Neighbours (1952)

A surreal story of two neighbours' destructive feud over a flower.

Director:

Norman McLaren

Writer:

Norman McLaren

Stars:

Grant Munro, Jean Paul Ladouceur

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Grant Munro	...	Neighbour on the Right
Jean Paul Ladouceur	...	Neighbour on the Left

Storyline

This film, shot in pixilation (a kind of stop-motion animation with actors), is about two neighbours who come to barbaric blows over a flower that straddles the property line.

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Plot Keywords:

flower | property line | fence | neighbor | peace | 

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Taglines:

Love your neighbor, meaning, to treat others as you would have them treat you.

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Comedy

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Details

Country:

Canada

Release Date:

1963 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Voisins

Company Credits

Production Co:

National Film Board of Canada (NFB), Office national du film du Canada (ONF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Instead of the word THE END, the film ends with a sentence repeated in fifteen different languages: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR.

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Connections

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004)

User Reviews

Something else Canadians can be proud about!

This film is amazing. Truly amazing.

The knack for animation seems to be one of Canada's greatest gifts, so I guess that would make Norm McLaren the most generous man at the party. This piece is visually stunning; watching the characters cascade across the screen with the help of stop-motion techniques is a thing of beauty. The awkward, electronique-esque soundtrack conjures up, and speaks for, every single emotion that McLaren is trying to get across visually. In eight minutes, McLaren develops the two male characters, and their emotions, better than a feature length Hollywood production could in two hours. Could he have made it longer? Sure...but he said all he needed to say in the few minutes he worked with...namely, "Love Thy Neighbour". If you can't find this Oscar winner (for Best Animation Short oh so long ago) you are really missing out on something magical. A thing of beauty, and a Canadian gem. Thanks, Mr. McLaren.