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Norman McLaren

Canadian filmmaker

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Norman McLaren was a pioneering Canadian filmmaker, celebrated for his innovative work in animation. He joined the National Film Board of Canada in 1941, where he was supported by government grants to explore radical creative approaches. McLaren experimented with cameraless filmmaking, drawing designs directly onto celluloid, and utilized techniques like watercolors, crayons, and paper cutouts to bring abstract designs to life. He also pioneered "pixellation," a stop-motion technique that made inanimate objects appear to act and actors appear inanimate, as seen in his Oscar-winning film Neighbours. His influential work opened doors for more personal forms of animation globally.12

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