Canada Vignettes: Log Driver's Waltz

This is the type of short that would likely not be done without something like the National Film Board of Canada doing the funding, as it really isn't that financially viable. An independent studio would probably be happy to tackle something like it (and some have) if funds aren't a problem. The short is, to all intents and purposes, a music video for the folk song Log Driver's Waltz. It begins with a quite brief live action shot of a log driver at work and changes into animation for the remainder of its length. The music is great, the animation is cute and the whole package is quite charming. This shows periodically on O Canada, when that show is on the Cartoon Network's schedule. Well worth watching. Recommended.

One of the best known NFB films, the movie mirthfully depicts a woman's decision to turn down chances to dance with doctors, lawyers and tycoons, and instead chooses to dance with a log driver. In this celebration of the men who for generations drove logs from northern forests to sawmills and pulp mills in the South - one of Canada's most important industries - the woman wants to dance with one of the men who scampers over the logs as they hurtle downstream, keeping them from jamming against the shoreline, because he can dance better than any man. This animation short is directed by John Weldon, one of the NFB's most prolific and skilled animators.

This film from The National Film Board of Canadian is very nice cartoon, simply animated, and incorporated with footage of REAL log drivers. It what you would expect from a cartoon in the simplest of kinds, not too long, not too annoying, just nice and happy to watch. Very simple and nice. It's only under two minutes, which is just fine. So you watch it over and over again if you'd like, because it is such a nice little cartoon. I like the sketchy/cartoon/unrealistic look of it, which really illustrates the old-time spirit of the song and it lyrics, a kind of spirit not really captured in most modern animation these days. It rank right up there with other NFB films like "The Cat Came Back" and "Neighbors" and is a little slice of Canadian life as well!

This short animated film (three minutes) was very cute and a lot of fun to watch.

It's colorful animation set to one song: "The Log Driver's Waltz," sung by Kate and Anna McGarrigle and the Mountain City Four. It's what he used to call a "folk song." It's a catchy song and amusing to hear.

The beginning had me puzzled as to whether this was what it was advertised, namely an animated movie, because we actual footage of Canadian loggers doing their thing down some river. Those guys are pretty nimble, by the way. All of a sudden, the picture turns to animation and we see one logger going down the "white water," and a ton of things happening en route, including a marriage. There is so much to see in just two minutes there is no sense describing it all except to say it's very entertaining with bright, bold colors and humorous animation.

The latter was provided by John Weldon, who directed and drew it. I can see why Leonard Maltin picked this simple little tale as part of his DVD called "Leonard Maltin's Animation Favorites From The National Film Board Of Canada.

This three minute short packs a lot of Canadiana into a small package. The song is darn catchy. It is lots of fun and delivers on the intention of the NFB. It's about a girl who pines for her log driver and his dancing abilities. Not only are there log drivers, but there is a moose and a beaver. This and "The Hockey Sweater" are examples of great Canadian animated shorts that form the foundations of a country.