Ballad of a thin man explores the life, work and times of ryan larkin, a brilliant academy awardnominated animator, whose short film walking, made in 1969, is considered one of the most influential animated films of all time. Cinemahouse productions ryan larkins animated short, which became inspirational to young animated filmmakers and artists. He was nominated for an academy award for best animated short film. Born in montreal, larkin was nominated for the oscar for his 1969 short film, walking. Thirty years ago, at the national film board of canada, ryan produced some of the most influential. Walking free oscarnominated animated short film by ryan larkin.
On the one hand, its surprising this won an oscar for best animated short. As a teenager, ryan larkin studied at the art school of the montreal museum of fine arts under the tutelage of arthur lismer, and clearly showed sharp talent for character and figure drawing. Emotional testimony the same day he got the diagnosis. Its both sad and ironic that the genius within ryan is what gave rise to the demons that plagued him im sure that there were films in his head. The springing gait of youth, the mincing step of the highheeled female, the doddering amble of the elderlyall are registered with humor and. The movie talks about the life of ryan larkin, a gifted canadian animator of the late 60s and the early 70s. The program includes thirty of the nfbs master works by filmmakers such as caroline leaf, cordell barker, norman mclaren, and ryan larkin, among many others. Ryan larkin directed and produced the film which received an oscar nomination for best animated short film. In this experimental animated short, ryan larkin walking creates a series of figures who move across the screen and disappear into a hole. Released in 1965, this short film illustrates the classical greek myth of syrinx, a. Animator ryan larkin uses an artists sensibility to illustrate the way people walk.
I wish this short went a little deeper than it does, but its still worthwhile. It took him two years to make the film twice as long as. A slightly older larkin, goofing off for the photographer. Its a beautiful film with a sympathetic, observational eye, and a. Spare change was conceived and written by animator ryan larkin nominated for an oscar in psychedelic 1969 for his short animation film walking. Ryan is a 2004 short animated documentary film created and directed by chris landreth about canadian animator ryan larkin, who had lived on skid row in montreal as a result of drug and alcohol abuse. Walking is a 1968 canadian animated short film directed and produced by ryan larkin for the national film board of canada, composed of animated vignettes of how different people walk following larkins work on in the labyrinth for expo 67, larkin submitted a proposal to the nfb for a short film based on sketches of people walking. It is a plotless fiveminute animated portrait of people walking. Canadian animation legend ryan larkin passed away on february 14th 2007 from brain cancer. In 1969, legendary animator ryan larkin was at the height of his career.
His innovative short film walking, one of several films he had made while at the national film board of canada, had received an oscar nomination and worldwide acclaim. As a result, the swagger of youth, the carefree stroll around the city, a womans promenade in heels as well as the quiet and dawdling walk of the elderly, are all recorded with a lively curiosity. List of canadian academy award winners and nominees. Ive seen hundreds and hundreds of short films, including many academy award winners and most of the best of the nfb collection, and street musique still remains solidly in my top five favorites. Im not going to pretend to understand everything thats going on in this 1minute short, but i am able to follow the progression of ryan larkins style from the last film to this one, and were only talking about a. Director animator ryan larkin really possesses all three dimensions in this short that must have made other animators dizzy with envy. Larkin was in his heyday one of the many genius animators who worked for the nfb. Chris landreth introduces himself to us in a funky restroom and then introduces the films subject, ryan larkin, a brilliant animator in the 1960s and early 1970s. Cityscape by ryan larkin, national film board of canada. In the early 1960s, he was hired by the national film board of canada, and was immediately recognized by nfbs norman mclaren as one of the brightest new. Using a variety of techniques and displaying a real eye for movement, the 5minute short is a masterful study of how people go about putting one foot ahead of the other. Ryan larkin short film street musique goldenfingers.
Eventually, the hole metamorphoses into a bridge, on top of which stands the young man from whom the others figures originated. The oscar for best short animation, which ryan received in 2005. This list details the performances of canadian filmmakers, actors, actresses and films that have either been submitted, nominated or have won an academy award. Syrinx ryan larkins very first film is finally online. He was given writeups in time magazine and called the frank zappa or george harrison of animation by the montreal gazette. After watching this, i feel bad about not really digging ryan larkins walking when i watched it last night. Ryan larkin syrinx, cityscape employs a variety of techniquesline drawing, colour wash, catch and reproduce the motion of people afoot. If there was a single animation film no, make that film in general that i was eager to see this year it was chris landreths ryan. Ryan larkin watch cityscape, walking and street musique.
He employs a variety of techniquesline drawing, colour wash, catch and reproduce the motion of people. Excerpts from the film also appear in the oscarwinning short about larkin, ryan. All kinds of people are walkingnuns, old ladies, young children, hipsters. The news of larkins passing comes from ottawa international animation festival artistic director chris robinson who heard the news from chris.
Incorporating the animated documentary ryan, laurence greens film explores the paths of animators ryan larkin and chris landreth and the relationship that developed between the two men. Chris shows us clips of walking and street musique, ryan s groundbreaking shorts. Ryan larkin is a canadian man who was recognized in the late 1960s for his revolutionary drawings and animated film techniques. This is a list of canadian academy award winners and nominees. Landreths chance meeting with larkin in 2000 inspired him to develop the film, which took 18 months to complete.
Walking is a 1968 animated short film made by ryan larkin, produced by the national film board of canada. Turner classic movies is dedicating the whole of sunday evening april 9, 2017 to a primetime program of screenings and interviews on animated short films produced by the national film board of canada. This animation short by ryan larkin walking, street musique, etc. Awn is sad to report the passing of legendary animator ryan larkin at 10.
Street musique is an animated short film by ryan larkin produced by the national film board of canada nfb and released in 1972. Walking 1968 nominated for an academy award, walking is ryan larkins bestknown film. Using a variety of techniques, larkin transformed the ordinary action of people walking into a study of the beauty of the human body. Ryan is living every artists worst nightmare succumbing to addiction, panhandling on the streets to make ends meet. Ryan larkins oscarnominated short walking is widely recognized as his masterpiece, and with good reason. Soon after returning from the 42nd academy awards in 1970, for which his animated short film walking had been nominated. His life after creating that and a few other pieces has been pretty sad it seems. Ryan, directed by chris landreth, is an animated tribute to canadian animator ryan larkin. Its so smooth and fluid, it totally looks motioncaptured, or rotoscoped as they called it before computers, when they used to trace over live actors. The film received critical praise for the artistic techniques that larkin uses to illustrate walking patterns. It tells the story of astral pan, a street beggar voiced by larkin himself, who takes us on a wild journey from the sidewalks of a wintry montreal day, to the gates of heaven and hell and back.
Ryans next film, walking 1968 walking, gave him not only recognition but celebrity. Larkin directed and animated the 1969 oscarnominated short walking, as well as syrinx 1965, cityscape 1966 and street musique 1972. Syrinx, ryan larkin, provided by the national film board of canada. Using animated charcoal sketches, the greek legend of how pan made his pipes is brought to life. It is a line animation of music as performance, in which actions of the films characters are choreographed to the music of street musicians. Walking is a 1968 animated film by canadian directed and produced by ryan larkin, composed of animated vignettes of how different people walk. Ryan is a 2004 animated short film by chris landreth, produced by the national film board of canada it is a biography of ryan larkin, former animator for the nfb. With ryan larkin, chris landreth, felicity fanjoy, derek lamb. It was coproduced by copper heart entertainment and the national film board of. He made dozens of extraordinary animated films and in 1969, found himself in the world spotlight when he was nominated for an academy award for animation his 5 minute short film called en marchantor walking. Probably ryan s most famous short film, walking, is included, and like ryan, you wont believe that each of those drawings was handanimated.
Ryan s life would unravel into anything and everything but clean or squeaky ultimately leading his sensitive artistic spirit into a downward spiral of drugs, decay and homelessness. In 1972, he was again honored with an oscar nod for his short film, street musique. It was nominated for an academy award for animated short film at the 42nd academy awards. The topic of the film the different ways that people walk. Ryan larkin employs a variety of techniquesline drawing, color wash, catch and reproduce the motion of people afoot. Walking would earn ryan larkin an oscar nomination in the category of short animated film. Ryan larkin july 31, 1943 february 14, 2007 was a canadian animator, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic oscarnominated short walking and the acclaimed street musique.