Ryan Larkin

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Ryan Larkin (born July 31, 1943 in Montreal) is a Canadian animator who rose to fame with the psychedelic 1969 Oscar-nominated short Walking and successive follow up, Street Musique (1972). He contributed art work and animation effects to the 1974 feature film Running Time, directed by Mort Ransen, in which Ryan also played three bit parts. Prior to Walking, he had made two other short animated films (Cityscape and Syrinx) and had worked on various public works projects developed at the National Film Board of Canada. His own films won many international awards including an Oscar nomination in 1967.

He attended the Art School of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Museum of Fine Art) before working at the National Film Board of Canada from the early 1960s until 1978.

In his early life, Ryan's father was abusive to the whole family, probably because of his alcoholism. This in turn led to Ryan being quite shy, which was worsened by the death of his older brother.

"Ryan" screenshot

In recent years he's been plagued by a downward spiral of drug abuse, alcoholism and homelessness, but recently found himself back in the limelight when a 14-minute computer-animated documentary on his life, Ryan by fellow Canadian animator Chris Landreth, won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Animated Short and screened to acclaim at film festivals around the world. Alter Egos (2004), directed by Laurence Green, is a documentary about the making of Ryan that includes interviews with both Ryan Larkin and Chris Landreth as well as with various people who knew Ryan at the peak of his own success.

Since spring 2005, Ryan Larkin has been working with composer Laurie Gordon of the band Chiwawa on his a new animated film entitled Spare Change (his first in decades). Together they have formed "Spare Change Productions" and are seeking a co-production partner and funding for the film. The film will feature three Chiwawa tunes which Larkin will create animation for - one of these tunes will be Do It For Me from their 2005 CD "Bright".[1]

Larkin, who has panhandled outside Montreal Schwartz's deli, also appears in a new documentary on the famous restaurant, "Chez Schwartz," directed by Garry Beitel [2].