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H I S T O R Y



Animathon — The Word
The word animathon, which is a combination of the words animation and marathon, expresses the two aspects of our games and workshops: the production of an animated film in record time.


What is Animathon©?
The animathon© game was developed in Montreal by the director André Leduc to popularize the production of animated film.

The animathon takes on the challenge of producing an animated film in record time. The only one of its kind, this game makes it possible to discover the world of animated film in an entertaining and stimulating way. Various animated-film techniques can be adapted to the number of participants and your particular time frame, according to the themes chosen.

The First Animathon in the World.
At the end of May 1981, seventy-two people took part in an unparalleled event: The first animathon in the world.

For two days, on 30 and 31 May 1981, twelve 6-member teams each made cartoons, in a spirit of playfulness and competition.

These budding animated film-makers had to create a film using their imaginations, a Sonoscript©, and 90 seconds of music.

Each team had to plan, draw and film 1,080 drawings in black and white that were developed and edited for projection on the evening of 31 May. This came to a total of twelve shorts, consisting of 12,960 drawings, not including the credits.

This completely original approach — the brainchild of André Leduc, who created animathon when working at Concordia University in Montreal — revolutionized traditional methods of producing animated films.

This experiment resulted in the production of an 18-minute film presenting twelve interpretations of the same sound track: the first molto allegro movement of Mozart's 40th Symphony, arranged by the composer Normand Roger.

The best films caught the attention of a jury composed of Minou Petrowski, film critic; Maurice Blackburn, musician; and Paul Driessen animated film-maker.

To the best of our knowledge, this event was an absolute first, and we baptized this novel game: The first animathon in the world.
















Animathon Workshops around the World
Animathon films have been produced in several countries and cities in America, Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean.


Animathon Workshops around the World
Our animathon workshops have welcomed thousands of participants throughout the world. The animathon has proven to be rapid, efficient, and capable of producing several films of excellent artistic calibre. This has won us awards such as the Pierrot d’or, received for our animathon game and for our film entries during the Semaine de la critique at Cannes in 1990.

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National and International Prizes
Our professional productions have won prizes in national and international festivals.


National and International Prizes — Festivals
Among others, let us mention:

  • First Prize in Animation at the Atlantic Festival, NFB 1987: Maille Maille produced by Anne-Marie Sirois.

  • Pierrot d’or, Cointreau Foundation award for short subjects, Semaine de la critique — award for animathon games and films, Cannes 1990.

  • Jours de Plaine by Réal Bérard and André Leduc, NFB 1990: Best video clip of the year, Much Music Canadian Music Video Awards 1991, Toronto; Nomination in Cannes, France 1990.

  • Awards were also received from national and international juries during animathon workshops at different festivals (Rimouski Carrousel international du film, Cartoon's on the Bay, Treviso Cartoon 1990,Archeotoons 2001 to 2007 and several others).

The competitive spirit required for animathon work has sparked the production of these films in a relatively short time.