awn press

Ballad of a Thin Man: In Search of Ryan Larkin is largely the story of Chris Robinson’s journey of realization as he confronts his lifelong personal demons and takes responsibility for them. He intertwines this self-exploration with an exploration and analysis of his experiences with the late Canadian animator Ryan Larkin. Robinson is the Artistic Director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival. He’s also considered an expert on Canadian and international independent animation. Larkin was a Canadian animator who showed tremendous talent. His potential was never fully realized, possibly due to ne’er confronted demons, addiction, a lack of personal accountability, and perhaps some degree of mental illness. Robinson recounts his own experiences and shortcomings with an intriguing honesty. He is so honest that at times he paints himself as entirely unlikable. Some of this might stem from this reviewer’s beliefs largely mirroring those of the author, eliciting a reaction that’s almost entirely unsympathetic to a man who let himself succumb to these demons to begin with. Personal qualms aside, there