'' Paddle to the Sea '' ( French : '' Vogue-à-la-mer '' ) is a 1966 National Film Board of Canada short live-action film directed , shot and edited by Bill Mason , based on the 1941 children 's book '' Paddle-to-the-Sea '' by American author and illustrator Holling C. Holling . The film follows the adventures of a child 's hand-carved toy Indian in a canoe as it makes its way from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence , through Canada 's waterways . It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 40th Academy Awards . Louis Applebaum composed the musical score
40th Academy Awards
40th Academy Awards
Paddle to the Sea