Some Say Yarn Barn I Say Yawn, Bore
Rating: 2 Trees
Don’t Let It All Unravel, directed by Sara Jex is an animation that uses yarn. It depicts the world becoming unraveled, and many of the living things on it. While I commend the idea, the concept and time it must have taken, it was rather boring. I found that it needed more work, and was more like a trial run for a bigger project.
Rating: 4 Trees
The Weatherman, directed by Will Becher is a claymation that follows the troubles of being a weatherman. The animation is seamless and allows for you to accept the absurdities that exist, such as the triangle shaped bird, or the weather baring a physical resemblance to the symbols used by the weather man. The music really stood out and compliment the actions taking place. This film really made me laugh. It was both sweet and charming, and it was obvious that the production team planned well and implemented a top notch short.
Rating: 3 Trees
Space Travel According to John, directed by Jamie Stone and Anders Jedenfors, is a ten year old boy’s take on space and the means needed to travel it. The animation is made with what appears to be sand. While the animation is not ground breaking the simple images along with the hilarious story created by John the narrator, make this worth a watch.
Rating: 3 Trees
Mikkey and Me, directed by Chris Halls, is about a man that is obsessed with a cartoon character that resembles the beloved Disney character Mickey Mouse. By the end of this film I loved this man. It is apparent that he is incapable of handling the real world, and has retreated to the living room where he has created his world much to the liking of the cartoon he most admires. The animation was wonderful, flowing seamlessly. This short made me laugh, and at times laugh even harder.
Rating: 4 Trees
Landing Lights, directed by Graham Young, might at first horrify many. The scenario of a jumbo jet heading for a large building, brought back glimpses of the news footage for 9-11, where a small group of terrorists guided passenger planes into the trade towers in New York. However, at the point of collision I was offered a sweet relief, the plane passed through the walls, becoming much like a risen ghost, bound to relive the moment over and over for eternity. Though this may sound horrible, the animation, colors and the angles used, are serene and stand in a direct contrast to the acts carried our out in real life. While the director may not have intended for a comparison such as this, the symbols used have become etched into the minds of many not only in America, but the world. This was beautiful and well conceived.
Rating: 4 Trees
The Life Size Zeotrope, directed by Mark Simon Harris, starts by a large quantity of people filing onto a carnival ride that spins around. It is in essence a very large Zeotrope, a devise used to make successive still images appear to move. The animation occurs on the pages that the riders hold. This film is fun and the techniques used to make it are mysterious, it will have you scratching your head. Aside from the animation, I enjoyed the unique differences in the participants, such as their hands. The hands ranged in size from small and slender to large and meaty. Overall the production was well thought out and executed.
Rating: 5 Trees
Josie’s Lalaland, directed by Eb Hu, is computer animation piece that depicts a girl’s dying wish to be with her family. It contains beautiful colors and lighting that create euphoric and calming atmosphere. Red skies over black and yellow fields that wave in the wind, match the tone of the narrative voice. The subtle music creates a sense of drive that heightens the tension created by the little girls voice as you know something terrible is wrong. In this piece, it was a collection of all that worked on it that made this short standout among the rest.
Rating: 2 Trees
Cyren, directed by Tom Mead, is a traditional animated short, that explores a large layered city that is based upon hierarchy, called Cyren. The backgrounds used for large pans were well illustrated and showed a high level of skill. However, the characters lacked the same detail and felt flat against the spacious world created. The story seemed rushed and tacked on as a last minute idea. This piece still needed some work done, but the animators can use this as a learning experience toward their next project which I’ll keep an eye out for.
Rating: 1 Tree
A-Z , directed by Sally Arthur, is a cut out animation that uses a large amount of “text”, words and letters, through out. It shows a woman attempting to catalog names, in the attempt to make a street map of London. While the animation was acceptable, its style was very graphical, and appeared more like a commercial. It did not have much that stood out, and tended in the end to be forgettable amongst the other films involved.
Rating: 2 Trees
What’s Fufu?, Directed by Greg Villalobos, is an animated short that looks at the cultural bonds that we are perceived to have due to ones skin color. The female narration is soft and warm caressing your ears to listen attentively to the situation. As a young black nigerian teenager who has been raised by white parents, she explores the hurdles that she has and must continue to face. She feels an important piece of herself, her heritage, has been lost and she is unable to recover it. While the animation was good, the voice talent is why you will want to watch this.
