Paddle to the Sea

This was a nice little half-hour movie, which reminded me a bit of another film of similar length that was popular 50 years ago: The Red Balloon. "Paddle To The Sea," made 42 years ago, never got the publicity or achieved the popularity of "The Red Balloon" but if you liked the latter, you'll like this. I enjoyed them equally.

This is a Canadian movie which begins by showing a boy whittling this amazing piece of work: an Indian - very stoic looking - sitting in his canoe. On the side of the boat, he asks that anyone who handles this piece of art, "please throw it back in the water." The boy decides to let this boat go as far as it can in the water. Although he lives on a mountain, he knows once the ice of winter melts, the boat will slide down the steep hill into a small creek and then into a river, into a bigger river and, hopefully, all the way to Atlantic Ocean.

We (the camera) follow the progress of this little toy boat through several seasons, some human contact, some contact with sea creatures and birds. The little boat navigates down small rivers, rapids, whirlpools, big rivers, small lakes, big lakes, canals....you name it.

Unlike most of the reviewers here, I never saw this movie as a kid. I am only seeing it now as a 60-year-old man, but I enjoyed it as much as any kid. This is "good stuff" that should appeal to anyone.

I saw this film the first time as a youngster, while I was still living in Canada. I'm guessing it was about 1972, and I think we saw it as a part of our Geography class. We all groaned when we discovered the film was made by the C.B.C., we knew then it must be drab and boring. But, as the film unfolded, we found ourselves more and more captivated by the little wooden Indian in his canoe. And before we knew it, we were cheering after each trial and tribulation he encountered, and when the movie ended, a mere 28 minutes later, we groaned again...."it's over, already?!". Even after 36 years, this film holds up today as it did in 1966, it's warm, bright, fun, and totally captivating. I totally recommend this little bit of Canadiana to everybody!

I saw this film in second grade and have remembered it all these years. I have been searching the internet for it, I thought it was called Indian in the Canoe. I am so happy to finally have figured out the name. The movie has created a long lasting memory for me and I wish to share it with my child. The Red Balloon is another great film that is soon to be available on a popular DVD rental site, in case anyone is interested. I hope to buy a copy of Paddle to the Sea to share with my child soon. I suggest anyone and everyone who is interested in independent films and who enjoy shorts to watch this immediately. I think more schools should take the time to show timeless treasures as these instead of the typical cartoon of the month. Maybe more kids would grow up interested in real film instead of just the usual blockbuster. Thanks for listening.

Of course, growing up in the early seventies, this movie was practically a rite of passage. I loved it as a child! Now it serms slightly dated and less magical. Yet, its watchable and thankfully short. I would reccomend at least one viewing as it is an important and classic NFB production.

A wonderful short that has been a standard in schools for years. It is about life and adventure and we all feel a need to support "paddle" as he heads for the sea."Look out of the snake, paddle!". Wonderful memories that have stayed with me all these years. Lets hear it for the National Film Board that supported the creation of such gems.