Canada Vignettes: Bill Miner

This animated short illustrates how at one time horses provided man with unprecedented mobility and how the arrival of the iron horse brought this era to an end.

Historical events are related through the medium of simulated news broadcasting in 1878.

An animated vignette about the role of Thomas Spence in the formation and demise of the Republic of Manitoba at Portage la Prairie in 1867-68.

A humorous account of the pioneering journey of Lady Frances Simpson, along with her piano, from England to Manitoba.

A montage of watercolour images of the work and occasional play of a farm family.

The history of the development of modern logging techniques on the British Columbia coast.

Animated images showing the variety of people who live in Canada.

An animated film depicting the evolution of the City of Toronto from 1749 to 1978.

An examination of the Viking explorers who were the first Europeans to discover Canada.

In this short vignette, skier Kathy Kreiner prepares for and participates in her Olympic gold-medal race at Innsbruck.

Two hundred years ago Captain Cook stopped briefly at Nootka Sound. This animated vignette depicts how he began the sea otter trade which led to the development of the Pacific north west.

This film describes the journey of nomadic Asian people to North America via a land bridge.

This is the story of the first French settlers in North America, who spent their first winter on an island in the Bay of Fundy. Despite overwhelming hardships the survivors, joined by other new colonists, eventually established Port Royal, the foundation of Acadia and the Acadian people.

An animated film about the Hudson's Bay trading post, and the relationship between fur traders and Indians.

This short documentary vignette reveals the curious origin of the name of Flin Flon, Manitoba.

This animated short tells a humourous Hebrew folk tale about a man's venture to introduce onions to a far away kingdom and a disreputable man's attempt to exploit that.

A Canadian prairie farm family has a tough beginning on their new farm.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series profiles a unique French-Canadian family, the Fourniers, 12 of whom work as stunt men and women for films.

A short history of one of the traditional dances of Acadia--the quadrille.

The maple leaf on the Canadian flag turns into two profiles that illustrate the many relationships between people.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series features tenor Roger Doucet singing the Canadian national anthem, O Canada, before a hockey game in the Montreal Forum.

There's a "silver lining in every cloud" as Donald O'Neary turns every misfortune his two neighbours can engineer into gold coins. Against the background of the Irish countryside, the customary "rich but dumb" characters meet their match in the "poor but crafty" hero. The story introduces the student to our rich multicultural background through the exploration of folklore of one of the peoples that make up Canada's cultural mosaic.

A Canada Vignette giving a humorous animated version of the history of Fort Prince of Wales from its construction to its capture by the French.

Animated film of a traditional Franco-Manitoban tale that resembles the story of the first Christmas.

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

A story about two symbolic characters who sway to the song Alouette.

Close-ups of fine detail of the ancient skill of quillwork embroidery--brightly coloured geometric designs on high-ankled, Seneca-type moccasins. These moccasins are over one hundred years old, from the fabled Speyer Collection that was repatriated from Germany by the National Museum of Man in 1975.

The metamorphosis of a map of Canada into human forms who share the natural resources to the rhythm of a dance.

A visual interpretation of the poem "Riverdale Lion" by Canadian poet and essayist John Robert Colombo.

This film promotes, in the best K-Tel tradition, a new device used to speak French.

An animated film showing a woolly mammoth and its offspring. These animals lived on the Canadian tundra over ten thousand years ago.

An egg desperately tries to prevent being hatched. In this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, learn how societies in evolution are often in danger of self-destruction.

The decorative pattern style of a traditional Metis coat is explored.

In this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, the camera explores, in exquisite detail, the daily hunt, fishing scenes and children at play as etched in black on an ivory Inuit pipe.

This film is about the emotions that can lead one to take that jump into space necessary for hang gliding with a Delta Plane.

A short history of Canada's greatest sailing ship.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Don Messer, who has since passed away.

One of six Canada Vignettes from the NFB production Don Messer - His Land and His Music, featuring one of the principal performers, Marg Osburne, who has since passed away.

A vignette based on the story of John McIntosh, the Ontario developer of the McIntosh apple.

This short film from the Canada Vignettes series depicts the Montreal of 1905-1910 with hand-painted vintage postcards.

This short fiction film tells the love story between a young anglophone and a young francophone who unite their destinies in roller skates.

A vignette on the travelling calliope (also known as steam organ), a musical instrument that produces sound by sending steam through large locomotive whistles.

This animated film illustrates the terrible journey, the back-breaking work, the exotic and gaudy city of Dawson, and the turmoil and triumphs of the 1898 Klondike gold rush.

A vignette exploring the depths of the Arctic Ocean.

A vignette about a 1912 fly-swatting contest organized by The Toronto Daily Star to draw attention to the danger posed to public health by flies. Through archival photographs and newspaper headlines the highlights of the contest are reviewed in a light, humorous manner. The winner, a determined young lady named Beatrice White, killed over 500 000 flies during the six-week contest and was dubbed the "Angel of Death" by the paper.

W.O. Mitchell recounts Newton's Law of Falling Backhouses, a story based on the youthful pranks of his prairie childhood.

This vignette illustrates the variety of professions, people and technical procedures required by the filmmaking process.

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

This model-animation vignette takes a humorous look at the theme of transportation.

A vignette using animation and live action to depict mussel farmers digging in the mud through the ice on bays and estuaries in Prince Edward Island.

In this short documentary from the Canada Vignettes series, a Saskatchewan grain elevator is moved across the snow-covered prairie to a new home after nearly a half-century of use. The film follows the lifting and transporting of the 9-storey, 200-ton structure, and examines the feelings of the people as they witness the final passing of their town's one and only grain elevator.

A piglet is kidnapped and forced to participate in a demented game show.

An elderly woman naps and has seven erotic dreams. Each dream sounds the same. "Dreamers" are Craig Bartlett, Alison Snowden and David Fine, Janet Perlman, Sara Petty, Stoyan Dukov, Paul Driessen and Marv Newland. Directed by Marv Newland.

Exploring the business of inventing stuff

Fuv is launched into an environment which existed prior to God. Fuv comes into contact with various godless creatures. Later Fuv encounters what appears to be some form of deity.

Animated short by Marv Newland

Short animation by Bruce Wilson

An anthology of original animated shorts in the style and theme of Gary Larson's Far Side comics.

A series of Gary Larson's "Far Side" gags are turned into short animated gags, such as a Frankenstein cow; an insect airline's in-flight movie; deers, hunters, and ufos; wolf home-movies; egg horror flicks; and cowboys & aliens.

Thurgood Stubbs lives with his wife, Muriel, in the Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs housing project, where he is the superintendent. This animated comedy follows the adventures of the Subbs and their friends, while taking a satirical view of the ups and downs of life in a big-city housing project.

A deer, disillusioned by the consumerism that defines his life. A lizard, ostracized from society, forever wandering. A chance meeting in the middle of a field. Who will survive? And who will transcend existence? Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2009.

A dirge-like hula song illustrates humanity's woes. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.

Dogs dream about taking naps.

A collection of bloopers and outtakes from an enormous selection of Hollywood classic productions spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s.

For the first time in Canadian history, 15 of Canada’s most acclaimed independent animators have come together to create a collaborative animated film. Yellow Sticky Notes | Canadian Anijam is an innovative and global approach to animation filmmaking and unites animators from coast to coast, from Vancouver to Halifax and all parts in between, to self reflect on one day of their lives using only 4x6 inch yellow sticky notes, a black pen and animation meditation.

Candyjam is a whimsical, animated collaboration by 10 animators from four countries: David Anderson (England), Karen Aqua (USA), Craig Bartlett (USA), Elizabeth Buttler (USA), Paul Driessen (Holland), Tom Gasek (USA), Joan Gratz (USA), Christine Panushka (USA), Joanna Priestley (USA) and Marv Newland (Canada).

Animated short film. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2009.