Norman McLaren Movies

  • 1959
    Short and Suite

    Short and Suite

    Short and Suite

    61959HD

    A color cocktail by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart, translating into moving patterns of color and light the moods of music written for a jazz...

    Short and Suite
  • 1973
    Pinscreen

    Pinscreen

    Pinscreen

    6.71973HD

    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...

    Pinscreen
  • 1965
    Mosaic

    Mosaic

    Mosaic

    5.21965HD

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

    Mosaic
  • 1935
    Polychrome Fantasy

    Polychrome Fantasy

    Polychrome Fantasy

    5.11935HD

    In this early film Norman McLaren shot crystal formations through a low-power microscope, using polarized light with the lower part of the picture...

    Polychrome Fantasy
  • 1959
    Mail Early for Christmas

    Mail Early for Christmas

    Mail Early for Christmas

    3.61959HD

    In this pre-Christmas reminder to mail early, filmmaker Norman McLaren used an electric vibra-drill to engrave the images on black film, and included...

    Mail Early for Christmas
  • 1941
    Mail Early

    Mail Early

    Mail Early

    5.1251941HD

    This publicity clip for Canada Post is Norman McLaren's first film for the NFB. For this animated short, McLaren drew symbols by pen onto clear 35 mm...

    Mail Early
  • 1939
    The Obedient Flame

    The Obedient Flame

    The Obedient Flame

    4.71939HD

    Advertising cartoon showing advantages of using gas supply and gas cookers.

    The Obedient Flame
  • 1978
    Animated Motion: Part 5

    Animated Motion: Part 5

    Animated Motion: Part 5

    5.251978HD

    In this fifth part, Norman McLaren deals not with motion (if motion is defined as a change of location in two- or three-dimensional space) but with...

    Animated Motion: Part 5
  • 1972
    Ballet Adagio

    Ballet Adagio

    Ballet Adagio

    6.91972HD

    A slow-motion study by Norman McLaren of the pas-de-deux adagio, one of the most exacting and difficult dances of classical ballet. A ballet...

    Ballet Adagio
  • 1983
    McLaren on McLaren

    McLaren on McLaren

    McLaren on McLaren

    31983HD

    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...

    McLaren on McLaren
  • 1938
    Mony a Pickle

    Mony a Pickle

    Mony a Pickle

    3.51938HD

    Documentary on savings

    Mony a Pickle
  • 1943
    Dollar Dance

    Dollar Dance

    Dollar Dance

    4.71943HD

    This wartime publicity trailer by Norman McLaren focuses on wartime inflation and the role of price control. Single-frame animation is used with pen...

    Dollar Dance
  • 1943
    Chants populaires nº 5

    Chants populaires nº 5

    Chants populaires nº 5

    5.51943HD

    Russian artist Alexander Alexeieff illustrated the song "Et moi je m'enfouiyais" (En passant) using the pinscreen technique. Norman McLaren...

    Chants populaires nº 5
  • 1977
    Animated Motion: Part 3

    Animated Motion: Part 3

    Animated Motion: Part 3

    51977HD

    The third in a series of five colour films that offer an introduction to the basic techniques of film animation. McLaren explains and demonstrates...

    Animated Motion: Part 3
  • 1933
    7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings

    7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings

    7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings

    4.3331933HD

    Experimental film showing a day's activities at the Glasgow College of Art.

    7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
  • 1953
    Two Bagatelles

    Two Bagatelles

    Two Bagatelles

    5.51953HD

    Norman McLaren instructs Grant Munro on the movements he is to make. The film technique for Two Bagatelles is pixillation, where the actor is...

    Two Bagatelles
  • 1946
    Up There in the Mountains

    Up There in the Mountains

    Up There in the Mountains

    61946HD

    In Là-haut sur ces montagnes, Mclaren used for the first time a chain-of-mixes (chiaroscuro) on a pastel-drawn landscape. The idea for such a...

    Up There in the Mountains
  • 1940
    NBC Valentine Greeting

    NBC Valentine Greeting

    NBC Valentine Greeting

    51940HD

    A play on the theme of hearts. Two hearts cavort, change shape, shoot arrows at one another, give birth, and finally become one heart bearing the...

    NBC Valentine Greeting
  • 1959
    Serenal

    Serenal

    Serenal

    5.21959HD

    A gay fantasia of patterned sound in which Norman McLaren salutes the West Indies, painting the spirit of fiesta on film to the lively beat of an...

    Serenal
  • 1935
    Camera Makes Whoopee

    Camera Makes Whoopee

    Camera Makes Whoopee

    5.251935HD

    Montage and animation in two Acts: the preparation for the Glasgow Arts School Ball; and the ball itself.

    Camera Makes Whoopee