Norman McLaren

Norman McLaren was born in Stirling, Scotland, where he studied set design at Glasgow School of Art. His early experiments with film and animation included actually scratching and painting the film stock itself, as he did not have ready access to a camera.
After finishing his studies in Glasgow and making a few films in London, McLaren moved to New York City in 1939, just when World War II was about to begin. At the invitation of John Grierson, he moved to Canada in 1941 to work for the National Film Board, to open an animation studio and to train Canadian animators. During his work for the NFB, McLaren created his most famous film, Neighbours ( 1952, viewed below), which has won various awards around the world, including the Canadian Film Award and the Academy Award. Besides the brilliant combination of visuals and sound, the film has a very strong social message against violence and war.
In addition to film, McLaren worked with UNESCO in the 50s and 60s on programs to teach film and animation techniques in China and India. His five part "Animated Motion" shorts, produced in the late 70s, are an excellent example of instruction on the basics of film animation.

Neighbours (1952)


Such Mclaren films like Neighbours have inspired generations, like this contemporary short film below for example;

Tony vs. Paul (2006)