Grant Munro LL. D. (April 25, 1923 – December 9, 2017) was a Canadian animator, filmmaker and actor. In 1952, he starred with Jean-Paul Ladouceur in

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

's ''

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

''. He worked on the films ''Two Bagatelles'' (1953), ''Seven Surprizes'' (1963), ''

Christmas Cracker Christmas crackers are festive table decorations that make a snapping sound when pulled open, and often contain a small gift, paper hat and a joke. They are part of Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countri ...

'' (1963) and ''

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

'' (1964). His film, ''Christmas Cracker'', was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 1962.

Early life

Munro was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. He had a sister, Gail, and a brother, Brian. Munro was educated at the Robert H. Smith school, Queenston school, and Gordon Bell High, before attending the Musgrove School of Art and the Winnipeg School of Art. Earning an honor diploma from the Ontario College of Art in 1944, he then joined the

National Film Board The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary fi ...

, Canada's public film producer and distributor.

Career

Munro's work as an

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

first won note during

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, setting the songs "

My Darling Clementine ''My Darling Clementine'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The ensemble cast also features Victor Mature (as Doc Hollid ...

" and "

The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze", originally published under the title "The Flying Trapeze" and also known as "The Man on the Flying Trapeze", is a 19th-century popular song about a flying trapeze circus performer, Jules Léotard ...

" to animated cut-outs. In 1952, he furthered his reputation by co-starring with Jean-Paul Ladouceur in

's ''

'', a film which used the technique known as "

pixilation Pixilation is a stop motion technique in which live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor beco ...

" (a term coined by Munro) and which won both a Canadian Film Award and an Academy Award. He went on to collaborate with McLaren on the films ''Two Bagatelles'' (1953), ''Seven Surprizes'' (1963), ''

'' (1963) and ''

'' (1964). In the 1970s, Munro's focus shifted to documentaries. He directed: ''Tours en l'air'' (1973), a film about work of dancers Anna-Marie and David Holmes; ''Boo Hoo'' (1974), which concerned a cemetery and crematorium in Saint John, New Brunswick; and ''Animated Motion'' (parts 1–5, 1976–8) and ''McLaren on McLaren'' (1983), which documented the work and philosophy of his colleague Norman McLaren. He also directed '' See You in the Funny Papers'' (1983), which examined the life and work of cartoonist

Lynn Johnston Lynn Johnston (born May 28, 1947) is a Canadian cartoonist and author, best known for her newspaper comic strip '' For Better or For Worse''. She was the first woman and first Canadian to win the National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award. Ea ...

. Munro retired from the National Film Board in 1988.

Recognition

Awards and honors

The 1962 short ''Christmas Cracker'' was nominated for an

and won a Golden Gate Award. ''Canon'' (1964) won the

Canadian Film Award The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...

for Best Arts and Experimental; and ''The Animal Movie'' (1966) won a plate at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

. On June 20, 2007

Concordia University Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...

awarded Munro an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in recognition of his legacy for generations of filmmakers. On October 10, 2008, Munro was made an Officer in the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...

. The backgrounder to the award read as follows:

Grant Munro is a pioneering animator and filmmaker. One of the earliest and longest-serving members of the National Film Board of Canada, he developed innovative techniques that influenced both the film industry and other animators. He produced films that were used as public education tools in schools across Canada, and collaborated with the Montreal Children’s Hospital to create educational films for children with learning disabilities. As well, he was involved in making several award-winning film's and has been an inspiring role model and dedicated mentor to several generations of young filmmakers.

''Grant Munro Rediscovered''

On December 4, 2003, the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

paid tribute to Munro with ''Grant Munro Rediscovered'', a retrospective program of his work:

On the occasion of Grant Munro’s eightieth birthday and the release of a new DVD, ''Cut-Up: The Films of Grant Munro'', the Museum of Modern Art pays tribute to this seminal but under-recognized animator. Working from within the historic Animation Unit of the National Film Board of Canada from 1945 through the early 1970s, Munro directed, produced, shot, edited, and even acted in some of the most significant hand-drawn and pixilated animation ever made. A frequent collaborator with Norman McLaren, Munro brought a wicked wit and sublime grace to the art.

Death

Munro died of an unspecified illness in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

on December 9, 2017, at the age of 94.

References

External links

* * at the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

Watch films by Grant Munro at NFB web site

''Making Movie History: Grant Munro''
(interview) {{DEFAULTSORT:Munro, Grant Officers of the Order of Canada Canadian animators Artists from Winnipeg Film directors from Winnipeg Canadian documentary film directors 1923 births 2017 deaths National Film Board of Canada people Stop motion animators