Here we have a wonderful New Year’s greeting from the early-1980s, written on an exposure sheet by the late-Norman McLaren—a pioneering animator who in 1941 established an animation studio at the National Film Board of Canada in Montreal, a studio in which he produced numerous award-winning films and taught countless aspiring animators until his retirement in 1983—and circulated amongst his fellow animators.

Happy New Year!

Transcript follows. Image from the collection of Kaj Pindal—huge thanks to Amir Avni.

Transcript

To all animators

New Year Greetings

from Norman McLaren

My best wishes for seven hundred and fifty six million, eight hundred and sixty four thousand frames of hale and hearty good health in 1983.

For the two to three hundred million frames of them when you will be unconscious, may your R.E.M. sleep be dappled with delightful, delicious or delirious dreams.

Of the approximate one hundred and fifty two million when you are at work, may they be crammed with contented cat-purring craftsmanship enlivened by many million-frame bursts of consummate creativity.

As for the 352 million frames of leisure time, may you find tranquility, peace, joy, happiness or jubilation, or whatever you are searching for.

There will be nearly nine million frames spent eating; be it gluttonous or graceful, be it gallimaufrous or gourmet, may you always have goluptious gustification.

Of the “I-don’t-know-how-many” million frames you will spend in amorous activity may you have sinless, sweet, soulful and sensational sex!

God bless you.

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A HANDY REFERENCE GUIDE FOR ANIMATORS

1 SEC. 24 = 24

1 MIN. 24×60 = 1,440

1 HR. 24x60x60 = 86,400

1 DAY 24x60x60x24 = 2,073,600

1 YEAR 24x60x60x24x365 = 756,864,000

10 YRS. 24x60x60x24x365x10 = 7,568,640,000

100 YRS. 24x60x60x24x365x10x100 = 75,686,400,000

(I hope I’m correct.)

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As you know, our CONSCIOUS impression of time is very elastic. The greater the cerebral or emotional activity the shorter seems a second; the lesser the cerebral & emotional activity (COMPLETE BOREDOM) the longer seems a second.

THE BEST POEM I KNOW ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF TIME IS –

THE DAY

The day was a year at first

When children played in the garden;

The day shrank down to a month

When the boys played ball;

The day was a week thereafter

When young men walked in the garden;

The day will last forever

When it is nothing at all.

Theodore Spencer

20th century American poet.