Janet Perlman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janet Perlman
Janet Perlman
Born	Janet Laurie Perlman 1954 (age 70–71) Canada
Occupation	Animator, author

Janet Laurie Perlman is a talented Canadian artist. She is famous for creating animated films and writing and illustrating children's books. One of her most well-known short films is The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin. This film was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film! It also won a Parents' Choice Award.

So far, her 13 short films have won over 60 awards. Janet Perlman used to be married to animation producer Derek Lamb. They worked together at the National Film Board of Canada. Later, they started their own company, Lamb-Perlman Productions. Today, Janet is a partner at Hulascope Studio in Montreal.

Janet Perlman has created animation for popular TV shows. These include Sesame Street and NOVA. She also helped make the opening titles for the PBS series Mystery!. These titles were based on drawings by Edward Gorey. She even taught animation at top universities. These include Harvard University and the Rhode Island School of Design.

Penguin Adventures in Film and Books

Janet Perlman loves penguin characters! She has made several films and books about them. Her short film The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin became a children's book. It was called Cinderella Penguin.

She also created a funny graphic novel called Penguins Behind Bars. This book was turned into an animated short film in 2003. The film won four awards. One big award was the Platinum Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. This short film was shown on Adult Swim. Janet has also written and illustrated other penguin books. These include The Emperor Penguin's New Clothes and The Penguin and the Pea.

Working with the National Film Board of Canada

Janet Perlman has made many films with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Besides her famous penguin films, she made Lady Fishbourne's Complete Guide to Better Table Manners. This animated short film won first prize in 1976. It was for instructional films at the Ottawa International Film Festival.

In 2005, she made Invasion of the Space Lobsters. This film was a fun look at confusing language. She also worked as an animator on The Hottest Show on Earth (1977). She co-directed Why Me? with Derek Lamb in 1978. In 2014, she made the short film Monsieur Pug. Janet also helped animate Bob's Birthday. This Oscar-winning film was co-produced by the NFB.

The ShowPeace Series for Conflict Resolution

While at the NFB, Janet Perlman helped create the ShowPeace animation series. This series teaches about conflict resolution. Her short film Bully Dance was part of this series. It won thirteen awards! These included Best Animated Short Film from the Children's Jury. It also won the Grand Prix de Montréal.

Another film in the series was Dinner for Two. This film won twelve awards. It received a Grand Prix des Amériques. This was at the Montreal World Film Festival. It also won a UNICEF Jury Award. This award was for Best Short Film. It was given at the Berlin International Film Festival. Janet later turned Dinner for Two into a book. It was called The Delicious Bug.

Hulascope Studio: Creating Animated TV Projects

Janet Perlman started Hulascope Studio with Judith Gruber-Stitzer. Judith is a film composer and used to work at the NFB. Their studio creates animated projects for television.

Penguins Behind Bars was a co-production. It was made by Hulascope and the NFB. This film was a funny take on old prison movies. Janet Perlman co-wrote it with Derek Lamb. It was shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

Other Creative Projects

Janet Perlman's film Sorry Film Not Ready has an interesting story. She had entered a film called Llama Cookin into a festival. But she didn't have the film ready! She tried to withdraw it online but couldn't. So, she changed the title to Sorry Film Not Ready. She hoped the festival would understand. Instead, they extended the deadline! So, Janet quickly finished a one-minute film. It was accepted by the Ottawa festival.

At the 1994 Ottawa International Animation Festival, Janet's short film My Favourite Things That I Love was popular. But it also confused some people. The jury gave her a funny "Best Bad Taste Award" for it. The film later received a "Most Horrible Music Award". This was from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.