October 28 is International Animation Day and that gives us a great opportunity to revisit some of our classics. Instead of suggesting a list of movies to watch, how about a little game? I will ask you 10 questions to test your knowledge.
Ready? Let’s have some fun.
This film by Norman McLaren won an Oscar for best documentary short film in 1952, despite being an animated film. Which of these movies is it?
TO) No fingers
B) Neighbors
DO) A chair story
d) Universe
Answer: B) Neighbors
This rarity is probably due to the fact that, at the time, the “Best Short Film (Cartoon)” category was dominated by cellular animation. Academy members may have been surprised by McLaren’s use of pixillation, which involves filming people and objects one at a time, a technique that was not widely known in the 1950s.
In Getting started (1979), animated filmmaker Richard Condie presents a character who has trouble rolling up his sleeves and practicing a piece of music he needs to play at an important concert. What instrument does this person play?
A) Guitar
b) saxophone
C) piano
D) Flute
Answer: C) Piano
This gem of a film from our famous Winnipeg animation studio tells the story of a concert pianist distracted by everything around him in his apartment and unable to start practicing. A truly hilarious short from the great Richard Condie. You will want to see it again and again.
In 1976, Jacques Drouin made mental landscapea masterpiece that seduces us with its beauty, depth and emotional power. What animation technique did you use to make the film?
A) Drawing on film
B) rotoscope
C) Pin screen
D) Engraving on film
Answer: C) Pin Screen
Invented by Alexandre Alexeïeff and Claire Parker, the pinscreen was Jacques Drouin’s preferred artistic tool throughout his notable and long career at the NFB. Over more than 30 years, he made six extraordinary films, becoming the great master of pinscreen animation, an unusual and demanding technique.
The sweater (1980), by Sheldon Cohen, is an adaptation of the story An abominable maple leaf on the ice, either The hockey sweater, translated into English as The hockey sweater. Who is the author of the original story?
A) Roch Carrier
B) Felix Leclerc
C) Michel Tremblay
D) Sheldon Cohen
Answer: A) Roch Carrier
Written by Roch Carrier and published in 1979, The hockey sweater tells the story of a boy who orders a sweater for his favorite team, the Montreal Canadiens, from the Eaton company catalog. To his horror, he instead receives a sweater from the team’s sworn enemies: the Toronto Maple Leafs. Like Carrier’s story, Cohen’s film was a huge success. It remains the favorite animated film of many Canadians, including legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky.
In 1957, Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra co-directed the short film A chair story. McLaren originally intended it to be a silent film, but ended up incorporating music by which famous musician?
A) Igor Stravinsky
B) Ravi Shankar
C) Oscar Peterson
D) John Coltrane
Answer: B) Ravi Shankar
Once editing was complete, McLaren realized that the final film needed music. But by whom? The answer came to him while watching a concert by Indian musician and composer Ravi Shankar on television; He immediately realized that this was the solution to his problem. McLaren then invited Shankar to the NFB to compose music for the film. McLaren expected a mix of Indian and Western sounds.[1] In 1957, Shankar and percussionist Chatur Lau arrived at the NFB animation studio on Côte-de-Liesse Road in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Laurent to watch the film and get to work.
in the short film The big idiot (1985), by Richard Condie, the female character has a habit that really gets on her husband’s nerves. What is it?
A) She vacuums constantly.
B) He cheats at Scrabble.
C) Watches too much television.
D) She keeps shaking her eyes.
Answer: D) She keeps shaking her eyes.
After directing Getting started (1979), John Law and the Mississippi Bubble (1979), and pig bird (1981), Richard Condie returned in 1985 with the enormous success The big idiot. It tells the story of a couple playing Scrabble together one afternoon. The man cheats by looking at his partner’s chips; Meanwhile, she has an infuriating habit of removing her eyes and shaking them every time he’s ready to take a turn. The stage is set for conflict to break out. But how important is their fight, when a global nuclear war is being fought outside? This is another fun movie from Condie that shouldn’t be missed.
In 1952, Colin Low made his first cellular animation film at the NFB: The romance of transportation in Canada. The film was very successful and won many international awards. Which of the following awards did he not win?
A) Oscar for best animated short
B) Best animated short at the Cannes Festival
C) BAFTA Special Award
Answer: A) Oscar for best animated short.
The film was nominated for an Oscar in the category of “Best Short Film (Cartoon)” but did not win the statuette. Instead, he went to Juan Mousefrom the tom and jerry Series, directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, and produced by MGM Cartoons.
This film by Alison Snowden and David Fine won nearly two dozen awards, including an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. In fact, it was so successful that it spawned its own animated television series. What is the name of the movie?
TO) four Seasons in the life of Ludovic
B) Animal Behavior
DO) Bob Birthday
d) Shaun the Sheep
Answer: C) bob’s birthday
bob’s birthday led to the television series Bob and Margaretwith the two main characters of the NFB movie. The series aired for four seasons of 13 episodes on the BBC and Channel 4 in the UK, Comedy Central and Showtime in the US, and Global in Canada.
In 2014, to commemorate the NFB’s 75th anniversary, Canada Post released a five-stamp collection, featuring five popular NFB films, including my uncle antonio (1971) by Claude Jutra, Flamenco at 5:15 (1983), by Cynthia Scott, Neighbors (1952), by Norman McLaren, and The railway car (1965), by Gerald Potterton. What was the fifth movie?
TO) He Sandcastle (1977), in Co. Hoedeman
B) Cartoons from Canada: Log Driver Waltz (1979), by John Weldon
DO) He Street (1976), by Caroline Leaf
d) The great toy theft (1963), by Jeff Hale
Answer: B) Cartoons from Canada: Log Driver Waltz
This little gem of a film from John Weldon features music by Wade Hemsworth, arranged and performed by sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle, and remains one of the most popular titles in our collection. It’s no surprise that it was one of the films selected by Canada Post as part of a stamp collection honoring the NFB.
This animated film is a true work of art. It won an award at the Berlin International Film Festival, contains an excerpt from a famous speech, and was made with a rarely used animation technique. What is the name of the movie?
TO) Began Boring care (1949), by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart
B) The human plant (1996), by Pierre Hebert
DO) Paradise (1984), by Ishu Patel
d) Black Soul (2000), by Martine Chartrand
Answer:D) black soul
This outstanding film from director Martine Chartrand is about the history and rich culture of black people, their challenges and their hopes. It won two dozen international awards, including a Golden Bear in Berlin in 2001. The film includes an excerpt from Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech and was made using the paint-on-glass animation technique.
How did it go?
8 to 10 correct answers
Congratulations! You know your classics very well.
5 to 7 correct answers
Not bad, but you still have some studying to do.
Four or fewer correct answers
You really need to up your game. See you at nfb.ca!
Jokes aside, the most important thing is to have fun… and watch movies.
Enjoy!
[1] From a Norman McLaren quote cited in the book. Animation for the People: An Illustrated History of the National Film Board, by Carlos Salomón. 2025, Abrams, New York, p. 47.