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Cast

No credited cast is listed for this film.

Credits

Cinematography: J. Gillissie
Music: Eldon Rathburn
Produced by: Norman McLaren

Plot

Perhaps the only film whose content is totally based on the musical form known as canon. The first sequence is a simple demonstration of the canon "Frere Jacques" where four cubes dance and combine with one another on a checkerboard.

Sinekatalog’s take

McLaren builds an entire short around the musical canon, starting with a simple Frère Jacques demonstration where cubes dance and interlock on a checkerboard. It is clever, precise and playful, a lesson in form disguised as animation. Great for music lovers and design-minded viewers.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

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Ratings

IMDb: 6.9 / 10 (461 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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