The 2014 Academy Award-nominated Animated Short Films
A week ago Friday, varina8 and I went to see the Academy Award-nominated Short Animated Films at the Varsity Theater in the U District. At something like 110 minutes, it included not only the nominees but some noteworthy runners-up. I'm going to talk only about the nominees here.
"Get a Horse!" (trailer) is Disney's entry for this year. Animated to look like a classic black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon, the film is actually a film-frame-breaking adventure in which Mickey must save Minnie from the lascivious clutches of Peg-Leg Pete. The animators portray the characters breaking out, turning into CGI versions of themselves, and playing with the limitations of the picture frame. The story itself is as basic as it could be; the triumph here is the fluid motion and the bursting of the cartoon characters from their conventional cinematic borders. (Though I enjoyed the short, I don't like the title for some reason. It's a really visceral dislike. I don't know why.)
Feral (complete short) tells the story of a feral boy captured and brought to civilization. It's visually beautiful and conceptually interesting, but it left me cold emotionally.
Mr. Hublot (trailer) is a sweet, steampunk tale of animal rescue in a mechanical world. This one was my absolute favorite for its sweetheart story line and its beautiful, inventive visuals. (It also contains what may be the best--if not only--portrayal of obsessive compulsive behavior I've ever seen in an animated film.) Mr. Hublot's adaptation to the unpredictability of the little friend he rescues is a lovely (if rather literal) metaphor about how we all grow and change as a product of opening our hearts.
Possessions is this year's Japanese entry, about a handyman who, surprised by a storm while he navigates a forest, takes shelter in an abandoned shack, and what he experiences, surrounded by ancient tools and accessories. It's a kaleidoscopic, Technicolor (I use that term descriptively, not technically) adventure, with eye-popping visuals, based on an ancient Japanese idea that tools and personal items develop souls once they're 100 years old. The puzzled, resourceful protagonist grunts his way through the film, managing the best he can and offering healing to these broken, abandoned tools in the face of his otherworldly experience. There's a touch of Miyazaki here, a touch of Disney. No question that it's worthy of its nomination and I'd say it's a very strong contender.
Room on the Broom (trailer) is based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It's got an all-star voice cast (which is odd given that the dialog is minimal--Gillian Anderson as the witch mostly chuckles--except for the narration by Simon Pegg), and some lovely visuals. It's a heartwarming story of inclusiveness, entertaining and sweet, and I enjoyed it. I don't know if I thought it was extraordinary or ground-breaking though. It was just a really good piece of entertainment.
Reviewers seem to adore "Get a Horse!" for its mixing of classic animation and CGI techniques. It's fun, it's post-modern, it's got cookies galore for animation geeks, and I suspect it will win, given Academy proclivities. For my money, though, the top contenders are Mr. Hublot and Possessions, with "Get a Horse!" running close by. I'll enjoy seeing what the Academy finally chooses.
"Get a Horse!" (trailer) is Disney's entry for this year. Animated to look like a classic black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon, the film is actually a film-frame-breaking adventure in which Mickey must save Minnie from the lascivious clutches of Peg-Leg Pete. The animators portray the characters breaking out, turning into CGI versions of themselves, and playing with the limitations of the picture frame. The story itself is as basic as it could be; the triumph here is the fluid motion and the bursting of the cartoon characters from their conventional cinematic borders. (Though I enjoyed the short, I don't like the title for some reason. It's a really visceral dislike. I don't know why.)
Feral (complete short) tells the story of a feral boy captured and brought to civilization. It's visually beautiful and conceptually interesting, but it left me cold emotionally.
Mr. Hublot (trailer) is a sweet, steampunk tale of animal rescue in a mechanical world. This one was my absolute favorite for its sweetheart story line and its beautiful, inventive visuals. (It also contains what may be the best--if not only--portrayal of obsessive compulsive behavior I've ever seen in an animated film.) Mr. Hublot's adaptation to the unpredictability of the little friend he rescues is a lovely (if rather literal) metaphor about how we all grow and change as a product of opening our hearts.
Possessions is this year's Japanese entry, about a handyman who, surprised by a storm while he navigates a forest, takes shelter in an abandoned shack, and what he experiences, surrounded by ancient tools and accessories. It's a kaleidoscopic, Technicolor (I use that term descriptively, not technically) adventure, with eye-popping visuals, based on an ancient Japanese idea that tools and personal items develop souls once they're 100 years old. The puzzled, resourceful protagonist grunts his way through the film, managing the best he can and offering healing to these broken, abandoned tools in the face of his otherworldly experience. There's a touch of Miyazaki here, a touch of Disney. No question that it's worthy of its nomination and I'd say it's a very strong contender.
Room on the Broom (trailer) is based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. It's got an all-star voice cast (which is odd given that the dialog is minimal--Gillian Anderson as the witch mostly chuckles--except for the narration by Simon Pegg), and some lovely visuals. It's a heartwarming story of inclusiveness, entertaining and sweet, and I enjoyed it. I don't know if I thought it was extraordinary or ground-breaking though. It was just a really good piece of entertainment.
Reviewers seem to adore "Get a Horse!" for its mixing of classic animation and CGI techniques. It's fun, it's post-modern, it's got cookies galore for animation geeks, and I suspect it will win, given Academy proclivities. For my money, though, the top contenders are Mr. Hublot and Possessions, with "Get a Horse!" running close by. I'll enjoy seeing what the Academy finally chooses.