If you're looking at this disc, you're either an animation enthusiast who went straight to it or you've stumbled upon through some series of "recommendations." Regardless, my advice to each of you would be the same: don't hesitate to add this collection to your home library (or your public library).
Unlike some well-meaning cartoon anthologies, all of these films have received an excellent DVD transfer. The picture and audio qualities are fantastic! And that's good, because these Academy Award-Winning and -Nominated films are worth the attention. Wendy Tilby's "Strings," a hand-painted impressionistic masterpiece, is beautiful in its understated romance. Caroline Leaf's "The Street" is a free-flowing look into the death of a relative from a child's point of view. David Fine and Alison Snowden's "Bob's Birthday" is a classic of middle class Canadian humor. There are others, of course, equally good. And though these films range in age, from 1957 to 1994, they all seem fresh and vibrant - alive with the possibilities of the world's greatest medium. In fact, one of the filmmakers, Ryan Larkin, is the subject of the groundbreaking 2004 Academy Award-nominated animated short film, "Ryan."
To watch Canadian animation is to understand the possibilities of animation, treated with liberty and respect in the hands of liberated, respected artists. This disc, and others from the NFB, will have you asking, "Why don't we have an NFB in the USA?!" Enjoy!
