The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend facts for kids

The Owl Who Married a Goose: An Eskimo Legend is a short animated film made in Canada in 1974. It was created by Caroline Leaf and produced by the National Film Board of Canada along with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. This film tells a classic Inuit story using a special animation style.

What is the Film About?

This animated short film shares an old Inuit legend. It tells the story of an owl and a goose who decide to get married, even though they are very different animals.

The Story of the Owl and the Goose

The film shows how the goose, following its natural instincts, joins other geese when it's time to fly south for the winter. The owl tries to follow its new partner, but it's hard for an owl to keep up with flying geese! When the geese land on a lake to rest, the owl can't float on the water like a goose and sinks.

Even though the characters speak in Inuktitut (the language of the Inuit people) without subtitles, the story is easy to understand through the animation.

How the Film Was Made

Caroline Leaf worked with Inuit artists to make sure the film looked and felt right. They used a unique animation method called sand animation. This is where sand is moved around on a glass surface that is lit from below. This creates beautiful, flowing pictures that tell the story.

Awards and Recognition

The Owl Who Married a Goose received several important awards and nominations:

• It won a Canadian Film Award for Animated Short and for Overall Sound.
• It was nominated for Best Animated Short by BAFTA.
• It won First Prize for Films for Children at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.