Robert Doucet

Poets on Film No. 3

Françoise Hartmann, Robert Doucet

Animated interpretations of two poems by great Canadian wordsmiths: “Perishing Bird” by D.G. Jones, and “Mon école” by Sylvain Garneau.

The Legend of the Flying Canoe

Robert Doucet

The time: New Year's Eve, late 1800s. The place: Gatineau Valley, Quebec. A group of loggers, working in an isolated winter camp, yearn to celebrate New Year's Eve with their loved ones. But the river is frozen, the sky is dark, and swirling snow makes travelling treacherous. If the men want to see their families, their only choice is to make a pact with the devil to ride in a flying canoe. While pacts with the devil are the stuff of legends from another time, the cautionary tale of The Flying Canoe has a resonance for modern life. Original music and bold animation preserve the spirit of this well-known Quebec legend derived from La Chasse-galerie, first published in 1891 by Honoré Beaugrand. Hand-drawn animation scanned and coloured on computer.

Second Début

Robert Doucet

"Sophie, you can go home now and enjoy your old age," her boss announces as the confetti settles at the retirement party. "Old age? Old age? I have too many things to do to be old," Sophie retorts and sets out to investigate other possibilities. Lighthearted and colourful, Second Début offers a positive outlook on retirement. Designed for viewers who are either retired or close to retirement, this animation film will appeal to those who anticipate doing something inventive and constructive with their new leisure time.

Canada Vignettes: Trees

Robert Doucet

Michael Kane

Life in Canada is reflected by people's comments on trees as a tree is shown undergoing seasonal changes.

Canada Vignettes: Port Royal

Robert Doucet

This is the story of the first French settlers in North America, who spent their first winter on an island in the Bay of Fundy. Despite overwhelming hardships the survivors, joined by other new colonists, eventually established Port Royal, the foundation of Acadia and the Acadian people.

Blackberry Subway Jam

Robert Doucet

Hannah Goodheart

This short animation based on a popular children's story by Robert Munsch tells the story of a young boy with a major problem: his apartment has become a subway station but his mother doesn't believe him and blames him for the commuters' mess.

Canada Vignettes: Ice

Robert Doucet

Howard Ryshpan

Ice cutting on the St. Lawrence River in the 1860s is illustrated in song and animated graphics.