The Owl and The Lemming (1971)
Filed under: Animation, 1970s, Canada, Children's film, Color, Germaine Arnaktauyok, National Film Board of Canada, Puppetoons, Racial representation, Stop Motion,
The Owl and The Lemming
Directed by:Co Hoederman
Producers:Pierre Moretti
Animated by:Michèle Pauzé
Music by:Eric Tagoona
Layouts by: Backgrounds by: Studio:National Film Board of Canada
Indian Film Crew
Release date:1971
Running time:6 min
Color process:Color
Synopsis
The Owl and The Lemming is a puppet stop-motion short made by the director Co Hoederman, in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada’s Indian Film Crew. The short presents an Inuit folktale about the value of wisdom through the story of a lemming being hunted by an owl, featuring English narration alongside Inuktitut music.
The Owl and The Lemming is part of a short film anthology series from the NFB called “Eskimo Tales.” This series sought to preserve and popularize traditional Inuit stories through animated film.
References:
“The Owl and The Lemming: An Eskimo Legend” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0hs5hm252w Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.
“The Owl and The Lemming: An Eskimo Legend” NFB, https://www.nfb.ca/film/owl_and_the_lemming/ Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.