Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Neighbours, animated, directed and
produced by Norman McLaren in 1952
Inscribed 2009
What is it
A movie made in 1952 by Scots-Canadian filmmaker
Norman McLaren. Lasting 8 minutes and 6 seconds,
Neighbours is a stylized anti-violence and anti-war
parable about two men who come to blows over the
possession of a flower.
Why was it inscribed
Neighbours was innovative and influential, and a strong
personal comment on violence and war. McLaren used
new techniques in sound and visuals in creating his film,
which won the Oscar for Documentary (Short Subject)
in 1953.
Where is it
National Film Board of Canada, Montreal, Canada
Norman McLaren (1914–87) is considered one of the
world’s most influential and original animators. Through
a career which lasted almost 50 years, he was constantly
developing new ideas and pioneering animation
techniques. The scope of his activity ranged from abstract
works drawn, painted or scratched directly on film,
to paper cuttings and to live-action images of dancers
repeated and transformed by use of an optical printer. His
innovative, experimental approach and surrealist imagery
strongly influenced generations of artists and filmmakers.
A student at the Glasgow School of Art, McLaren came
to the notice of fellow Scot John Grierson, then head of the
General Post Office Film Unit in London. Grierson hired
McLaren first for the GPO in 1936, and then again in 1941
after Grierson moved to Canada to establish what became
the National Film Board (NFB). Within two years, McLaren
was head of its animation studio and as its creative
leader he mentored a generation of Canadian animators.
He remained with the NFB until his retirement in 1983.
The sixty-one films he created used a diverse range of
techniques and their themes varied widely, but Neighbours
was the one which brought him most success. It was a very
personal film, a product of his beliefs, his experience and
the political environment of the time. In particular, it was
influenced by McLaren’s pacifist sympathies, acquired as
� A scene from Neighbours
504 Neighbours, animated, directed and produced by Norman McLaren in 1952
a result of his experiences while filming in Spain during
the civil war (1936–39).
The two main characters of Neighbours are next-door
neighbours who become rivals, ultimately to the death,
over an animated flower growing between their properties.
As their actions become increasingly violent, they destroy
their houses, kill their families and ultimately bring about
their own deaths.
McLaren used two new techniques of animation for the
film: pixilation, which used stop motion with live actors;
and synthetic or animated sound, which he created by
drawing on the sound track. McLaren did not develop
pixilation but took it to a new level in Neighbours. There
was no dialogue in the film and its communication
through design, colour, movement and music made
it universally accessible.
McLaren’s talents were recognized by his contemporaries
and Neighbours received multiple awards in Canada, Italy
and the USA, most notably the Oscar for Best Documentary
(Short Subjects). However, his own achievements went
beyond the field of film. By establishing the power
of animation as a means of serious social commentary,
such as in Neighbours, McLaren made a valuable
contribution to world art.
He himself viewed animation as an art of personal
expression, and this philosophy has been influential in
animation, and in live-action movies and continues to
guide the NFB today.