John Weldon

Blending fantasy and reality, this animated short is a bold inquiry into an as yet unresolved problem - the nature of human identity. When a scientist creates a machine that can make copies of physical objects, including humans, a number of ethical questions arise. Is the technique moral? What of its safety? A film by Oscar-winning filmmaker John Weldon (who also wrote the catchy banjo tune that punctuates the story's changing moods).

A hapless husband neglects to clear the icy walk, which leads to the mailman slipping and breaking his neck. A comedy of errors results from his attempts to hide the body.

In this zany tale, three storybook characters experience the dangers and temptations of life while trying to maintain physical and moral integrity. Three well-known animators collaborated to create this potpourri, and though each section was animated independently of the others, recurring threads of story and theme weave the whole into a unified moral fable. Film without words.

Hopeful job candidate Buck Boom is dynamic, forceful, confident and creative. But can he convince Mr. Mudgin, the personnel manager, to hire him? You see, Boom is an animated character in a live-action world and Mudgin is not used to dealing with someone who is different.

In attempting to secure his domicile against perceived external threats, our hero manages to create a more dangerous internal environment. The film uses humor to illustrate that problems can arise when freedom is sacrificed for safety.

A series of six opening logos and one closing logo produced as part of the NFB's contribution to the Ottawa '82 International Animation Film Festival.

An animated film promoting the value of freedom of expression as stipulated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Hungry Squid is 2002 animated short film by John Weldon, about a young girl whose homework and personal life is being disrupted by creatures, including a giant ravenous squid.[1] The film was animated using Weldon's personal style of do-it-yourself filmmaking, combining low-budget computer animation with puppets, photos and stop-motion animation in a technique he calls "digital recyclomation." The film's producer, Marcy Page, had coined the term "recyclomation" during production of Weldon's 1991 film, The Lump

A pesky yellow cat becomes the bane of Mr. Johnson's life as it constantly outsmarts his increasingly desperate attempts to get rid of it.

In this animated short, Frank proves he’s no ordinary rabbit. He's a highly intelligent "wrabbit" with a philosophical world view that affords him great comfort. Unfortunately, his outlook is challenged when the farmer's carrots disappear.

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

Using splashy hand-drawn animation, the story about a man who ends up in the hospital and probability theory is illustrated. When the guy awakens in a hospital bed, the doctor begins spouting all sorts of statistical probabilities--at which point the patient seems confused. So, the doctor explains the history behind probability theory as well as its application.

An exploration into the nature of the mind, the brain and reality. A person seeking job counselling receives psychiatric treatment instead, and thereupon becomes convinced of the reality of his own internal world. This may be the tale of an abused student, or the bizarre and unlikely reminiscences of an aging cowboy. On the other hand, it could be the musings of a bored actuary. By presenting the life of the filmmaker as multiple levels of insanity, this film challenges the commonsense interpretation of the universe.

Ice cutting on the St. Lawrence River in the 1860s is illustrated in song and animated graphics.

A whirlwind tour of first-class animated shorts, The World's Greatest Animation assembles, for the first time, an eye-popping assortment of Academy Award winners and nominees from the years 1978-90. From the Orwellian vision of zoo life Creature Comforts, to Crac!, a rocking chair's impressionistic view of the industrialization of Montréal, The World's Greatest Animation features some of the finest achievements in this unique art form.

A short illustrating Wade Hemsworth's folk song about a woman's admiration for the agility of her boyfriend, the log driver.

This animated short is the visual enactment of the year-long obstacle course run by a teacher trainee. Rich in humor and anecdote, it is a comedy of educational manners seen through the autobiographical and unflinching eye of the trainee-turned-filmmaker.

John Weldon dissects the nature of personal space, community, and crime and punishment in this macabre whimsy. Employing the simplest of animation styles to enhance a mock Zen spirituality, Weldon and composer Chris Crilly debate the Old Testament notion of "punishment fitting the crime." A film without words.

Filling in income tax forms is not as difficult as it may seem.

An active organism leaps and quivers in this bouncing one-minute vignette.

Eight animated pieces by eight artists, from the studios of the National Film Board of Canada.

Gnursk and Biff are father and son practitioners of the ancient Bastroonk faith; a faith with several "peculiar" practices. The duo confront society, workplace safety, school dress code and the Supreme Court over the limits of religious freedoms and tolerance.

An unconventional version of The Christmas Carol.