NELVANA LTD. 

NELVANA LTD.                                                                                                                Location: 25 Dockside Drive, Toronto, Ontario.                                                                Owner: Corus Kids Television.

This company, now owned by Corus Kids Television, was organized in 1971 by Michael Hirsch born in Belgium and raised in Toronto and New York, Patrick Loubert whom Hirsch met a York University and Clive Smith who learned animation in England.

Their first company was Laff Arts located on King Street, Toronto. It made short films and low budget experiments with combinations of live action and animation.

They then organized Nelvana Ltd. and adopted Disney production and story methods.

Early productions were: Cosmic Christmas, co-produced with C.B.C. (It evolved from a dream Loubert had.), The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978), Romie-O and Julie -8 (1979), Intergalactic Thanksgiving (1979), Easter Fever (1980) and “Take Me Up To The Ball Game” (1980).

In 1983 Nelvana took over production of Strawberry Shortcake the first animated series featuring a commercial product. This prompted the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to issue regulations on the use of product-based personalities in cartoons.

In the same year the three partners attempted their first feature length adult film a musical fantasy called Rock & Rule. It was produced by Hirsch and Loubert, directed by Smith, screenplay by John Halfpenny and Peter Saunder. The voice actors were, Don Francs, musician and actor, Susan Roman, a voice actress later employed by Nelvana in Care Bears, Catherine O’Hara, a comedienne of Second City fame and U.S. actor Paul Le Mat. The film was inspired by a previous Nelvana film The Devil and Daniel Mouse. It never reached theatre distribution but did appear in a German Film Festival and on Specialty channels HBO and Showtime. A VHS tape and a laser disc were produced.

In 1985 The Care Bears Movie became the most profitable non-Disney movie to date.

MEDIUM:

DVD ANIMATION COLLECTION:

Content serial & Cover front & back:

Jacob Two-Two vs The Hooded Fang. 2003: ….
“Episode 1: Jacob Two-Two vs the Hooded Fang.” “Episode 16: Jacob Two-Two and the Lost Louse.” “Episode 19: Jacob Two-Two and the Tag Team Tempest.”
Jacob Two-Two and the Hockey Card. 2004: ….
“Jacob Two-Two and the Furry Felon.”

“Jacob Two-Two and the Purloined Hockey Card.”

“Jacob Two-Two and the Fantastic Fountain.”.

BOOK TEXT & GRAPHIC:                                                                                              (Based on Nelvana animated features)

Content story & Cover book front:

A Cosmic Christmas. Writ., Ken Sobol. Songs, Sylvia Tyson. Camelot/Avon Books, Sept. 1979.

The Devil and Daniel Mouse. Writ., Ken Sobol. Songs, John Sebastian. Camelot/Avon Books, Sept. 1979.

SOURCE:

Article book:

Take One’s Essential Guide to Canadian Film. Ed., Wyndham Lewis. University of  Toronto Press, 2001: “Nelvana Studios”: 151-152.

Marvel Super Special, 1-25, Marvel Comics Group, no date: “Rock and Rule.” Car., Bob Budiansky & Clive A. Smith. The official adaption of the feature length animated film. It includes the story and a description of the making of the film.

Article periodical:

Comics Scene, 10, July 1983: “Are You Ready For Rock & Rule?” Writ., Fred Patten: 24-28.

FPS, 11, Autumn 1996: “Retrospective Rock & Rule pt. 1.” Writ., E. Townsend: 14-15.

FPS, 12, 1997: “Retrospective Rock & Rule pt. 2.” Writ., Emru Townsend: 28-35.

Miriad, 4, Summer 1981: “Nelvana.” Hania Wojtowicz: 32-33.

Shift, July 1997: “The Great Animation Conspiracy”: 41.

Article newspaper:

Globe & Mail, 28 Feb. 1981: “Cartoon story of pop music draws from life.” Writ., Jay Scott. E1.

Toronto Sunday Star, 13 Sept. 1981: “Movie magic: The making of a rock musical.” Writ., Michael Hanlon: E3.

Toronto Star, 18 July 1996: What’s On “Animated gestures: Nelvana bequeath’s a quarter century of cartooning to AGO .” Writ., Christopher Hume: G10.

GALLERY:

C:\Users\Robert\Documents\CARTOONING ILLUSTRATION ANIMATION\IMAGE BY ANIMATOR\A COSMIC CHRISTMAS, A Cosmic Christmas, 1979, fc.jpgA Cosmic Christmas, Sept. 1979: Front cover.

C:\Users\Robert\Documents\CARTOONING ILLUSTRATION ANIMATION\IMAGE ANIMATION\JACOB TWO-TWO DVD..jpgJacob Two-Two vs The Hooded Fang. 2003; Front cover