Norman McLaren

William Norman McLaren, (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including hand-drawn animation, drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound. McLaren was also an artist and printmaker, and explored his interest in dance in his films.

His films garnered numerous awards, including one Oscar, one , three BAFTA Awards and six Venice Film Festival awards.

Early life Norman McLaren was born in Stirling, 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 the Soviet Union for a holiday which confirmed his communist beliefs, although his father had paid for the trip in hopes of dispelling them.

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). just as World War II 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 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 campaign films: V for Victory (1941), 5 for 4 (1942), Hen Hop (1942), Dollar Dance (1943) and Tic Tac Toe (1943).

The National Film Board honoured McLaren by naming its Montreal 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 June 2018, Robert Lepage, principal dancer Guillaume Côté and the National Ballet of Canada staged a ballet entitled Frame by Frame, based on McLaren's life and work.

Filmmaker George Lucas has cited McLaren as an influence on his own work.

In 2024, UK independent record label Phantom Limb 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 and, in 1973, Companion of the Order of Canada.

In 1954, the Locarno Film Festival 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.

In 1982, he was the first anglophone 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.

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

In 2009, McLaren's works were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme, 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 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, TV series, BBC 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 Neighbours, 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, 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 Animated Lightboard, 1961 – animator, director New York Lightboard, 1961 – producer, director Lines: Horizontal, 1962 – producer, co-animator and co-director with Evelyn Lambart Christmas Cracker, 1963 – co-director with Grant Munro, Gerald Potterton and Jeff Hale Seven Surprizes – compilation 1963 - co-director with Grant Munro, and Claude Jutra Canon – 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, 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 (Phantom Limb and We Are Busy Bodies)

Awards

Hen Hop (1942) World Festival of Film, Brussels: Special Award, 1949

A Little Phantasy on a 19th-Century Painting (1946) Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno: Chamber of Commerce of Salerno Cup for Best Avant-garde Film, 1950

Fiddle-de-dee (1947) Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno, Italy: First Prize, Gulf of Salerno Trophy of the Festival, 1950 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Certificate of Honour, Film Production in General, 1955 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Diploma of Honour, 1957 World Festival of Film, Brussels: Special Award, 1949

Begone Dull Care (1949) Venice Film Festival, Venice: First Prize, Art Films, 1950 2nd Canadian Film Awards, Ottawa: Special Award, Experimentation, 1950 Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno: Honourable Mention, Miscellaneous Film, 1950 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Medal, Documentary Short Film, 1951 American Federation of Arts and Film Advisory Center Film Festival, Woodstock, New York: Best Experimental Film, 1952 Durban International Film Festival, Durban: First Place, Silver Medal, Experimental, 1954

Dots (1940) and Loops (1940) (released together 1949) 1st Canadian Film Awards, Ottawa: Special Award for Experimental Film, 1949 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Diploma of Honour, 1955 Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno: Honourable Mention, Miscellaneous Film, 1950

Pen Point Percussion (1951) Venice Film Festival, Venice: 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, London: Nominee: Best Animation, 1957 4th Canadian Film Awards, Special Award for Experimental Filmmaking, 1952 (with Now is the Time)

Neighbours (1952) 25th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Oscar for Best Documentary, Short Subject, 1953 Boston Film Festival, Boston: Award of Merit, Adult Education, 1953 5th Canadian Film Awards, Montreal: Honourable Mention, 1953 Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno: Gulf of Salerno Grand Trophy, 1954 Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton, Saskatchewan: Third Award, Sociology, 1954 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Certificate of Honour, 1955 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: 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: Notable Film Award, 1968 25th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Live Action, Short Subject, 1953

A Phantasy (1952) Venice Film Festival, Venice: Second Prize, Experimental Films, 1952 Boston Film Festival, Boston: First Place, Arts, 1953 5th Canadian Film Awards, Montreal: Special Award, Non-Theatrical, 1953

Blinkity Blank (1955) Cannes Film Festival, Cannes: Short Film Palme d'Or, 1955 9th British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, 1956 Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Bear, 1955 Franco-American International Film Festival, Paris: Fourth Prize, 1955 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1955 Cape Town International Film Festival, Cape Town: Certificate of Merit, Documentary, 1955 Durban International Film Festival, Durban: Certificate of Merit, Documentary, 1955 SODRE International Festival of Documentary and Experimental Films, Montevideo, Uruguay: First Honourable Mention, Experimental Films, 1956

Rythmetic (1956) 6th Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin: Silver Bear, Short Films, 1956 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1956 Rapallo International Film Festival, Rapallo, Italy: First Prize, Abstract Films, 1957 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: 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, Durban: Certificate of Merit, 1957 Johannesburg International Film Festival, Johannesburg: Certificate of Merit, 1957

A Chairy Tale (1957) Venice Film Festival, Venice: 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, Rapallo, Italy: Second Prize, Experimental, 1958 10th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: 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, Montevideo, Uruguay: Honourable Mention, 1956 Locarno Film Festival, Locarno, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1958 World Festival of Film, Brussels: First Prize for Best Use of Colour, 1958 Ibero-American-Filipino Documentary Film Contest, Bilbao: Special Mention, 1959 International Review of Specialized Cinematography, Rome: Diploma of Honour, 1959 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, Films as Art, 1960

Short and Suite (1959) Venice Film Festival, Venice: CIDALC Prize, 1959 Bergamo Film Meeting, Bergamo: Special Mention, 1959

Serenal (1959) Ibero-American-Filipino Documentary Film Contest, Bilbao: Special Mention, 1959 Bergamo Film Meeting, Bergamo: Special Mention, 1959 San Sebastián International Film Festival, San Sebastián: Special Mention, 1959

Lines: Vertical (1960) Venice Film Festival, Venice: First Prize, Experimental, 1960 BFI London Film Festival, London: Outstanding Film of the Year for Presentation, 1960 Edinburgh International Film Festival, Edinburgh: Diploma of Merit, 1960 CIDALC Festival of Music and Dance in Film, Valencia: First Prize, 1961 13th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Best Film, Arts and Experimental, 1961

New York Lightboard (1961) Festival of Tourist and Folklore Films, Brussels: Special Jury Prize for Originality, 1961

Christmas Cracker (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: Award of Exceptional Merit, 1967 Landers Associates Annual Awards, Los Angeles: Award of Merit, 1965 37th Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee: Best Short Subject – Cartoons, 1965

Canon (1964) Montreal International Film Festival, Montreal: First Prize, Best Animated Film, 1965 3rd International Film Festival of India, New Delhi: Bronze Peacock, Second Prize, 1965 17th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Genie Award for Best Film, Arts and Experimental, 1965

Mosaic (1965) Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver: Certificate of Merit, 1965 FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires: First Prize, 1966 Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: First Prize, 1966 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, 1966 Calvin Workshop Awards, Kansas City, Missouri: Notable Film Award, 1966

Pas de deux (1968) 22nd British Academy Film Awards, London: BAFTA Award for Best Short Animation, 1969 BFI London Film Festival, London: Outstanding Film of the Year, 1968 Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago: Special Plaque of the Jury, 1968 20th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto: Special Prize for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, 1968 FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires: Silver Cabildo for the Most Original Film, 1968 Cambodia International Film Festival, Phnom Penh: First Prize, Short Film, 1968 Locarno Film Festival, Locarno, Switzerland: Diploma of Honour, 1968 Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne: Grand Prize, Short Subject, 1969 Film Critics and Journalists Association of Ceylon, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Golden Plaque, Short Film, 1969 International Film Festival of Ballet, Nervi: Silver Orchid Award, 1969 Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton, Saskatchewan: First Place, Creative Art, 1969 Colombo International Film Festival, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Honourable Mention, Short Film, 1969 Salerno Short Film Festival, Salerno, Italy: Trophy of the Festival, 1970 Panama International Film Festival, Panama City, Panama: Award for Best Short Film, 1970 International Festival of Short Films, Philadelphia: 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: Prize of the Secretary of State to the Prime Minister in charge of Youth, Sports and Leisure, 1971 41st Academy Awards, Los Angeles: Nominee (as Duo): Best Live Action Short Subject, 1969

Spheres (1969) International Festival of Experimental and Documentary Films, Córdoba, Argentina: Special Mention, Experimental, 1970

Synchronomy (1971) International Week of Cinema in Colour, Barcelona: Gold Medal, 1971 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Annecy: Special Jury Mention, Short Films, 1971 Philadelphia International Festival of Short Films, Philadelphia: Award of Exceptional Merit, 1971 FIBA International Festival of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires: Cabildo de Plata for Most Original Film, 1972 Melbourne Film Festival, Melbourne: Silver Boomerang, 1972 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Blue Ribbon, Experimental, 1972 Rockville Film Festival, Rockville, Maryland: Certificate of Honour, 1972

Ballet Adagio (1972) Atlanta Film Festival: Silver Medal, Live Action Short, 1973 Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Bronze Plaque, Art and Culture, 1973 Melbourne International Film Festival, Melbourne: Diploma of Merit, 1973 Tisquesusa Dorado International Festival of Short Films, Bogotá: First Prize, Artistic Field, 1980

Animated Motion (1976) Athens International Film/Video Festival, Athens, Georgia: Special Merit Award, 1978

Narcissus (1983) International Film Festival of India, New Delhi: Golden Peacock for Best Short Film of the Festival, 1984 Dance on Camera Festival, New York: Gold Star Award, 1984 Yorkton Film Festival, Yorkton: Golden Sheaf for Best Experimental Film, 1984 American Film and Video Festival, New York: Honorable Mention, Visual Essays, 1984 Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio: Honorable Mention, 1984 Cartagena International Film Festival, Murcia, Spain: Special Mention 1985 International Romantic Film Festival, Divonne-les-Bains: First Prize/Madame de Stael Prize, 1985