Canada Vignettes: Hudden and Dudden and Donald O'Neary

There's a "silver lining in every cloud" as Donald O'Neary turns every misfortune his two neighbours can engineer into gold coins. Against the background of the Irish countryside, the customary "rich but dumb" characters meet their match in the "poor but crafty" hero. The story introduces the student to our rich multicultural background through the exploration of folklore of one of the peoples that make up Canada's cultural mosaic.

Toe

A stop-motion gothic folktale. A starving young boy eats a human toe that he finds in the ground. Later that night, something comes to his bedroom wanting it back.

Kirikou et la sorcière

Drawn from elements of West African folk tales, it depicts how a newborn boy, Kirikou, saves his village from the evil witch Karaba.

O starém psu Bodříkovi

Night after night, Bodřík dutifully protects his master's humble farm and livestock from prowling wolves. But when his master decides it’s time to get a younger dog to guard the farm, Bodřík is sent to stay in the junkyard. The first night without Bodřík's watchful eye, one wolf sees his opportunity to strike.

Journey Mercies

A short drama about a library cleaner who plans a final return to Nigeria, his birth country.

女娲补天

Short animated version of the Chinese folktale, Nüwa Mends the Heavens

Mutzmag

Tom Davenport's realistic adaptation of an old Appalachian story. With nothing more than her plucky spirit and her pocket knife, a mountain girl outwits a witch and an ogre to save herself and her sisters. Part of the PBS series "From the Brothers Grimm." Winner Chicago International Children's Film Festival. Ages 10 and above.

Gutten som kappåt med trollet

An exuberant story about Askeladden, the hero of Norwegian traditional fairy tales, outwitting the good-natured troll.

Magyar népmesék 1. Kacor Király

How Death Came to Earth

How Death Came to Earth is a 14 minute cutout animation film by Ishu Patel produced in 1971 by the National Film Board of Canada. The film deals with an Indian myth of creation, and is notable for its trippy visual style.

Mmanwu

An animated horror short about a Nigerian-American teenager returning to Nigeria after the death of her grandfather.

Naledi

A star athlete has to come to terms with her debilitating grief to regain her confidence and finish her race.

Tales of Magic: Volume 3

A collection of stories compiled from the English dub of the Madhouse anime series Manga Fairy Tales of the World.

日月

Chang E was chosen to become the bride of a god and forced to separate with Hou Yi, the man that she loves. However, they refuse to accept their fate and put up a fight against the immortals.

Kris The Cat

The Queen's cat goes on an adventure in the countryside where he discovers that love, in its many forms, surrounds him.

Сказка о царе Салтане

Tale - this is what is everyone from childhood. Give yourself a chance to once again return to the magical world created by Alexander Pushkin. Adventures brave Tsarevich Guidon, beautiful Swan-Tsar Saltan reminded of that love, loyalty and the spirit always wins!

おこんじょうるり

The 25 minute film tells the tale of an ailing elderly woman named Itako who encounters a fox named Okon. The story opens with Itako lying bedridden, as she has for a long time. Okon enters her home and Itako tells the fox that he is welcome to take anything that he wants, for she has no use for anything anymore. Okon is delighted and in order to return the favour (the act of ongaeshi), Okon performs a magic jyōruri (a ballad with shamisen accompaniment) that heals Itako so that she is fit enough to walk again. Everyone is surprised by Itako's sudden recovery. She then hears of a hunter who has been badly injured and is near death. Itako hides Okon in the back of her shirt and has the fox sing the song while she plays shamisen in order to heal the man. This act of kindness is repeated for others until Itako's good fortune leads some to be suspicious of her.

Legend of Firefly Marsh

Firefly Marsh is a fog-enshrouded corner of the world, steeped in mystery. Stories of what lurks in the dark waters date back to Indian lore. But could Firefly Marsh really hide a prehistoric creature like the one in Loch Ness? Twelve year-old Charlie Curtis and his friend Jim may have found the answer after "something" swamps their dingy in the marsh. Was it the monster? For Charlie, that night sparks a personal odyssey that will take over half a century to finish. The memory of what he saw becomes his obsession, his lifelong passion. When Charlie's grandson, Kevin, comes to visit for the summer, he becomes caught up in his grandfather's stories. Are Charlie's stories just to entertain the local children or is there some truth to the old man's tale? Soon the curious teenager begins his own adventure, a quest to solve the mystery behind The Legend of Firefly Marsh. - Written by Gabe Torres

Василиса Прекрасная

Young prince meets a talking frog who turns out to be a beautiful but cursed princess. To remove the curse, he must go on a quest to find and outsmart the forest witch Baba Yaga.

ゆめみのえ

The painter Kuwagata Keisai lived over 200 years ago. He created 'Ways to Sketch', a series of picture books illustrating humans and animals, all richly expressed. One day he was sketching out a carp, just at that moment he slept and he became a carp in dream. A carp was enjoy to swimming, but a fisherman caught that carp...