Ernie's Idea
1996 · 12m · Canada
Directed by Claire Maxwell, Peter Vogler
Genres: animation, comedy, fantasy
Tones: absurdist, contemplative, whimsical
Contented worker Ernie finds his routine upended when a persistent idea begins following him everywhere. The disruptive companion puts his job at risk and forces him to decide whether the idea is promise or trouble.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A sentient idea as antagonist—that's the kind of premise that makes you sit up and ask 'who greenlit this and why didn't everyone else?' Maxwell and Vogler lean hard into the absurdist absurdity, letting the metaphor get gloriously weird instead of neatening it into moral pablum.
Positioned squarely in the lineage of NFB's experimental animation tradition, *Ernie's Idea* demonstrates precise control of its whimsical registers—the pacing between comic beats and contemplative moments reflects considered editorial judgment that respects both form and thematic weight.
The decision to keep Ernie himself perfectly ordinary—a blank-faced functionary—while making the *idea* visually baroque and kinetic is what makes this work; everything hinges on that tonal contrast, and the filmmakers nail it on a modest budget by letting animation do what live-action simply can't.