Norman McLaren (1914-1987)

Alias:
McLaren
N. McLaren

Birthplace:
Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Born:
April 11, 1914

Died:
February 27, 1987

Norman McLaren, CC, CQ (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound. His awards included an Oscar for the Best Documentary in 1952 for Neighbours, a Silver Bear for best short documentary at the 1956 Berlin International Film Festival Rythmetic and a 1969 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film for Pas de deux.

Additional information:

The Search Form


Animation:
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1946  Hoppity Pop
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1949  Begone Dull Care
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1955  Blinkity Blank
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1960  Lines: Vertical
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1965  Mosaic
1969  Spheres
1972  Ballet Adagio

Animation Director:
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1946  Hoppity Pop
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1949  Begone Dull Care
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1955  Blinkity Blank
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1960  Lines: Vertical
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1965  Mosaic
1969  Spheres
1972  Ballet Adagio

Cinematography:
1936  Defence of Madrid
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1946  Hoppity Pop
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1949  Begone Dull Care
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1955  Blinkity Blank
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1960  Lines: Vertical
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1965  Mosaic
1969  Spheres
1972  Ballet Adagio

Director:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Editor:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Music:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1967  Korean Alphabet
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Original Music Composer:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1967  Korean Alphabet
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
1990  Creative Process: Norman McLaren
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Producer:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  A Rainy Day
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1952  Twirligig
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1967  Korean Alphabet
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
1990  Creative Process: Norman McLaren
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Sound Designer:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  A Rainy Day
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1952  Twirligig
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1967  Korean Alphabet
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
1990  Creative Process: Norman McLaren
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

Writer:
1933  7 Till 5: A Pattern of the Day's Doings
1935  Camera Makes Whoopee
1935  Polychrome Fantasy
1936  Defence of Madrid
1936  Hell Unltd
1936  McLaren Homemovie
1937  A Job in a Million
1937  Book Bargain
1937  News for the Navy
1938  Mony a Pickle
1939  Love on the Wing
1939  Scherzo
1939  Stars and Stripes
1939  The Obedient Flame
1940  Dots
1940  Loops
1940  NBC Valentine Greeting
1940  Spook Sport
1941  Boogie-Doodle
1941  Mail Early
1941  V for Victory
1942  5 for 4
1942  Hen Hop
1943  Barrel Zoom
1943  Chants populaires nº 5
1943  Dollar Dance
1943  Snakes
1944  A Rainy Day
1944  Alouette
1944  Keep Your Mouth Shut
1944  Rock the Boat
1944  The Head Test
1946  A Little Phantasy on a 19th-century Painting
1946  Chants populaires nº 6
1946  Hoppity Pop
1946  Up There in the Mountains
1947  Fiddle De-Dee
1947  La poulette grise
1948  Dots and Loops
1949  A Summer Day in Ottawa in 1949
1949  Begone Dull Care
1950  The Corridor
1951  Around Is Around
1951  Now Is the Time
1951  Pen Point Percussion
1952  A Phantasy
1952  Neighbours
1952  Twirligig
1953  Two Bagatelles
1955  Blinkity Blank
1956  Rythmetic
1957  A Chairy Tale
1958  Blackbird
1959  Doors
1959  Mail Early for Christmas
1959  Serenal
1959  Short and Suite
1960  Lines: Vertical
1960  Test A for Synchromy
1960  Test B For Synchromy
1961  New York Lightboard Record
1961  Opening Speech
1961  The Flicker Film
1962  Lines: Horizontal
1963  Christmas Cracker
1963  Seven Surprizes
1964  Canon
1965  Mosaic
1967  Korean Alphabet
1968  Pas de Deux
1969  Spheres
1971  Synchromy
1972  Ballet Adagio
1973  Pinscreen
1976  Animated Motion: Part 1
1977  Animated Motion: Part 2
1977  Animated Motion: Part 3
1977  Animated Motion: Part 4
1978  Animated Motion: Part 5
1983  Narcissus
1990  Creative Process: Norman McLaren
2003  On the Farm
2003  Six and Seven-Eighths
2006  Birdlings
2006  Blurr Test
2006  Chaplin Test
2006  Little Negro
2006  McLaren at Play
2006  Out-of-Focus Cloudscape
2006  Pen Drawings
2006  Surrealistic Hand Drawing
2006  The Hypnosis Film
2006  The Seasons

About the Movie Section

Most data and links to images for the Movies section come from TheMovieDB (TMDB).

Additional data for Film Titles come from The Open Movie Database (OMDb).

At least one plug-in comes from IMDb.

Data are -- hey, it's a plural -- subject to the limitations of their sources. (For example, TMDB search results currently max out at 20.) I am limiting myself to free data sources for now. (No, a "free trial" is not free.)

While much of the above data are retrieved directly from outside APIs and other such sources, data from American Film Institute (AFI) and British Film Institute (BFI) were manually entered the old fashioned way into a MySQL database. Re BFI I took the following liberties:

  • I added "runners up" to Top 10 lists, treating them as ties where applicable and numbering them accordingly at the bottom of each list.
  • Regarding those polls wherein "franchise" movies were submitted as one project until BFI's policy changed to regard them separately, I treated them as ties and renumbered the affected lists accordingly (e.g. the Godfather films).

Regarding profile removals and data corrections:

  • If you would like your profile removed from this site, please contact the source of this data directly, TheMovieDB. My assumption is: once it's gone from their site, it should soon be gone from this site.
  • If you would like to correct movie data on this site, please contact the source of this data directly, TheMovieDB. My assumption is: once it's corrected on their site, it should soon be corrected on this site.
  • For additional corrections and profile removals, please e-mail The Open Movie Database (OMDb).

Filtering is applied here to film projects flagged as "adult" by TheMovieDB. Pending "popular demand" I am contemplating a login and profile system with preferences (such as whether to allow adult images to appear) and permissions (such as data entry).

Whereas the overall purpose of this website is to serve as a personal demo/portfolio/workshop of web and data skills, this Movies section is not meant to compete with or substitute for far more definitive movie websites.

Whether or not he still clings to an award which he won in 1986 as a film critic for his college's newspaper, Jeffrey Hartmann is not responsible for the texts of overviews and biographies supplied by external data sources.