William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-Canadian

animator An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...

, director and producer known for his work for 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).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a casebook in film making''. University of California Press, 1972. 267-8. Print. He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including

hand-drawn animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation of the 20th century, until there was a shif ...

drawn-on-film animation Drawn-on-film animation, also known as direct animation or animation without camera, is an animation technique where footage is produced by creating the images directly on film stock, as opposed to any other form of animation where the images or ...

visual music Visual music, sometimes called color music, refers to the creation of a visual analogue to musical form by adapting musical structures for visual composition, which can also include silent films or silent Lumia work. It also refers to methods ...

abstract film Abstract may refer to: *"Abstract", a 2017 episode of the animated television series ''Adventure Time'' * ''Abstract'' (album), 1962 album by Joe Harriott * Abstract algebra, sets with specific operations acting on their elements * Abstract of ti ...

pixilation Pixilation is a stop motion technique in which live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. This technique ...

and

graphical sound Graphical sound or drawn sound (Fr. ''son dessiné'', Ger. ''graphische Tonerzeugung'',; It. ''suono disegnato'') is a sound recording created from images drawn directly onto film or paper that were then played back using a sound system. There ar ...

. McLaren was also an artist and printmaker, and explored his interest in dance in his films. His films garnered numerous awards, including one

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

, one , three

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

s and six

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

awards.

Early life

Norman McLaren was born in

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

, Scotland, on 11 April 1914. He had two older siblings, one brother, Jack and a sister, Sheena. At the age of 21, he travelled to

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

for a holiday which confirmed his

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

beliefs, although his father had paid for the trip in hopes of dispelling them. When McLaren was 22, he left Stirling and studied set design at the Glasgow School of Art. While there, he joined the Kinecraft Society; within the society, he began to experiment with different styles and techniques of filmmaking. It was also at the Glasgow School of Art that McLaren met Helen Biggar, they produced films together outside the School and sought to have their productions released nationally. His early experiments with film and animation included actually scratching and painting the film stock itself, as he did not have ready access to a camera. One of his earliest extant films, ''Seven Till Five'' (1935), a "day in the life of an art school" was influenced by Eisenstein and displays a strongly formalist attitude. McLaren's film ''Camera Makes Whoopee'' (1935), was a more elaborate take on the themes explored in ''Seven Till Five'', inspired by his acquisition of a

Ciné-Kodak The Ciné-Kodak was the first movie camera for 16 mm film, 16 mm, manufactured by the Eastman Kodak Company and introduced in 1923. It was intended for home movie making. Kodak released additional models, including magazine-loading cameras as ...

camera, which enabled him to execute a number of 'trick' shots. McLaren used what would later be called '

' effects, superimpositions and animation not only to display the staging of an art school ball, but also to tap into the aesthetic sensations supposedly produced by this event. His two early films won prizes at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival, where fellow Scot and future NFB founder

John Grierson John Grierson (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Flaherty's '' ...

was a judge.

Career

GPO Film Unit

Grierson, who was at that time head of the UK General Post Office film unit, saw another of his movies at an amateur film festival and hired McLaren. McLaren worked at the GPO from 1936 to 1939, making eight films including ''Defence of Madrid'', ''Book Bargain'' (1937), ''Mony a Pickle'', ''Love on the Wing'' (1938), and ''News for the Navy'' (1938).

Solomon Guggenheim Foundation

McLaren then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1939, just as

World War II 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 ...

was about to begin in Europe. With a grant from the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation, he worked in New York until 1941, making drawn-on-film animated works, including '' Boogie-Doodle'' (1940), along with ''Dots'', ''Loops'' and ''Stars and Stripes''.

NFB

In 1941, at the invitation of Grierson, McLaren moved to

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

to work for the National Film Board and open an animation studio and to train Canadian animators. Upon his arrival in Canada, he made two films with the American director Mary Ellen Bute—''Spook Sport'' and ''Tarantella''. Grierson asked him to direct a promotional film reminding Canadians to mail their Christmas cards early, ''Mail Early'' (1941). He then worked on animated shorts as well as maps for Allied propaganda documentary films, followed by his

War Bonds War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are ...

campaign films: ''V for Victory'' (1941), ''5 for 4'' (1942), '' Hen Hop'' (1942), ''Dollar Dance'' (1943) and ''Tic Tac Toe'' (1943). In 1943, he also produced the six-film series of animated French songs, ''Chants Populaire''. In 1944 and 1945, he would do a similar series in English with ''Let's All Sing Together''. As of 1942, McLaren could no longer keep up with the demands for animation at the fast-growing NFB, and he was asked by Grierson to recruit art students and create a small animation team, a task made more difficult because many young students had gone off to fight in the war. McLaren found recruits for his fledgling animation unit at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal and the Ontario College of Art, including René Jodoin, George Dunning, Jim McKay, Grant Munro and his future collaborator, Evelyn Lambart. McLaren trained these emerging animators, who would all work on cartoons, animated cards and propaganda documentaries before going on to make their own films. Studio A, the NFB's first animation studio, formally came into existence as of January 1943, with McLaren as its head. During his work for the NFB, McLaren made 70 films, including '' Begone Dull Care'' (1949), '' Rythmetic'' (1956), ''

Christmas Cracker Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled open, and typically contain a small gift, paper hat and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland a ...

'' (1963), ''

Pas de Deux In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...

'' (1968), and the

-winning ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...

'' (1952), which is a brilliant combination of visuals and sound, and has a strong social message against violence and war. McLaren won the

Short Film Palme d'Or Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known a ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

and the

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Award for Best Animated Film for '' Blinkity Blank'' (1955), which he later selected as his diploma piece when he was inducted into the

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria on 16 ...

in 1974.

UNESCO

In addition to film, McLaren worked with

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 ...

in the 1950s and 1960s on programs to teach film and animation techniques in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. His five part "Animated Motion" shorts, produced in the late 1970s, are an excellent example of instruction on the basics of film animation.

Legacy

McLaren is remembered for his experiments with image and sound as he developed a number of groundbreaking techniques for combining and synchronizing animation with music. The National Film Board honoured McLaren by naming its

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

head office building the Norman McLaren Building. The Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, which is home to the NFB, has also honoured McLaren by naming a borough district after him. In 1979, the new Edinburgh Filmhouse included two seats dedicated to McLaren and Grierson. In 2006, McLaren was the subject of a short animated documentary '' McLaren's Negatives''. Also in 2006, the Film Board marked the 65th anniversary of NFB animation with an international retrospective of McLaren's restored classics and a new DVD box set of his complete works. In June 2013, the NFB released an iTunes app entitled "McLaren's Workshop," allowing users to create their own films using animation techniques utilized by McLaren and providing access to over fifty of his films. In June 2018,

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

, principal dancer Guillaume Côté and the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

staged a ballet entitled ''Frame by Frame'', based on McLaren's life and work. Filmmaker

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

has cited McLaren as an influence on his own work. In 2024, UK independent record label

Phantom Limb A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached. It is a chronic condition that is often resistant to treatment. When the cut ends of sensory fibres are stimulated during thigh movements, the patient feels as ...

and Canadian independent record label We Are Busy Bodies collaborated on a release of McLaren's musical compositions for film, making the soundtracks publicly available for the first time.

Birth centenary events

The 100th anniversary of the birth of McLaren was marked by a project entitled "McLaren Wall-to-Wall" in Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district, with short films inspired by McLaren works ''Neighbours'', ''Begone Dull Care'', '' Synchromy'' and ''Spheres'' projected onto local landmarks. McLaren's centenary was also celebrated in Scotland with the McLaren 2014 Programme of screenings, exhibitions, events and animation workshops. The Programme was conceived of and directed by animator Iain Gardner who also serves as the Animation Programmer for the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The programme was a key focus within the 68th Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, and ran through to the end of the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in August. The McLaren 2014 Programme was managed by the Centre for the Moving Image, working in partnership with the National Film Board of Canada, and over 20 partners in Scotland and the UK. In April 2014 his only surviving nephew Douglas Biggar (younger son of Sheena) unveiled a blue heritage plaque on his childhood home marking the centenary of his birth.

Honours

In 1968, McLaren was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

and, in 1973, Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1954, the

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

included a block of programming title ''Homage to Norman McLaren''. In 1975, he was presented with the Winsor McCay Award in recognition of his lifetime contributions to the art of animation. In 1977, he received an honorary doctorate from

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. In 1982, he was the first

anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

to receive the Prix Albert-Tessier, given to persons for an outstanding career in Québec cinema. In 1985, McLaren was named Chevalier of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

. In 1986, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Festival of Animated Film –

Animafest Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to Animation, animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the e ...

. In 2009, McLaren's works were added to

Memory of the World Programme UNESCO's Memory of the World (MoW) Programme is an international initiative to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, decay over time and climatic conditions, as well as deliberate destruction. It ca ...

, listing the most significant documentary heritage collections in the world.

Personal life

McLaren was gay. His life partner was fellow NFB director Guy Glover, whom he met at the ballet in London in 1937. They remained together until McLaren's death in 1987.

Filmography

Glasgow School of Art *''Hand-Painted Abstractions'', 1933 – co-director with Stewart McAllister *''Seven Till Five'', 1935 – producer, director *''Camera Makes Whoopee'', Glasgow School of Art 1935 – producer, director *''Polychrome Phantasy'', Glasgow School of Art 1935 – producer, director *''Colour Cocktail'', 1935 – producer, director *''Hell Unlimited'', 1936 – co-producer and co-director with Helen Biggar GPO Film Unit *''Defence of Madrid'', 1936 – producer, co-director with Ivor Montagu *''Book Bargain'', 1937 – director, co-producer with Alberto Cavalcanti *''Making a Book'', 1937 – director *''A Job in a Million'', Evelyn Spice Cherry 1937 – editor *''Love on the Wing'', 1938 – animator, producer, director *''Mony a Pickle'', 1938 – producer, co-director *''News for the Navy'', 1938 – producer, director *''The Obedient Flame'', 1939 – director Independent *''Allegro'', 1939 – director, animator *''Rumba'', 1939 – director, animator *''Scherzo'', 1939 – producer, director *''Snakes'', 1940 – producer, director *''La Perdriole'', 1940 – producer, director *''Little Negro'', 1940 – producer, director *''

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

Valentine's Greeting'', 1940 – animator, producer, director *''Stars and Stripes'', 1940 – animator, producer, director *''Dots'', 1940 – animator, producer, director (released 1949) *''Loops'', 1940 – animator, producer, director (released 1949) *'' Boogie-Doodle'', 1941 – animator, producer, director *''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

'', TV series,

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

1963 – animator, 2 episodes National Film Board of Canada *''Spook Sport'', 1940 – director, co-producer with Mary Ellen Bute *''Tarantella'', Mary Ellen Bute and Ted Nemeth 1940 – animation *''Mail Early'', 1941 – animator, producer, director *''V is for Victory'', 1941 – animator, producer, director *''July 4th'', 1941 – producer, director *''Five for Four'', 1942 – animator, producer, director *'' Hen Hop'', 1942 – animator, producer, director *''Barrel Zoom'', 1943 – animator, producer, director *''En roulant ma boule'', ''Chants populaires No. 1'', Jim MacKay 1943 – producer *''Envoyons d'l'avant nos gens'', ''Chants populaires No. 2'', Jean-Paul Ladouceur and George Dunning 1943 – producer *''Là-bas sur ces montagnes'', ''Chants populaires No. 3'', Jim MacKay and George Dunning 1943 – producer *''Filez, filez, ô mon navire'', ''Chants populaires No. 4'', Jim MacKay and George Dunning 1943 – producer *''C'est l'aviron'', ''Chants populaires No. 5'', 1943 – producer, co-animator and co-director with Alexandre Alexeieff *''Là-haut sur ces montagnes'', ''Chants populaires No. 6'', 1943 – animator, producer, director *''Dollar Dance'', 1943 – animator, producer, director *''Tic Tac Toe'', 1943 – producer *''Alouette'', 1944 – producer, co-director and co-animator with René Jodoin *''A Rainy Day'', 1944 – co-producer with Philip Ragan *''Keep Your Mouth Shut'', 1944 – producer, director *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 1'', 1944 – producer *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 2'', 1944 – producer *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 3'', 1945 – producer *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 4'', 1945 – producer *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 5'', 1945 – producer *''Let's All Sing Together: No. 6'', 1945 – producer *''Hoppity Pop'', 1946 – animator, producer, director *''A Little Phantasy on a 19th-Century Painting'', 1946 – animator, producer, director *''Story of a Violin'', Jacques Bobet 1947 – co-animator with Evelyn Lambart *''Fiddle-de-dee'', 1947 – animator, producer, director *''La poulette grise'', 1947 – animator, producer, director *'' Begone Dull Care'', 1949 – producer, editor, co-animator and co-director with Evelyn Lambart *''Dots'', 1949 – animator, producer, director *''Loops'', 1949 – animator, producer, director *''Over-Dependency'', Robert Anderson 1949 – animator *''Now is the Time'', 1951 – animator, director, co-producer with Evelyn Lambart *''Around Is Around'', 1951 – producer, director, co-animator with Evelyn Lambart *''On the Farm - Test'', 1951 – director *''Pen Point Percussion'', 1951 – director, co-producer with Tom Daly *''

'', 1952 – music, animator, producer, director *''A Phantasy'', 1952 – animator, producer, director *''Two Bagatelles'', 1952 – music, animator, producer, co-director with Grant Munro *''Twirligig'', 1952 – producer *''Ballet Adagio'', 1953 – animator, producer, director *'' Blinkity Blank'', 1955 – animator, producer, director *'' Rythmetic'', 1956 – producer, co-director and co-animator with Evelyn Lambart *''

A Chairy Tale ''A Chairy Tale'' () is a 1957 Canadian stop-motion pixilation short film co-directed by Norman McLaren and Claude Jutra for the National Film Board of Canada. Set to the music of Ravi Shankar and Chatur Lal, it comedically portrays Jutra's attemp ...

'', 1957 – producer, co-director with Claude Jutra *''Le Merle'', 1958 – producer, director, co-animator with Evelyn Lambart *''The Wonderful World of Jack Paar'', 1959 – titles *''Mail Early for Christmas'', 1959 – animator, producer, director *''Serenal'', 1959 – animator, producer, director *''Short and Suite'', 1959 – director, producer, co-animator with Evelyn Lambart *''Opening Speech'', 1960 – director, producer, animator *''Lines: Vertical'', 1960 – producer, co-animator and co-director with Evelyn Lambart *''Flicker Film - Test'', 1961 – director *''

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

Animated Lightboard'', 1961 – animator, director *''New York Lightboard'', 1961 – producer, director *''Lines: Horizontal'', 1962 – producer, co-animator and co-director with Evelyn Lambart *''

'', 1963 – co-director with Grant Munro, Gerald Potterton and Jeff Hale *''Seven Surprizes'' – compilation 1963 - co-director with Grant Munro, and Claude Jutra *''

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

'' – animated film, 1964 – co-producer and co-director with Grant Munro *''Mosaic'', 1965 – producer, co-animator and co-director with Evelyn Lambart *''Korean Alphabet'', Kim In Tae 1967 – sound *''

Pas de deux In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...

'', 1968 – producer, director *''Spheres'', 1969 – co-producer, co-director and co-animator with René Jodoin *'' Synchromy'', 1971 – music, visuals, producer, director *''Ballet Adagio'', 1972 – producer, director *''Pinscreen'', 1973 – director *''Animated Motion'', Parts 1-5, 1976-78 – co-director and co-producer with Grant Munro *'' Narcissus'', 1983 – director *''Pas de deux and the Dance of Time'', 1985 – co-director with Francine Viel

Discography

* ''Rhythmetic: The Compositions of Norman McLaren'', 2024 (

and We Are Busy Bodies)

Awards

''Hen Hop'' (1942) *World Festival of Film,

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

: Special Award, 1949 ''A Little Phantasy on a 19th-Century Painting'' (1946) * Salerno Short Film Festival,

Salerno Salerno (, ; ; ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Campania, southwestern Italy, and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after Naples. It is located ...

: Chamber of Commerce of Salerno Cup for Best Avant-garde Film, 1950 ''Fiddle-de-dee'' (1947) * Salerno Short Film Festival,

, Italy: First Prize, Gulf of Salerno Trophy of the Festival, 1950 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

: Certificate of Honour, Film Production in General, 1955 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Diploma of Honour, 1957 *World Festival of Film,

: Special Award, 1949 '' Begone Dull Care'' (1949) *

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

: First Prize, Art Films, 1950 * 2nd Canadian Film Awards,

: Special Award, Experimentation, 1950 * Salerno Short Film Festival,

: Honourable Mention, Miscellaneous Film, 1950 *

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

: Silver Medal, Documentary Short Film, 1951 *

American Federation of Arts The American Federation of Arts (AFA) is a nonprofit organization that creates art exhibitions for presentation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and develops education programs. The organization’s founding in 1909 ...

and Film Advisory Center Film Festival,

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

: Best Experimental Film, 1952 * Durban International Film Festival,

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

: First Place, Silver Medal, Experimental, 1954 ''Dots'' (1940) and ''Loops'' (1940) (released together 1949) * 1st Canadian Film Awards,

: Special Award for Experimental Film, 1949 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Diploma of Honour, 1955 * Salerno Short Film Festival,

: Honourable Mention, Miscellaneous Film, 1950 ''Pen Point Percussion'' (1951) *

: Honourable Mention, Experimental Films, 1951 ''Now is the Time'' (1951) * 4th Canadian Film Awards, Special Award for Experimental Filmmaking, 1952 (with ''Around Is Around'') ''Around Is Around'' (1951) *

BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...

, London: Nominee: Best Animation, 1957 * 4th Canadian Film Awards, Special Award for Experimental Filmmaking, 1952 (with ''Now is the Time'') ''

'' (1952) *

25th Academy Awards The 25th Academy Awards were held on March 19, 1953, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, and the Majestic Theatre (Columbus Circle), NBC International Theatre in New York City, to honor the films of 1952 in film, 1 ...

, Los Angeles: Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject, 1953 * Boston Film Festival,

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

: Award of Merit, Adult Education, 1953 * 5th Canadian Film Awards,

: Honourable Mention, 1953 * Salerno Short Film Festival,

: Gulf of Salerno Grand Trophy, 1954 *

Yorkton Film Festival Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

Yorkton Yorkton is a city located in south-eastern Saskatchewan, Canada. It is about north-west of Winnipeg and south-east of Saskatoon and is the sixth largest city in the province. Yorkton was founded in 1882 and incorporated as a city in 1928. ...

, Saskatchewan: Third Award, Sociology, 1954 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Certificate of Honour, 1955 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Diploma of Honour, 1957 * Golden Gate International Film Festival, San Francisco: Redwood Award for Special Merit, Film as Communication, 1967 * Calvin Workshop Awards,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

: Notable Film Award, 1968 *

, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Live Action, Short Subject, 1953 ''A Phantasy'' (1952) *

: Second Prize, Experimental Films, 1952 * Boston Film Festival,

: First Place, Arts, 1953 * 5th Canadian Film Awards,

: Special Award, Non-Theatrical, 1953 ''Blinkity Blank'' (1955) *

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, 1955 * 9th British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, 1956 *

: Silver Bear, 1955 * Franco-American International Film Festival, Paris: Fourth Prize, 1955 *

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

: Diploma of Merit, 1955 * Cape Town International Film Festival,

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

: Certificate of Merit, Documentary, 1955 * Durban International Film Festival,

: Certificate of Merit, Documentary, 1955 * SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films,

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay: First Honourable Mention, Experimental Films, 1956 '' Rythmetic'' (1956) * 6th Berlin International Film Festival,

: Silver Bear, Short Films, 1956 *

: Diploma of Merit, 1956 * Rapallo International Film Festival,

Rapallo Rapallo ( , , ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in the Italy, Italian region of Liguria. As of 2017 it had 29,778 inhabitants. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, on the Tigullio Gulf, between Portofino and ...

, Italy: First Prize, Abstract Films, 1957 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Diploma of Honour, 1957 * Chicago Festival of Contemporary Arts, University of Illinois Chicago: First Prize 1957 * Golden Reel International Film Festival, Film Council of America, New York: Silver Reel Award, Avant-Garde and Experimental, 1957 * Durban International Film Festival,

: Certificate of Merit, 1957 * Johannesburg International Film Festival,

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

: Certificate of Merit, 1957 ''

'' (1957) *

: First Prize, Experimental and Avant-garde, 1957 * 11th British Academy Film Awards, London: Special BAFTA Award for “work lying outside the feature and documentary fields”, 1958 * Rapallo International Film Festival,

, Italy: Second Prize, Experimental, 1958 * 10th Canadian Film Awards,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

: Award of Merit, Non-Theatrical, Arts and Experimental, 1958 * 30th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Live Action Short Subject, 1958 ''Le Merle'' (1958) * SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films,

, Uruguay: Honourable Mention, 1956 *

Locarno Locarno (; ; Ticinese dialect, Ticinese: ; formerly in ) is a southern Switzerland, Swiss List of towns in Switzerland, town and Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district Locarno (district), Locarno (of which it is the capita ...

, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1958 * World Festival of Film,

: First Prize for Best Use of Colour, 1958 * Ibero-American-Filipino Documentary Film Contest,

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

: Special Mention, 1959 * International Review of Specialized Cinematography,

: Diploma of Honour, 1959 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, Films as Art, 1960 ''Short and Suite'' (1959) *

: CIDALC Prize, 1959 * Bergamo Film Meeting,

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

: Special Mention, 1959 ''Serenal'' (1959) * Ibero-American-Filipino Documentary Film Contest,

: Special Mention, 1959 * Bergamo Film Meeting,

: Special Mention, 1959 *

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; , ) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spain, Spanish city of Donostia, Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Countr ...

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

: Special Mention, 1959 ''Lines: Vertical'' (1960) *

: First Prize, Experimental, 1960 *

, London: Outstanding Film of the Year for Presentation, 1960 *

: Diploma of Merit, 1960 * CIDALC Festival of Music and Dance in Film,

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

: First Prize, 1961 * 13th Canadian Film Awards,

: Best Film, Arts and Experimental, 1961 ''New York Lightboard'' (1961) * Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films,

: Special Jury Prize for Originality, 1961 ''

'' (1963) * Golden Gate International Film Festival, San Francisco: First Prize, Best Animated Short, 1964 * Electronic, Nuclear and Teleradio Cinematographic Review, Rome: Grand Prize for Technique, Films for Children, 1965 * Electronic, Nuclear and Teleradio Cinematographic Review, Rome: Grand Prize for Animation Technique, 1965 * Film Centrum Foundation Film Show, Naarden, Netherlands: Silver Squirrel, Second Prize 1966 * Philadelphia International Festival of Short Films,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

: Award of Exceptional Merit, 1967 * Landers Associates Annual Awards, Los Angeles: Award of Merit, 1965 *

37th Academy Awards The 37th Academy Awards were held on April 5, 1965, to honor film achievements of 1964. The ceremony was produced by MGM's Joe Pasternak and hosted, for the 14th time, by Bob Hope. The Best Picture winner, George Cukor's ''My Fair Lady'', w ...

, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Short Subject – Cartoons, 1965 ''

'' (1964) * Montreal International Film Festival,

: First Prize, Best Animated Film, 1965 * 3rd International Film Festival of India,

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

: Bronze Peacock, Second Prize, 1965 * 17th Canadian Film Awards,

: Genie Award for Best Film, Arts and Experimental, 1965 ''Mosaic'' (1965) *

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Festi ...

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

: Certificate of Merit, 1965 * FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

: First Prize, 1966 * Melbourne Film Festival,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

: First Prize, 1966 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1966 * Calvin Workshop Awards,

: Notable Film Award, 1966 ''

'' (1968) * 22nd British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation, 1969 *

, London: Outstanding Film of the Year, 1968 *

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, Chicago: Special Plaque of the Jury, 1968 * 20th Canadian Film Awards,

: Special Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, 1968 * FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires,

: Silver Cabildo for the Most Original Film, 1968 * Cambodia International Film Festival,

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

: First Prize, Short Film, 1968 *

, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1968 *

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

: Grand Prize, Short Subject, 1969 * Film Critics and Journalists Association of Ceylon,

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, Sri Lanka: Golden Plaque, Short Film, 1969 * International Film Festival of Ballet, Nervi: Silver Orchid Award, 1969 *

, Saskatchewan: First Place, Creative Art, 1969 * Colombo International Film Festival,

, Sri Lanka: Honourable Mention, Short Film, 1969 * Salerno Short Film Festival,

, Italy: Trophy of the Festival, 1970 * Panama International Film Festival,

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

, Panama: Award for Best Short Film, 1970 * International Festival of Short Films,

: Top Film of the Festival, 1971 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1970 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Emily Award, 1970 * Festival of Music and Dance,

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

: Prize of the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister in charge of Youth, Sports and Leisure, 1971 *

41st Academy Awards The 41st Academy Awards were presented on April 14, 1969, to honor the films of 1968. They were the first Oscars to be staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, and the first with no host since the 20th Academy Awards. '' Oliver!'' ...

, Los Angeles: Nominee (as ''Duo''): Best Live Action Short Subject, 1969 ''Spheres'' (1969) * International Festival of Experimental and Documentary Films,

Córdoba, Argentina Córdoba () is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Punilla Valley, Sierras Chicas on the Primero River, Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province, Argentina, Córdoba Province an ...

: Special Mention, Experimental, 1970 ''Synchronomy'' (1971) * International Week of Cinema in Colour,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

: Gold Medal, 1971 *

Annecy International Animation Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

: Special Jury Mention, Short Films, 1971 * Philadelphia International Festival of Short Films,

: Award of Exceptional Merit, 1971 * FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires,

: Cabildo de Plata for Most Original Film, 1972 * Melbourne Film Festival,

: Silver Boomerang, 1972 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, Experimental, 1972 * Rockville Film Festival,

Rockville, Maryland Rockville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, and is part of the Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fourth ...

: Certificate of Honour, 1972 ''Ballet Adagio'' (1972) * Atlanta Film Festival: Silver Medal, Live Action Short, 1973 * Columbus International Film & Animation Festival,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

: Bronze Plaque, Art and Culture, 1973 *

: Diploma of Merit, 1973 * Tisquesusa Dorado International Festival of Short Films,

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

: First Prize, Artistic Field, 1980 ''Animated Motion'' (1976) * Athens International Film/Video Festival,

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

: Special Merit Award, 1978 '' Narcissus'' (1983) *

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...

: Golden Peacock for Best Short Film of the Festival, 1984 * Dance on Camera Festival, New York: Gold Star Award, 1984 *

: Golden Sheaf for Best Experimental Film, 1984 * American Film and Video Festival, New York: Honorable Mention, Visual Essays, 1984 * Columbus International Film & Animation Festival,

: Honorable Mention, 1984 * Cartagena International Film Festival,

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

, Spain: Special Mention 1985 * International Romantic Film Festival, Divonne-les-Bains: First Prize/Madame de Stael Prize, 1985

References

Bibliography

* Burant, Jim.
Ottawa Art & Artists: An Illustrated History.
' Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2022. * Dominique Chateau, "Norman McLaren : pensée-cinéma et cinéplastique", ''Nouvelles Vues'', issue 17, winter-spring 2016 : https://web.archive.org/web/20160809181327/http://www.nouvellesvues.ulaval.ca/no-17-hiver-2016-cinema-et-philosophie-par-s-santini-et-p-a-fradet/articles/norman-mclaren-pensee-cinema-et-cineplastique-par-dominique-chateau/ * Raphaël Bassan, "Norman McLaren : le silence de Prométhée", in Les Cahiers de Paris expérimental, no 17 (in French) (2004)* * Olivier Cotte (2007) ''Secrets of Oscar-winning animation: Behind the scenes of 13 classic short animations.'' (Making of ''

'') Focal Press. * Alfio Bastiancich, "Norman McLaren: Précurseur des Nouvelles Images", Dreamland èditeur, Paris (1997) (in French) * Rogers, Holly and Jeremy Barham: ''The Music and Sound of Experimental Film,'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2017. * Burant, Jim.
Ottawa Art & Artists: An Illustrated History.
' Toronto: Art Canada Institute, 2022. ISBN 978-1-4871-0289-0

External links

*
NFB YouTube official channel

Films of Norman McLaren
at the

website
''Norman McLaren: Hands-on Animation''
and
''Creative Process: Norman McLaren''
at the

website
Canadian Film Encyclopedia

Order of Canada Citation

Norman McLaren on screenonline
*
Norman McLaren Archive at the University of Stirling Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mclaren, Norman 1914 births 1987 deaths People educated at Stirling High School Alumni of the Glasgow School of Art Anglophone Quebec people BAFTA winners (people) British cinema pioneers Canadian animators Canadian experimental filmmakers Canadian cinema pioneers Companions of the Order of Canada Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners Drawn-on-film animators Canadian Screen Award winners Graphical sound International Animated Film Association Knights of the National Order of Quebec Canadian gay artists Canadian LGBTQ film directors Film directors from Montreal People from Stirling Scottish communists Scottish emigrants to Canada Scottish film directors Stop motion animators Visual music artists Scottish gay artists National Film Board of Canada people Civil servants in the General Post Office LGBTQ animators Canadian people of British descent Prix Albert-Tessier winners 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people British LGBTQ film directors 20th-century Scottish LGBTQ people Abstract animators