Watch Neighbours

Neighbours from 1952 is a Canadian film that runs for just over eight minutes, and it is directed by Norman McLaren. McLaren is one of the most celebrated experimental animators from his generation, and this movie is one of his earliest works. The entire film is set in a backyard space, and it is presented through stop-motion animation. It features just two characters, Grant Munro and Jean Paul Ladouceur, both of whom are McLarens' fellow animators who perform this film's live-action versions to then use it as visual reference for each animation sequence.

The movie's plot is simple and consists of two neighbors fighting over a small, single flower that blooms in their backyard. The flower stands on the dividing line between their properties, and each neighbor wants it for himself. The situation escalates until both men are in a full-blown war, which ultimately leads to some serious consequences.

The film's black-and-white cinematography adds a melancholic atmosphere to the conflict, making the movie feel like an introspective study on human nature. The black and white actually serve the story well, and it enhances the movie's confrontational tone by creating a visual dichotomy.

Overall, Neighbours from 1952 is a short, entertaining, and thought-provoking film that beautifully conveys the dangers of conflict and the destructive nature in humanity. It's a stunning early specimen of stop-motion animation, and it remains to this day a groundbreaking animation that has inspired many others to follow in the field.

The film's success can also be attributed to the fact that it was made during the period of Cold War tension, and the animators created it in a way that made it universally relevant. Neighbours from 1952 is one of the most unforgettable films of its time, and it will likely continue in cinematic history as a classic masterwork in experimental animation.

Neighbours is a 1963 animated movie with a runtime of 8 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.9.