Kaj Gøtzsche Pindal (December 1, 1927 – June 28, 2019) was a Danish-Canadian animator and animation educator who worked at the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
(NFB) beginning in 1957, and created such works as the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-nominated ''
What on Earth!'' (1967, co-directed with Les Drew) and the 1988 NFB short ''
Peep and the Big Wide World
''Peep and the Big Wide World'' is an Animated series, animated children's television series, preschool television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover ...
'' as well as the television series of the same name in 2004.
Biography
Kaj Pindal began his career as an underground cartoonist during the
German occupation of Denmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from occupying the country soon after the outbreak of war; the occupation lasted until Germany's defeat. The ...
, and was forced to flee his home city of
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
when his series of anti-Hitler cartoons put his life in peril. After the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he made animated commercials in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
and at Denmark's
Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...
, and worked on
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
films and filmstrips. He immigrated to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
in 1957 and joined the NFB the same year.
In 1962 he created the NFB short ''The Peep Show'', which eventually spun-off to the short ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' in 1988 and became a
television series of the same name in 2004. The series won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Animation Program in 2005. His other NFB credits also include ''The City: Osaka'', created for
Expo '70
The or Expo '70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, between 15 March and 13 September 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...
in Osaka, and designed to give Japanese people a glimpse into Canadian life. This two-minute black-and-white film played during the world's fair on a screen composed of sixty thousand individual light bulbs. Pindal is the subject of a 1979 NFB documentary entitled ''Laugh Lines''.
In addition to his work at the NFB, Pindal returned to Denmark for a year in 1970 and spent several months in 1983 teaching in Denmark and Sweden. He remained an influence in Canadian animation through his involvement with
Sheridan College
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, is a public polytechnic institute partnered with private Canadian College of Technology and Trades operating campuses ...
, where he had taught from 1977 to 2019.
He often stated, "Life is too short for long films."
Pindal died on June 28, 2019, at the age of 91.
References
External links
Kaj Pindal's blog*
Watch films by Kaj Pindal National Film Board of Canada website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pindal, Kaj
1927 births
2019 deaths
Danish animators
Danish animated film directors
Danish comics artists
Danish editorial cartoonists
Danish resistance members
People from Copenhagen
Danish emigrants to Canada
National Film Board of Canada people
Academic staff of Sheridan College
Animation educators
Canadian editorial cartoonists
Canadian comics artists
Canadian animated film directors
Canadian people of Danish descent