MUNROE Grant
Born 25 April 1923 in Winnipeg.
He attended the Musgrove School of Art and the Winnipeg School of Art. In 1994, he earned an honours diploma from the Ontario College of Art.
He joined the National Film Board, and in 1945 animated the songs “My Darling Clementine” and “Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze” using cutouts.
He was one of the two actors in Neighbours, and coined the term “pixilation” for the technique used in the film. He acted in and co-wrote Two Baguatelles and Cannon with Norman McLaren. He did story boards and helped animate Potterton’s My Financial Career an adaption of Stephen Leacock’s story.
In the 1970’s he shifted to documentaries, doing McLaren on McLaren (1983) and See You In The Funny Papers: The Life and Work of Lynn Johnston (1983).
He retired in 1988.
In December 2003, the Museum of Modern Art produced the exhibit Grant Munroe Rediscovered – a retrospective.
WORK:
ACTOR:
FILM:
Neighbours, 1952, 8 min., 10 sec., techniques used to animate drawings or puppets were used to animate live actors. It is sometimes called pixilation. Sound also animated. Story of two neighbours who kill each other and their families over desire to possess a flower. Eight awards including Hollywood, Oscar, Rome.
Two Bagatelles, 1952, 2 min., 22 sec., two studies using pixilation. “On the Lawn” actor Munroe does a pixilated waltz to McLaren’s synthetic music. “In the Backyard” is a fast march to a calliope.
Canon, 1964, 9 min., 13 sec., a visual and musical demonstration of the canon, a type of music. Included live action photography of actor Grant Munroe. Five awards, including Canadian Film Award, Melbourne.
SOURCE:
Article book:
a handbook of Canadian film. Writ., Eleanor Beattie. Peter Martin Associates Ltd/Take One, 1973: “Grant Munroe”: 173.