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Cartoons for Kids
About the playlist
Remember the good old days of hanging out on the couch and enjoying the Saturday morning cartoons? Why not take it up a notch with this selection of classic cartoons from the NFB? From the story of a woman and her feline family in The Dingles to the timeless tale of The Sweater to the Academy® award-winning fable The Sand Castle, these cartoons are sure to entertain children of all ages.
To learn more
Selected films
The Dingles
- Created by award-winning animator/director Les Drew, this animated short features Doris Dingle and her family of three cats. Sure to appeal to children of all ages, The Dingles shows what happens when an unexpected violent wind disrupts the family's idyllic life. The film is based on the book ...
- by Les Drew ,
- 1988,
- 7 min 51 s
The Animal Movie
- An animated cartoon to help children explore why and how animals move as they do. A little boy discovers that he cannot compete with a monkey, a snake or a horse by imitating the way they move. He can only outdistance them when he climbs into a vehicle that can ...
- by Grant Munro ,
- Ron Tunis ,
- 1966,
- 9 min 48 s
The Cat Came Back
- This hilarious Oscar-nominated animation is based on the century-old folk song of the same name. Old Mr. Johnson makes increasingly manic attempts to rid himself of a little yellow cat that just won't stay away... Also won the 1989 Genie Award for best animated short film.
- by Cordell Barker ,
- 1988,
- 7 min 41 s
The Sweater
- In this animated short, Roch Carrier recounts the most mortifying moment of his childhood. At a time when all his friends worshipped Maurice "Rocket" Richard and wore his number 9 Canadiens hockey jersey, he was mistakenly sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Eaton's. Unable to convince his mother ...
- by Sheldon Cohen ,
- 1980,
- 10 min 21 s
The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin
- This short animation is a zany version of the classic fairy tale, with the leading role played by a mistreated, romantic penguin, with hilarious results. Cinderella Penguin loses her magic flipper as she runs to meet her midnight deadline, but all ends well when Prince Charming finds the right webbed ...
- by Janet Perlman ,
- 1981,
- 9 min 57 s
Getting Started
- This hilarious short animated film stars a man who procrastinates. Our hero attempts to practice a piece of music on the piano, but distractions get in the way. When he finally sits down to play, pandemonium breaks loose.
- by Richard Condie ,
- 1979,
- 12 min 22 s
The Underground Movie
- Everyone has wondered what it would be like to dig right through to the other side of the Earth. This animated short takes that notion one step further. Here, the probe is accomplished by an ingenious machine dubbed Old Chucknose, which with the help of amazing gadgetry, bores through every ...
- by Les Drew ,
- 1972,
- 14 min
The Girl Who Hated Books
- This animated short about literacy introduces us to Meena, a young girl who hates book even though her parents love to read. Books are everywhere in Meena's house, in cupboards, drawers and even piled up on the stairs. Still, she refuses to even open one up. But when her ...
- by Jo Meuris ,
- 2006,
- 7 min 21 s
The Chinese Violin
- In this animated short from the Talespinners Collection, a young girl and her father move from China to Canada, bringing only their Chinese violin along for the journey. As they face the challenge of starting fresh in a new place, the music of the violin connects them to the life ...
- by Joe Chang ,
- 2002,
- 8 min 21 s
Asthma Tech
- Filmmaker Jonathan Ng turns the notion of otherness on its head in his semi-autobiographical animated short about young, whimsical, asthmatic Winston. As a result of his illness, Winston is unable to participate in the everyday activities of his peers and classmates. But thanks to his artistic ability and one particularly ...
- by Jonathan Ng ,
- 2006,
- 7 min 9 s
Peep and the Big Wide World
- This series of three 10-minute films features Peep the chicken, Chirp the robin and Quack the duck. On their travels, they meet a cat, a ladybug, a turtle and a frog who speaks from both sides of his mouth. Narrated by Peter Ustinov.
- by Kaj Pindal ,
- 1988,
- 34 min 38 s
Invasion of the Space Lobsters
- When an advanced race of giant lobsters from outer space land on Earth, no one can figure out why they've come. A complete failure to communicate on both ends leads to panic and pandemonium. Why are they here? What do they want? In this clever throwback to the ‘50s ...
- by Janet Perlman ,
- 2005,
- 6 min 50 s
The Hungry Squid
- In this animated short, Oscar®-winner John Weldon (Special Delivery) spins a tall tale about a young girl Dorothy and her myriad troubles: absentee parents, bad hair and a menagerie that devours her homework. But when her pet squid rampages through town and people finally realize that the homework-eating creatures ...
- by John Weldon ,
- 2002,
- 14 min 35 s
Nightmare at School
- Who hasn't felt apprehensive at the thought of starting high school? Playing on imagination and humour, this short film offers viewers a thought-provoking piece dealing with the transition that young people between the ages of 10 and 13 experience. Inspired by the work of Escher and Magritte, Catherine Arcand ...
- by Catherine Arcand ,
- 2007,
- 8 min 43 s
I Want a Dog
- In this animated short by Sheldon Cohen, young May wants a dog more than anything else in the world. She thinks about dogs all the time; she talks about them, reads about them and covers the walls of her bedroom with dog pictures. But every time she asks her parents ...
- by Sheldon Cohen ,
- 2002,
- 10 min 9 s
Science Please! Part 1
- The Science Please! collection uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain various scientific discoveries and phenomena. This compilation includes: The Atom, The State of the Matter, The Dirt on Soap, Explosives, Gravity, Operation Lever, The Force of Water, Lift Off, Wheel Meets Friction, The Internal Combustion Engine ...
- 2001,
- 15 min 59 s
Science Please! Part 2
- The Science Please! collection uses archival footage, animated illustrations and amusing narration to explain various scientific discoveries and phenomena. This compilation includes: Lightning, Magnets, Battery, Electricity, The Light Bulb, Electromagnetic Radiation, Sound Is Vibration, The Telephone, The Wonderful World of Colour, The Moon Changes, Mirrors and Why Is the Sky ...
- 2001,
- 15 min
Oma's Quilt
- Oma's Quilt is a short animation film about love, life and change. It tells the story of Oma, who is moving from her house on Maple Street where she lived most of her life to a senior's residence where she doesn't know anyone. Her granddaughter Emily, a ...
- by Izabela Bzymek ,
- 2007,
- 12 min 52 s
