Janet Perlman

An informal look into the personalities and frenzy behind the second edition of the NFB Animation Hothouse. The six Hothouse filmmakers and their NFB collaborators comment on the nature of auteur animation, the place and role of the NFB in that world and the excitement and fear of making a first professional film.

Director Carrie Haber delves deep into the anxiety, thrill and uncertainty of six aspiring animation artists as they are plunged into the twelve-week trial-by-fire that is the NFB's Hothouse for animation filmmakers.

A lonely woodcarver longs for a son, so he builds a wooden puppet and names it Spinnolio

Nesbitt Spoon, who's a bit of a nebbish, tells us about his day, which is fairly average up until the moment that his doctor tells him he has only five minutes left to live.

A collection of 7 animation short films inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Each NFB award-winning film, in their peculiar way, deals with children's rights and addresses various aspects of the Convention.

An elephant asks Nesbitt for directions to the zoo, but won't listen to him long enough.

An elephant asks Nesbitt for directions to the zoo, but won't listen to him long enough.

The "stick people" in Bully Dance are imaginary, but this gritty tale is all too familiar. Like the dance beat pulsating throughout the film, the bully's intimidation of a smaller victim is unrelenting; no one stops the dance until serious harm is inflicted. While Bully Dance offers no simple solutions, it does compel viewers--teachers, parents and children--to take stock of their actions and to find ways to end peer abuse.

Who is Monsieur Pug? Why, a dog with bad cholesterol and high blood pressure! And a dog who loves his pie and ice cream. Who relaxes by making origami. In other words, definitely not your ordinary pooch! For he’s also a paranoiac, convinced he’s the target in a vast conspiracy, and pretending to be a pet, the better to hide from his pursuers. Schizoid, perhaps? Hmm… but is Monsieur Pug even a real dog to begin with?

Animators were asked to submit ideas based on the theme, "Do the Right Thing". This story is based on the director's experience of losing her chair while working in the National Film Board's animation studio. This film also explores the many uses for a carrot.

Everyone loves Egg! Egg is a super-cool barely-moving quality cartoon property dude with no feet and no face. Along with his trusty invisible sidekicks Druid Droid and Spirit Spork, Egg travels the galaxy looking for zany adventures with other quality cartoon properties. Who knows what crazy thing will happen next? This is Egg's first screen test. Watch it over and over! New exciting adventures are coming soon!

A girl takes a wild ride on the metro in Montreal. Travelling from station to station, she encounters an array of colourful characters in a bizarre musical journey that’s peppered with hilarious and unexpected incidents. This joyful, heartwarming animated film portrays Montreal in all its vitality, creativity and diversity, with plenty of humour and good cheer, to the tune of Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s timeless hit “Complainte pour Ste-Catherine.”

A girl takes a wild ride on the metro in Montreal. Travelling from station to station, she encounters an array of colourful characters in a bizarre musical journey that’s peppered with hilarious and unexpected incidents. This joyful, heartwarming animated film portrays Montreal in all its vitality, creativity and diversity, with plenty of humour and good cheer, to the tune of Kate and Anna McGarrigle’s timeless hit “Complainte pour Ste-Catherine.”

When an advanced race of giant lobsters from outer space land on Earth, no one can figure out why they've come. A complete failure to communicate on both ends leads to panic and pandemonium. Why are they here? What do they want? In this clever throwback to the ‘50s B-movie, a small neighbourhood learns the value of clear communication.

When an advanced race of giant lobsters from outer space land on Earth, no one can figure out why they've come. A complete failure to communicate on both ends leads to panic and pandemonium. Why are they here? What do they want? In this clever throwback to the ‘50s B-movie, a small neighbourhood learns the value of clear communication.

Cinderella has to stay home while her evil stepsisters go to the ball. You know the rest except everyone here is a penguin (even the mice that become the "horses") and the lost slipper is more like a swimming flipper.

A short funny self-referential film that is left purposely unfinished. It incorporates experimental animation techniques invisible to the naked eye.

Frogs, birds, lizards, a snake, alligators, and a lot of insects inhabit a pond; everyone's ready to eat. Two tenacious lizards catch the same fly, inciting a protracted tug-of-war.

Frogs, birds, lizards, a snake, alligators, and a lot of insects inhabit a pond; everyone's ready to eat. Two tenacious lizards catch the same fly, inciting a protracted tug-of-war.

Frogs, birds, lizards, a snake, alligators, and a lot of insects inhabit a pond; everyone's ready to eat. Two tenacious lizards catch the same fly, inciting a protracted tug-of-war.

When Academy Award®–winning animator and painter Joan Gratz asked eleven filmmakers if they would contribute to an omnibus film, she wasn’t sure what to expect—after prompting them to make a “one-minute memoir,” she let them figure out the rest. The One-Minute Memoir is the exuberant result: eleven stories ranging from the heartfelt to the absurd, all reflective of each director’s personal style.

Diplomacy fails and tensions mount when two cultural icons battle for no reason. In this blockbuster action adventure, egos explode on two islands—one volcanic, the other municipal.

Diplomacy fails and tensions mount when two cultural icons battle for no reason. In this blockbuster action adventure, egos explode on two islands—one volcanic, the other municipal.

Diplomacy fails and tensions mount when two cultural icons battle for no reason. In this blockbuster action adventure, egos explode on two islands—one volcanic, the other municipal.

This short animation features four guests of curious demeanour who commit unforgivable acts at the dining table. Food flies everywhere while the guests prop their feet up and talk with their mouths full. Thankfully, Lady Fishbourne’s eating etiquette instructions will show these dinner party misfits the error of their ways.

The official signal film for Anima Mundi 2019

A visual and musical celebration of beautiful, sweet, sad, noble, adorable, glamorous and abominable things.