Mellodrama

Family Tree The story of the settlement of Canada, illustrated with cheerful animated cartoons. The arrival of Jacques Cartier, the fishing and fur trades which followed, and the rival colonization by the French and British, climaxed by the battle of the Plains of Abraham, are depicted. The coming of the United Empire Loyalists is seen; then the west-coast gold rush and the completion of the transcontinental railway. New branches were added to the family tree when many European settlers came to fill the great spaces of the Prairies. Finally, we see the whole country matured into a nation, its traditions enriched by those of many peoples.

A Story About Breadmakin... An animated film showing the sowing, reaping, and milling of wheat, the baking of bread and service to the lord of the manor in medieval Britain.

Stanley Takes a Trip The importance of a balanced diet, told in story form for children through the medium of two-dimensional cut-out animation. Stanley is a little boy who is lethargic from lack of a balanced diet. Some animals take him for a trip on the back of a "train engine" bull, to discover what are the proper foods for health and where they come from.

Cadet Rousselle Colourful puppets illustrate the old French song about Cadet Rousselle, who falls down a ladder, who trips on battlements, and whose dogs will not obey him. The animated figures carry our hero through his predicaments with colour and verve.

Grim Pastures A humorous depiction of farm animals' need for proper fodder, Grim Pastures shows a horse and a cow both racing for the same bit of grass. The distracted beasts end up with sandwich boards with slogans imploring farmers to raise more fodder.

Stitch and Save This brief animated film was designed to promote the remodelling of old clothing as part of the World War II effort.

Lining the Blues An experimental animation film in which the images were hand-drawn directly onto clear film by Guy Glover. The colourful moving forms capture the spirit of Andy's Blues, played by pianist Joe Sullivan. Originally made in 1939, the film was restored in 1984.

Panoramic Chronicle All those silent people on the train. Who are they, anyway? And what are they thinking about? French visual artists and co-directors Lewis Trondheim and Jean Matthieu Tanguy take great delight in speculating on the above, with style, aplomb, and a little help from singer/musician Thomas Fersen, whose narration amusingly adopts the tone of an ad man. Consisting of an impressive tracking shot through the passenger car of a train, Panoramic Chronicle takes a common, humdrum experience and turns it into a captivating journey that’s tinged with some deliciously deadpan humour. A slice of everyday life, courtesy of the Comic Strip Chronicles.

The Tooth Every child knows full well that losing a tooth is only the prologue to a magical experience—namely, a night-time visit from the tooth fairy and the gift she leaves behind. So why, in this case, is the tooth fairy a no-show? These are the sorts of questions a father needs to be able to answer for his son… In this brilliantly simple animated short, Quebec cartoonist Guy Delisle brings to the screen the titular parent of his popular series, Le guide du mauvais père (A User’s Guide to Neglectful Parenting), published by Delcourt. Inspired by a common childhood experience, Delisle uses his trademark wry humour to reflect on the vagaries of parenting. A slice of everyday life, courtesy of the Comic Strip Chronicles.

Through the Eyes of the ... Real love saved her life. Famous photographer of film stars ZUZANA MINACOVA presents a fascinating account of the Nazi and Communist era in Central Europe.