Ryan Larkin's fresh start with MTV

MTV has issued the following news release about acquiring new original material from Ryan Larkin, an Oscar-nominated Canadian animator whose career was interrupted by an extended battle with substance abuse and homelessness.

A 14-minute computer-animated documentary about Larkin's life won the 2004 Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

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World-renowned animator Ryan Larkin resurfaces, creates channel designs for MTV

Oscar-nominated animator creates new material for MTV

TORONTO, Dec. 19 - Celebrated Canadian animator Ryan Larkin has created his first original material in almost 30 years exclusively for MTV, it was announced today.

Nine months after MTV in Canada launched with a series of striking branding IDs inspired by Larkin's world-famous animations, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker has created three original, animated IDs for MTV.

As a Christmas present to the elusive genius, Larkin's five-second bumpers will be the only channel IDs to air on MTV on Dec. 25 and 26.

Available for viewing now at MTV.ca, the channel IDs will appear in regular rotation in the New Year.

"We are honoured that Larkin agreed to create some original animations for MTV," said Peter Moller, creative director, MTV in Canada.

"When we launched MTV in Canada earlier this year, we wanted to create a Canadian interpretation of the MTV brand.

"We designed several channel IDs based on Larkin's world-famous animations as a nod to Canada's artistic and creative heritage.

"To have some original designs by the Ryan Larkin appearing on our channel is absolutely amazing!"

"It was a great pleasure working for MTV," said Ryan Larkin.

"They gave me full artistic control over these little ciné-bumpers.

"If you're wondering what a ciné-bumper is, think of it as that five-second space between you and the next car.

"They're little wedges that help programmers shuffle their shows.

"I had fun and I'm proud to be a part of the MTV creative team."

A world-class animator and filmmaker, Larkin was a rising star in the world of animation in the 1970s.

He began working for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) at the age of 19 and it was there that he created his most-famous films, Walking, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and Street Musique, considered a masterpiece of animated movement, as well as Syrinx and Cityscape.

These films have secured Larkin a place in the history of animated filmmaking and his work has influenced a whole generation of animators.

In 2005, Larkin was the subject of the animated film Ryan by Christopher Landreth, which won Landreth an Oscar for Best Animated Short.

Currently, Larkin is working on his new animation film Spare Change, about his experience as a panhandler on the Main in Montreal, Quebec.

MTV in Canada is a Canadian-programmed and Canadian-managed business wholly owned by CTV Inc., a division of Bell Globemedia Inc.

MTV offers a distinctly Canadian interpretation of the MTV brand across multiple platforms, including a revolutionary broadband service, MTV Overdrive, and across an MTV-branded analog specialty service that delivers innovative lifestyle, talk and documentary programming with a commitment to 71 per cent Canadian programming in primetime.

The MTV business is powered by an alliance between CTV, Canada's number one television brand, and MTV Networks, the world's most valuable media brand.

MTV in Canada is one of 50 MTV-branded services worldwide serving 171 territories around the world.

Experience MTV in Canada on-line at www.mtv.ca.

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