Ryan (2004)

The movie talks about the life of Ryan Larkin, a gifted Canadian animator of the late '60s and the early '70s.

Director:

Chris Landreth

Stars:

Ryan Larkin, Chris Landreth, Felicity Fanjoy

Won 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ryan Larkin	...	Interview Voice (voice)
Chris Landreth	...	Interview Voice (voice)
Felicity Fanjoy	...	Interview Voice (voice)
Derek Lamb	...	Interview Voice (voice)

Storyline

Chris Landreth introduces himself to us in a funky restroom and then introduces the film's subject, Ryan Larkin, a brilliant animator in the 1960s and early 1970s. Chris shows us clips of "Walking" and "Street Musique," Ryan's ground-breaking shorts. We now see Ryan as he is: emaciated, alcoholic, much of his mind gone; we meet Felicity Fanjoy, his love during his creative period, and Derek Lamb, his producer. Ryan talks to Chris in the dining hall of what is probably a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Chris tries an intervention. We follow Ryan out into the street where he panhandles. The animation, which uses live footage, reveals the ravaged burned-out graceful man.

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Plot Keywords:

animator | 1970s | 1960s | producer | restroom | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Animation | Short | Biography | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

NFB

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French

Release Date:

14 March 2005 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canada Council for the Arts, Copperheart Entertainment, National Film Board of Canada (NFB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Chris: Hi, my name is Chris and I'm here to explain some things.

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Crazy Credits

For Barbara Landreth

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Connections

References It's Tough to Be a Bird (1969)

User Reviews

Overwhelmingly Spectacullar!!!

This piece of work is truly the most astonishing animation I have ever seen. Its visual attributes are so rich that the eye fails to follow them on the screen. My experience was indeed enhanced since I watched it on the NFB's big screen in downtown Toronto. Ryan's creators have doubtlessly pushed the envelope in exploiting artistic techniques. Its intelligent plot is also very admirable. Based on the life of a real character, Ryan criticizes the extreme financial difficulties of many unknown artists who struggle with their lives to produce art. All been said, this is one of those cases where any literal description of the work is still far away from the actual visual experience. So Go Figure!