolerance in the face of fear and stereotypes.

Set in an unspecified Third World country, this animated film, based on a short story by Enver Carim, suggests that "top priority" means different things to governments and to the governed. A drought-stricken family maintains a long and desperate vigil for a cloud of dust on the horizon signalling the arrival of irrigation pipes and pump. They are rewarded with a military convoy instead. Its top priority is a border war with a neighboring state, not pipes for the life-saving water the family must have.

A humorous animation film about a fellow who builds his house in the best suburb he can afford. He has a picture bride, a picture window and a garden as pretty as a picture, but he wanted something special and, like Jack and the Beanstalk, he finally got it! What he got is a moral for all.

With vivid and rhythmic images set to the music and lyrics of Yvon Deschamps, "Je suis moi," a story of laughter, traces the French, English, and American origins that shape the Quebec nation.

The curtains of a theatre open onto a smaller puppet theatre presided over by Marianne. The ringmaster waves her baton at three shadowy acrobats that climb one by one out of her hat. Each performs his number, although not without some difficulty. The clumsiness of the first, the mischievousness of the second, and the fieriness of the third trigger a few clashes that ultimately lead to chaos. How can Marianne create harmony without losing control? Will her show flop? Who's really calling the shots, the little puppet or her acrobats?