It had to happen one of these days - the NFB has added streaming to their site. Now I’m never going to get anything useful done.
Some of my favourites -
Getting Started
The Cat Came Back
The Big Snit
Neighbours
Enjoy!
Yay!
Now I’m going to be up late! Some of my faves are Blackfly and Logdriver’s Waltz
Sadly, Paddle to the Sea isn’t online, possibly because it’s one of their best sellers, but I’ve been having tremendous fun tracking down some of the ones I used to see in the seventies.
I just found The Sweater, which makes me think the search engine on the site needs a tune-up… Still, there goes another 10 minutes.
Ever since I saw it when it first was released, I’ve loved the Blackfly song. 
My two favorite NFB artists are Norman McLaren (who’s well-represented on the site) and Frederic Back (who’s not). McLaren created probably the greatest film to not use a camera at all*: Begone Dull Care–magnificent in achievement and undeniable fun in execution (though seeing it on the computer isn’t quite the same as on the big screen**).
*Apologies to any Stan Brakhage fans out there
**For those living in the SF Bay Area, they’re screening 11 Norman McLaren films tomorrow at the Pacific Film Archive, including BDC. Definitely worth checking out.
Well, there goes any hope of me actually getting some work done today. I’ve got some warm fuzzy childhood memories to reconnect with!
(Strangely enough, I was talking about the Log Driver’s Waltz to a friend just the other day…)
Speaking of Frederic Back, is “Crac!” on the site? I can’t find it.
No, that’s why I say the search engine needs a tweak - I had specifically looked for ‘The Sweater’ and not found it. Then I saw it in one of those ‘Related Videos’ lists, and there it was. If looking for the title won’t turn it up, what will?
Not that I’ve been spending a lot of time there instead of going over music for tonight’s performance - that would be too much like ‘Getting Started’…
This is so weird. This morning I had typed out a post in this thread regarding a film I remembered seeing when I was a kid, hoping for help with identification. I was yammering about this little carved Native floating along in his little carved canoe, but I couldn’t figure out a way to clearly describe it, so I gave up and deleted my writing without posting. Lo and behold, you mention “Paddle to the Sea”. I recognized the title instantly.
As well, in the post I deleted, I mentioned the very first film I was going to watch would be “The Sweater”.
When I read your post this afternoon, I thought to myself, “Oh good, someone responded to my post,” and then remembered I hadn’t actually posted it. So, I don’t know how you’re reading my mind, but feel free to continue. It’s a lot easier than having to actually type my thoughts.
Awesome! I have a DVD of some of their best shorts, and (apparently like everyone else around here) The Sweater and The Log-Driver’s Waltz are two of my favorites.
And anyone who doesn’t think that The Cat Came Back is the single greatest piece of animation ever filmed is dead to me!
Ah, they have Hot Stuff, a childhood favorite!
And I still haven’t given up hope that the The Railrodder and Buster Keaton Rides Again will turn up…
I haven’t looked at it yet, but is this place have “Cockadoodie”? (not the line from Misery, a short film that was drawn to two small kids having a kid conversation about 25 years ago).
It doesn’t have it. I don’t think I’ll ever find it!
(I missed the edit window.)
Actually, they had streaming before. This is a redesign with a lot more bandwidth, so you get much better quality.
some of my favorites:
Norman McLaren’s Oscar-winning pixillation classic, Neighbours
The eerie, dreamlike Mindscape produced by pinscreen animation.