Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This films shows the stupidity of all war conflicts throughout human history in a minimalistic and symbolical way. The plot is quite basic - 2 neighbours live peacefully until an apple of discord in the form of beautiful flower appears. They fight over it eventually murdering their families and each other.I have no clue how this film got classified as a documentary.I have no clue how this film could have won an Oscar without the wife and children murder scene. If you throw away the rest of the short and just leave that scene without any backstory,it will touch you deeply in the heart.It captures the essence of war - terror,grief,pain. The pain of the non interfering observer.Despite simplicity of the visual means in this scene,the "language" is very grotesque and powerful,one can compare it to the the language of the Bible or Iliad,to the aesthetics of Greek sculpture.All in all it is a must see short,enjoy watching!

This humorous and dazzling short film from 1952 features the slapstick hijinks of two neighbors in card-board cut-out land who, upon being seduced by a joy-inducing dandelion (and I mean this literally, I'm not referring to a woman), get into an argument over borders, at which point mayhem ensues. It is a simple and short and entertaining fable complete with moral provided at the end, though there's something to be said about how entertaining the action is despite its theme of non-violence like in mainstream cinema too. However, in terms of sheer inventiveness and animated wizardry, this movie is surprising and awe-inspiring. The creativity behind the actions and how it eventually builds is a testament to McLaren's wit and genius.--PolarisDiB

This is a rather heavy-handed but well made animated short about war. While the message is presented through "sledgehammer symbolism" (i.e., it wasn't exactly subtle), the film's stop-motion cinematography was very nice and well done. It certainly is interesting.The movie begins with two normal looking 1950s era guy sitting outside their cutout homes. Both are sitting in lounge chairs reading their newspapers (which, in a not so subtle move, have headlines about war). Then, suddenly, a flower appears on the border of their yards and both think it's the most wonderful flower in the world. However, because they both love it so much, they begin fighting over it--almost like in a Tom & Jerry movie! At first, it's kind of funny, but when it degenerates to attacking their wives and babies, the joke is over. Ultimately, it ends on a very fitting note.

This film is amazing. Truly amazing.The knack for animation seems to be one of Canada's greatest gifts, so I guess that would make Norm McLaren the most generous man at the party. This piece is visually stunning; watching the characters cascade across the screen with the help of stop-motion techniques is a thing of beauty. The awkward, electronique-esque soundtrack conjures up, and speaks for, every single emotion that McLaren is trying to get across visually. In eight minutes, McLaren develops the two male characters, and their emotions, better than a feature length Hollywood production could in two hours. Could he have made it longer? Sure...but he said all he needed to say in the few minutes he worked with...namely, "Love Thy Neighbour". If you can't find this Oscar winner (for Best Animation Short oh so long ago) you are really missing out on something magical. A thing of beauty, and a Canadian gem. Thanks, Mr. McLaren.