Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded in 1971 by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith, it was named after Nelvana of the Northern Lights, the first Canadian national superhero, who was created by Adrian Dingle. The company's production logo is a polar bear looking at the North Star.
Dave Sim is a Canadian cartoonist and publisher, best known for his comic book Cerebus, his artistic experimentation, his advocacy of self-publishing and creators' rights, and his controversial political and philosophical beliefs.
Patrick Loubert was one of the founders of the Canadian animation studio, Nelvana Limited, along with Clive A. Smith and Michael Hirsh. He has produced, and executive-produced, much of the company's most memorable fare.
Clive A. Smith is a British expatriate director and animator who, with Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert, founded Canadian animation studio Nelvana in 1971.
Michael Hirsh is a Belgian-born Canadian producer. He has been a significant figure in the Canadian television industry, or more specifically children's programming, since the 1980s. Some of his most known productions include Committed, Blaster's Universe, Clone High, Franklin, Rolie Polie Olie, Johnny Test, Arthur, Caillou, Will and Dewitt, Spider Riders, World of Quest, Magi-Nation, Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures, Strawberry Shortcake, and The Magic School Bus.
Rock & Rule is a 1983 Canadian adult animated musical science fantasy film featuring the voices of Don Francks, Greg Salata and Susan Roman. It was produced and directed by Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert, and Clive A. Smith with John Halfpenny, Patrick Loubert, and Peter Sauder at the helm of its screenplay.
Ned's Newt is an animated series created by Andy Knight and Mike Burgess and is co-produced by Nelvana and German company TMO Film GmbH in conjunction with Studio B Productions. The series aired on Teletoon from 1997 to 1999. In the United States, the program aired on Fox Kids starting on February 7, 1998 on Saturday mornings to January 1, 1999. However, only the first season aired on Fox Kids in the U.S. while the series was never rebroadcast for many years.
Small Star Cinema is a series of live-action/animated shorts broadcast on CBC Television from April 12, 1974 to May 24, 1975 as part of their Bagatelle, Camera Twelve and Children's Cinema series. It was produced by Michael Hirsh and Patrick Loubert, and starred Clive A. Smith. Each short began with a small animated character purposefully walking into a spotlight. The series was then followed by the 1975 Christmas special Christmas Two Step also made for the CBC that has a similar premise.
Babar is an animated television series produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and The Clifford Ross Company. It premiered in 1989 on CBC and US HBO, and subsequently was rerun on Qubo from its launch 2006 until its closure in 2021. The series is based on Jean de Brunhoff's original Babar books, and was Nelvana's first international co-production. The show has been dubbed in 30 languages in over 150 countries.
Avrom Yanovsky (1911–1979) was a Canadian graphic artist and editorial cartoonist, whose work appeared in a variety of leftist publications. He was known professionally as Avrom, though some of his work was also signed Armand, Richards or Tinòdi. In 1966-67, he was president of the Canadian Society of Graphic Art. His son was musician and restaurateur Zalman Yanovsky.
Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise is an 1983 American animated television special that first premiered in New York City on March 31, 1983 and in Los Angeles, California on April 1, 1983. This is the first Strawberry Shortcake television special produced by Nelvana. This is also the first Strawberry Shortcake television special to be distributed by Lexington Broadcast Services. The following year in 1984, Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise was released onto home video, being VHS.
The Brain is a fictional character created by Leo Bachle for Bell Features, a Canadian comic company in the 1940s, and first appeared in Active Comics #1.
The Wizard is a fictional superhero character created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr. for MLJ Comics, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #1 in December 1939, and he was one of the headliners of that title until its cancellation in 1944. He was one of the earliest superhero characters to appear after the debut of Superman in 1938.
Denise "Deni" Loubert is a Canadian comics publisher, co-founder of Aardvark-Vanaheim, and founder of Renegade Press. She is the ex-wife of Dave Sim, with whom she founded Aardvark-Vanaheim and published Cerebus from issues #1 to #77 (1977–1985).
Nelvana of the Northern Lights is a Canadian comic book character and the first Canadian national superhero, debuting in Hillborough Studios' Triumph-Adventure Comics #1. She is also one of the first female superheroes, debuting before Wonder Woman but after Fantomah, the Golden Age Black Widow, Invisible Scarlet O'Neil and others introduced in 1940. Nelvana of the Northern Lights is Canada’s first distinctly Canadian female superhero.
Canadian Whites were World War II-era comic books published in Canada that featured colour covers with black-and-white interiors. Notable characters include Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Johnny Canuck, Brok Windsor, and Canada Jack. The period has been called the Golden Age of Canadian comics.
Canadian comics refers to comics and cartooning by citizens of Canada or permanent residents of Canada regardless of residence. Canada has two official languages, and distinct comics cultures have developed in English and French Canada. The English tends to follow American trends, and the French, Franco-Belgian ones, with little crossover between the two cultures. Canadian comics run the gamut of comics forms, including editorial cartooning, comic strips, comic books, graphic novels, and webcomics, and are published in newspapers, magazines, books, and online. They have received attention in international comics communities and have received support from the federal and provincial governments, including grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. There are comics publishers throughout the country, as well as large small press, self-publishing, and minicomics communities.
Bell Features, also known as Commercial Signs of Canada, was a Canadian comic book publisher during the World War II era. They were the most successful of the publishers of "Canadian Whites", and published comics such as Adrian Dingle's Nelvana of the Northern Lights.
Harry Joseph Brunt was a Canadian cartoonist who made significant humorous contributions during the era of the Canadian Whites. He is the father of Stephen Brunt, a sports columnist for The Globe and Mail.
"The Great Canadian Comic Books" Nelvana documentary (16mm 1971), YouTube
