Ludovic

Distributed by National Film Board of Canada, 1123 Broadway, Suite 307, New York, NY 10010; 800-542-2164Produced by National Film Board of CanadaA film by Co Hoedeman2000, VHS, color, 10 min. There's not very much to say about the ten-minute film Ludovic: A Crocodile in My Garden other than that it demonstrates the considerable animation skills of humane filmmaker Co Hoedeman. The characters comprise a real teddy bear, Ludovic, and a ménage of origami animals - the crocodile of the title, elephants, giraffes, etc. A picnic in the garden is interrupted by horseplay (yes!) among the animals, Ludovic sulks, then rescues the paper creatures from the rain, and the picnic is picked up indoors with loving feelings all around. A simple tale simply told - too simple and too simply, perhaps, for its intended audience of children up to Grade 3. In a modern fable written over forty years ago, James Thurber reminded us that children these days are not so easily fooled as they used to be. At least when it comes to animated entertainment, the moral is probably even truer today.