Ryan Larkin
Encyclopedia
Ryan Larkin was a Canadian
animator
, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969
Oscar-nominated short Walking
and the acclaimed Street Musique (1972
). He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan
.
where he studied under Arthur Lismer
(a member of the Group of Seven
) before starting to work at the National Film Board of Canada
in the early 1960s.
(NFB), Ryan learned animation techniques from the ground-breaking and award-winning animator, Norman McLaren
. He made two acclaimed short animated films, Syrinx (1965) and Cityscape (1966), before going on to create Walking (1969). Walking was nominated for an Academy Award in 1970 in the category Best Short Subject, Cartoon, but lost to It's Tough to Be a Bird
by director Ward Kimball
. He went on to direct the award-winning short Street Music, which premiered in 1972 and would be the last of his works, finished during his lifetime.
He also contributed art work and animation effects to NFB films including the 1974 feature Running Time, directed by Mort Ransen, in which Ryan also played three bit parts.
Ryan left the NFB in 1978.
, alcoholism
and homelessness
, but towards the end of his life found himself back in the limelight when a 14-minute computer-animated
documentary on his life, Ryan by fellow Canadian animator Chris Landreth
, won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film
and screened to acclaim at film festivals around the world. Alter Egos (2004), directed by Laurence Green, is a documentary about the making of Ryan that includes interviews with both Larkin and Chris Landreth as well as with various people who knew Ryan at the peak of his own success.
, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
and SODEC but were still short of financing. MusiVision and the National Film Board of Canada went into co-production only after Larkin's death. Spare Change premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema on October 9, 2008. Spare Change features three CHIWAWA tunes for which Larkin created storyboards and animation, including Do It For Me from the 2005 release Bright. A new CHIWAWA album Bus Stop Chinese Buffet will include tracks from Spare Change including Overcast Skies whose lyrics were penned by Larkin, and part of a group of Larkin poems - Beat Poems For Grandkids.
MusiVision is also producing a documentary for CTV Television about Ryan's final years and his comeback to his art. A feature version will also be released.
Larkin, who had panhandled outside Montreal Schwartz's
deli, appeared briefly in a documentary on the famous restaurant, Chez Schwartz, directed by Garry Beitel
In December 2006, Larkin created three five-second bumpers for MTV in Canada, a preview to Spare Change. Larkin said that he had given up some bad habits, including drinking, in order to better focus on his animating career.
on February 14, 2007 from lung cancer
which had spread to his brain.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
, artist, and sculptor who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969
1969 in film
The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
Oscar-nominated short Walking
Walking (1968 animated film)
Walking is a 1968 animated film by Canadian directed and produced by Ryan Larkin, composed of animated vignettes of how different people walk....
and the acclaimed Street Musique (1972
1972 in film
The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB...
). He was the subject of the Oscar-winning film Ryan
Ryan (film)
Ryan is a 2004 animated documentary by Chris Landreth about the Canadian animator Ryan Larkin, who in later years lived on skid row in Montreal following a history of drug and alcohol abuse....
.
Home life and education
Ryan Larkin's father was an airline mechanic. Ryan Larkin had attended the Art School of the Montreal Museum of Fine ArtsMontreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is a major museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1860, making it Canada's oldest art institution, it moved to its current location in 1912 thanks to a large donation from businessman James Ross....
where he studied under Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer
Arthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
(a member of the Group of Seven
Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
) before starting to work at the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
in the early 1960s.
NFB years
At the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(NFB), Ryan learned animation techniques from the ground-breaking and award-winning animator, Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
. He made two acclaimed short animated films, Syrinx (1965) and Cityscape (1966), before going on to create Walking (1969). Walking was nominated for an Academy Award in 1970 in the category Best Short Subject, Cartoon, but lost to It's Tough to Be a Bird
It's Tough to Be a Bird
It's Tough to Be a Bird is a 1969 educational animated short made by Walt Disney Productions. It won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1970 and was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for Best Animated Film in 1971....
by director Ward Kimball
Ward Kimball
Ward Walrath Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as Disney's Nine Old Men.-Career:...
. He went on to direct the award-winning short Street Music, which premiered in 1972 and would be the last of his works, finished during his lifetime.
He also contributed art work and animation effects to NFB films including the 1974 feature Running Time, directed by Mort Ransen, in which Ryan also played three bit parts.
Ryan left the NFB in 1978.
Ryan, the film
In later years Ryan was plagued by a downward spiral of drug abuseDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and homelessness
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
, but towards the end of his life found himself back in the limelight when a 14-minute computer-animated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
documentary on his life, Ryan by fellow Canadian animator Chris Landreth
Chris Landreth
Chris Landreth is an American animator working in Canada, best known for his work on the 2004 film, Ryan. He has made many CGI animated films since the mid-90s, including The End, Bingo, The Listener, Caustic Sky: A Portrait of Regional Acid Deposition, and Data Driven The Story Of Franz...
, won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
and screened to acclaim at film festivals around the world. Alter Egos (2004), directed by Laurence Green, is a documentary about the making of Ryan that includes interviews with both Larkin and Chris Landreth as well as with various people who knew Ryan at the peak of his own success.
Later work
As of 2002, Larkin had been working with composer Laurie Gordon of the band Chiwawa on a new animated film entitled Spare Change, his first auteur film in 35 years. Together they formed Spare Change Productions and were seeking funding for the film through Gordon's production company MusiVision. They received grants from Bravo!FACTBravo!FACT
Bravo!FACT is a Canadian fund established in 1995 to fund the creation of Canadian arts-based short films and videos. Bravo!FACT funds shorts from various subject matters, genres and styles including animation, drama, comedy, dance, and more...
, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec is a public agency founded in 1994 by the government of Quebec .- Mission :The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec offers support and funding for art projects that exhibit artistic excellence...
and SODEC but were still short of financing. MusiVision and the National Film Board of Canada went into co-production only after Larkin's death. Spare Change premiered at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema on October 9, 2008. Spare Change features three CHIWAWA tunes for which Larkin created storyboards and animation, including Do It For Me from the 2005 release Bright. A new CHIWAWA album Bus Stop Chinese Buffet will include tracks from Spare Change including Overcast Skies whose lyrics were penned by Larkin, and part of a group of Larkin poems - Beat Poems For Grandkids.
MusiVision is also producing a documentary for CTV Television about Ryan's final years and his comeback to his art. A feature version will also be released.
Larkin, who had panhandled outside Montreal Schwartz's
Schwartz's
Schwartz's, also known as the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen is a delicatessen established in 1928 by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. It is a landmark at 3895 Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the most famous Montreal-style smoked meat restaurant. Schwartz's often has a line extending...
deli, appeared briefly in a documentary on the famous restaurant, Chez Schwartz, directed by Garry Beitel
In December 2006, Larkin created three five-second bumpers for MTV in Canada, a preview to Spare Change. Larkin said that he had given up some bad habits, including drinking, in order to better focus on his animating career.
Death
Ryan Larkin died in Saint-Hyacinthe, QuebecSaint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Saint-Hyacinthe is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 55,823. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérégie region, and is traversed by the Yamaska River which flows...
on February 14, 2007 from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
which had spread to his brain.
External links
- Ryan Larkin at the NFB (watch Street Musique and Walking for free)
- Official website of the upcoming "Spare Change" film (includes contact information)
- Animation World Magazine - Last Exit on St. Laurent Street
- NFB Web page for the animated short Ryan
- NFB Web page for the documentary Alter Egos
- Film Reference Library biography