The Man and the Giant : An Eskimo Legend

According to this Inuit legend the raven was not always the jet-black bird that it is today. The owl had something to do with it. What happened makes an engaging story acted out by two life-like puppets made of seal fur. The film, narrated partly in Inuktitut, partly in English, is largely the work of Inuit artists.

The owl and the lemming in this animated film are short-legged, plumply stuffed puppets made of sealskin by Inuit artists. The accompanying song and voices are in Inuktitut, although the legend is narrated in English. It is a story that all audiences, especially children, will enjoy. Moreover, it preserves on film an example of Inuit folklore that may in time disappear.

In this Inuit legend it is plausible enough that a goose should capture the fancy of an owl and that the owl should be quite bewildered by what follows. The sound effects and voices are Inuktitut, but the animated pictures leave no doubt as to the happenings that transpire. It is a story with the wry humour characteristic of many Inuit tales, for audiences young or old.