The Sniffing Bear

It's autumn in all its glory and Ludovic is playing in the park. A bigger teddy bear knocks him down, and the little cub is rescued by a little girl teddy bear. Her kind gesture teaches Ludovic that the magic of friendship can help him face the fiercest bully.

Ludovic: A Crocodile in My Garden is the second film in the collection Seasons in the Life of Ludovic. This one explores the world of play. Magical thinking governs Ludovic's world. It is springtime. Ludovic, in his garden, reigns over his menagerie of paper animals and their jungle home. In his improvised Africa, Ludovic goes from one surprise to another until the animals help themselves to the surprise brought by his mother. When they refuse to obey him, Ludovic doesn't want to play anymore. He bangs the door and pouts. But children's fights don't last. Reconciliation is not far off, especially when there is a snack to be shared by everyone.

Using life-like seal fur puppets, this animated short by Co Hoedeman tells the traditional Inuit tale of the owl and the raven. Why did the raven’s feathers turn jet-black? And what did the owl have to do with it?

The curtains of a theatre open onto a smaller puppet theatre presided over by Marianne. The ringmaster waves her baton at three shadowy acrobats that climb one by one out of her hat. Each performs his number, although not without some difficulty. The clumsiness of the first, the mischievousness of the second, and the fieriness of the third trigger a few clashes that ultimately lead to chaos. How can Marianne create harmony without losing control? Will her show flop? Who's really calling the shots, the little puppet or her acrobats?

It's winter in a thatched cottage, home to a family of teddy bears. The young cub Ludovic dreams of tobogganing but his parents tell him he's too little. He invents wonderful games to share with a doll that miraculously comes to life. This tender tale evokes the cozy relationship between a child and a favourite toy.

From the lower St. Lawrence, a picture of whale hunting that looks more like a round-up, with a corral, whale-boys and all. In 1534, when he stopped at the island he named l'Île-aux-Coudres, Jacques Cartier saw how the Indians captured the little white beluga whales by setting a fence of saplings into off-shore mud. In the film, the islanders show that the old method still works, thanks to the trusting 'sea-pigs,' the same old tide, and a little magic.

Oscar-winning animator Co Hoedeman and his newest creature come together in this enchanting and colourful fable about the joys and pains of growing up. No sooner has the paint dried, than the puppet begins to take its first few steps and, urged on by the artist, begins to discover a wider world. He experiences the joys of playtime and sharing and eventually begins to spread his social wings. The film charts the shaping of a personality, and the evolution of a sense of self-awareness until the creature is ready to leave its protective environment. Live-action, puppets and pixilation create this amazing world of fantasy. Film without words.

Using life-like seal fur puppets, this animated short by Co Hoedeman tells the traditional Inuit tale of the owl and the lemming.

It's summer and Ludovic is invited to his grandfather's farm. The little teddy bear finds Grandpa very saddened by the death of Grandma, and Ludovic is fascinated by a room filled with mementos. Grandma's portrait comes to life, and Ludovic is able to kiss and hug her. This poignant tale evokes the closeness and understanding between a grandfather and his little grandson who gradually learn to accept the death of a loved one.

The magical fingers of master animator Co Hoedeman, whose film The Sand Castle won an Oscar in 1979, has created yet another world of piquant creatures. Papier mâché puppets ride machines and manipulate robots strange to the human eye. A great masquerade is in the planning, and the air crackles with excitement. Plunged into the joys and frustrations of creating costumes, the zealous puppets produce a bumper crop, each one more elaborate than the last. The film illustrates the creative process, with its inevitable pitfalls and rewards. It says that to create is to be alive.

Octopus-like puppets cut out of foam rubber are the central characters in this delightful underwater fantasy with its message about ecology and conservation. Two Grotoceans sent on a special mission find all kinds of surprises awaiting them as they roam the sea in search of treasure. Film without words.

A dance of painted wooden Russian dolls (hollow inside and of graded sizes so that the largest holds all the rest). They twirl, swing and sway to gay Russian tunes, never losing their fixed reserve. As the dance ends they hop up in turn into the mother figure, who then hurries off the scene.

Monsieur Pointu would like to play his fiddle. But the fiddle has other ideas.

This short animated film features the sandman and the creatures he sculpts out of sand. These lively creatures build a castle and celebrate the completion of their new home, only to be interrupted by an uninvited guest. Cleverly constructed with nuance, the film leaves interpretation open to the viewer. The film took home an Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film.

A miserly man eats the pits of some cherries he can't stand throwing out. A tree starts growing from the top of his head. He cuts it off; it grows back. After a while, he gives up and lets it grow, but the crowds that gather on top of his head to enjoy the tree (and leave huge mounds of trash) eventually drive him to uproot the tree. This leaves a crater on top of his head, which fills with water, which becomes a popular lake.

A touching story of the friendship between a grandfather and his grandson, this is a film about aging and death. Award-winning animator Co Hoedeman combines 3-D and cut-out animation techniques to create a very dramatic and moving film. The story follows Charles and François through the different stages of their lives. With time, they become closer, common experiences having diminished the difference in age. By the end of the film, time appears to stand still; both are over one hundred years old and they are almost indistinguishable.