Norman McLaren

Daedalus

"Fly too high and you will burn, go too low and you won't breathe." Daedalus weaves a tale of ambition and caution through an ancient myth, set in a nation below sea level. Shot in just seven consecutive days during the summer of 2023, it concludes the first volume of Bliss, a playlist of sounds and shapes. As the master craftsman gifts his son wings and wisdom, the film delves into the perilous dance between striving for greatness and the suffocating pull of stagnancy. This chaotic exploration bridges the warnings and epiphanic thoughts of 20th-century thinkers with the responses of today's dreamers.

Evelyn Lambart

The fifth thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren; this time with a focus on his collaborator Evelyn Lambart.

Beginnings

The first thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren.

Birdlings

This 1967 footage shows McLaren at a computer with Evelyn Lambart, Rene Pardo and two other technicians, followed by the animation test some call Birdlings. McLaren found computers still too primitive for his needs and continued to explored the optical printer in Pas De Deux, Synchromy and Narcissus. Silent film.

Painting with Light

The third thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren.

Blurr Test

Compilation of McLaren's Blurr technique.

Tanguy Landscape Test

Featuring a voiceover. 1944 test inspired by surrealist painter Yves Tanguy, an improvised moving growing landscape in a surrealistic manner.

The Art of Motion

The fourth thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren.

McLaren and Space

The second thematic mini documentary about revolutionary filmmaker Norman McLaren.

War and Peace

This documentary short illustrates the thematic role of war in the works of filmmaker Norman McLaren, from his traumatic experiences in the Spanish Civil War to the Korean conflict, which inspired him to make Neighbours.

On the Farm

Stop-motion, pixillation and other trick photography methods are used to depict situations on a farm.

Creative Process: Norman McLaren

Norman McLaren was a cinematic genius who made films without cameras, and music without instruments. He produced sixty films in a stunning range of styles and techniques, collecting over 200 international awards, and world recognition. In Creative Process, director Donald McWilliams demystifies the process of artistic creation. Drawing on McLaren's private film vaults, a gold mine of experimental footage and uncompleted films, McWilliams explores McLaren's methods, including his celebrated "pixillation" technique, and his daring forays into animated surrealism.

Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra Safer Sex Short

So is this what the kids of today are into? Well, as long as it’s safe.

McLaren on McLaren

An opening address, a tribute and highlights of a long and productive career--McLaren on McLaren is Norman McLaren on camera. The occasion is the opening of a prestigious festival in Arnhem, the Netherlands, in November, 1983, marking the tenth anniversary of Holland Animation. The renowned animator pays homage to those who merged their arts with his, and to the National Film Board, which gave him forty-two years of artistic freedom.

Pinscreen

Pinscreen animation makes use of a screen filled with movable pins, which can be moved in or out by pressing an object onto the screen. The screen is lit from the side so that the pins cast shadows.

The Eye Hears, the Ear Sees

The career of Scots-Canadian animation innovator, Norman McLaren.

Mosaic

A man sets a ping-pong ball into motion and it becomes fruitful and multiplies.

New York Lightboard Record

New Yorkers watch as Norman McLaren's animated promotional film for Canadian tourism plays on the giant pixelboard overlooking Times Square. The caption below the board reads: "Canada... Wonderful World At Your Doorstep". McLaren himself is a member of the crowd.

Opening Speech

Norman McLaren attempts to give the opening speech for the first Montreal International Film Festival, but his microphone won't cooperate.

Pen Point Percussion

A documentary showing Norman McLaren working on the hand-drawn sound process he uses for his short film, Loops.