Frédéric Back: Radio-Canada's world-renowned animator

"Animation is a mad passion that comes straight from the heart." - Frédéric Back

Radio-Canada is proud to present at the Shanghai World Expo, part of the work of Frédéric Back. The father of animation at Radio-Canada, this modest man has inspired several generations of creators. Animation, both at Radio-Canada and around the world, wouldn't be what it is today without Mr. Back's contribution.

The early years: exploring and discovering

Frédéric Back was among the pioneers of television at Radio-Canada. In 1952, when television services were just starting up, Mr. Back, then a 28-year-old immigrant from Alsace with a degree in fine arts, joined Radio-Canada's titling department. He soon began adding drawings to the lettering of the titles. When his supervisors discovered his talent, they made him an illustrator for the department, which later became Radio-Canada's graphic arts studio.

At the time, television offered so many creative possibilities, and Mr. Back and other passionate artists revelled in exploring new avenues and breaking new ground. Until 1961, he was a jack of all trades, doing illustration, animation, live drawing, visual effects, special effects, and models and sets for the programs Le nez de Cléopâtre, L'heure du concert The Concert Hour, Le grenier aux images, D'Iberville and others. He also produced many animated sequences for these programs.

25 years of animation

In 1966, Radio-Canada set up an animation studio. Two years later, Mr. Back joined the studio to devote himself full-time to animation and eventually create short films based on his scripts. Here he honed his skills and experimented with animation techniques. As the animation studio blossomed, Mr. Back started making his own animated films at Radio-Canada.

With help from the teams in place, he completed Abracadabra (1970), Inon or the Conquest of Fire (1972), The Creation of Birds (1972), Illusion (1975), Taratata (1977) and All Nothing (1978). Then in 1981, Crac!, an enchanting tale about a rocking chair, earned Mr. Back and Radio-Canada their first Oscar. Six years later, the extraordinary and exquisite The Man Who Planted Trees (1987), based on a short story by Jean Giono, won Mr. Back and Radio-Canada a second Oscar.

Finally, in 1993, Mr. Back's career with Radio-Canada came to a close with the film The Mighty River, a homage to the St. Lawrence River that promotes environmental awareness. For further details on Mr. Back and his work, please log on to www.fredericback.com and www.radio-canada.ca/jeunesse.