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National Film Board of Canada cartoons
Topic Started: Dec 1 2014, 12:07 PM (237 Views)
Laughing Gravy
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Somewhere along the line this weekend, I realized that I had never discussed these cartoons; they're some of the true classics of my collection, viewed and re-viewed many, many times over the years. They're cartoons unlike any other cartoons I've ever seen, bright and witty and silly and drawn in various styles that range from cartoony in the Far Side or Herman sense to works of art that move.

The three best sets I've found are called The Best of the Best, published by Image Entertainment in 1999, with a total of 29 cartoons.

Set one is Romantic Tales, highlighted by The Family that Dwelt Apart, based on the E.B. White story; George and Rosemary, about an old man with a secret crush on the lady next door; and the best on the disc, the screamingly funny Bob's Birthday, 1994 Oscar Winner about a man suffering a crushing mid-life crisis.

Set two is Strange Tales, and this includes Special Delivery (Oscar winner, 1978), about a man who doesn't shovel his walk. When the postman slips on the ice and breaks his neck, the man tries to hide the body, not as easy as it sounds, even in a cartoon. Neighbours (1952 Oscar winner) is a live-action anti-war short (the humans move through animation) about two men fighting over a flower growing between their houses. The Big Snit (1985) is my favorite, about a long-married couple that can't stop driving each other crazy through their annoying habits, which include sawing through the furniture (him) and taking out the eyes and shaking them (her).

Set three is probably my favorite, Especially for Kids, which includes the one NFB cartoon everybody seems to know, the screamingly funny The Cat Came Back (1988). When I want guaranteed laughs from my crowd, I always drag out this (and Laurel & Hardy's Them Thar Hills). Other great shorts on this are the Unicef cartoon Every Child (Oscar winner, 1979), Blackfly (1991), and Evolution (1971).

Two of the three of these are, alas, out of print and calling for big prices, but Amazon has the Kids one for about $18.

I also have one (also from Image) with a collection chosen by Leonard Maltin of his favorites; some of these, including The Sweater, about a little boy whose mom buys him the wrong hockey team's sweater, aren't on the other discs.

If you're not acquainted with these cartoons, you should be... great, highly imaginative stuff and some of my favorites.
"I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley
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The Batman
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Being raised in the Canadian education system, I had the pleasure to see most, if not all, of these cartoons in school. I agree, great stuff.

SPECIAL DELIVERY and NEIGHBOURS are especially recommended.

Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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Frank Hale
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I saw some of these along the way in grammar school also, along with some longer films like Paddle-to-the-Sea, if I'm remembering correctly.

Generally I have a pretty positive opinion of the National Film Board. Are they still in business, Mr. Bats?
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The Batman
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They sure are, Mr Hale. And many of their offerings can be viewed directly on their website:

https://www.nfb.ca/



Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman!
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panzer the great & terrible
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Oh, thanks, Bats! Great info.
Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious...
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