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These are a pretty dark and grim lot of little films...not universally but the majority. Good though in that it shows that animation, in whatever form, is just as effective as live action in terms of emotional power and is not something just for children ( as shown by several members of the audience today who brought in their sprogs and to be honest, with the exception of one, they would all have been above little children's heads...and Prologue even has a ' not suitable Le for children' warning).
Sanjays Super Team
This was the Disney/Pixarcontribution and, oddly, the weakest of the bunch. It was VERY D-P. Gorgeous to look at, stunning animation technically, a fuzzily heartwarming story of the conflict between an Indian-American boy and his more traditional father. The ending was very sweet and utterly predictable and that's the best that can be said about it. There was a central sequence whose sole function was frankly, I thought, to show off the animator's skills...and very impressive they were but within a short film format, very self indulgent and it really did no thing to advance the story and ideas.
Bear Story
Steampunk style stop motion animation was the technique superbly use here in a very bleak little story about a bear whose street theatre machine tells us a variant on his tragic life story. I suppose, wearing a cerebral hat, the work showed the value of Art in helping someone to come to terms with grief...but even so, at the end, the grief and sadness remain. We want what is shown in the art ( the mechanical street theatre) to be real life...but it is not and never will be. A sad little masterpiece.
We Can't Live Without Cosmos
There was a good balance between light and dark in this piece...finally powerful and moving and with a marvellous mix of emotions for the viewer before that. It tells of two very close friends who are training for a space mission...more than that it would be unfair to give away. There is a good rhythmic dynamic to the film although at the,start the establishing of the two main characters and what they are doing does go on for a little too long I felt. The animation is very simple technically...largely two dimensional but that means we can focus on the story, characters and plot and not be distracted by technique. The makers had a marvellous story and kudos to them for focusing on that and using simple techniques to tell it effectively ( unlike Disney/Pixar)
World of Tomorrow
One hopes not. This is a stunningly powerful and bitterly bleak look at the future when( wealthy) people can transfer their consciousness to new bodies...but that's just the start of it. A little child meets herself from 300 years into the future to be told what it holds and she is, of course, heartbreakingly unaware of the horrors that await. As the film progresses horror is piled upon horror and it is made more powerful by the animation techniques used. Stick figures and abstract swirls, lines and colours conjour up the world amazingly powerfully and show what can be done with simple techniques again. The other marvellous aspect of this film is that while there are only two characters in it, the film itself manages to encompass all humanity...from very old to very young, from very wealthy to very poor. Thinking more about it, it is amazing how cosmically all-embracing this apparently simple little film. There are more ideas in it ( and its c. 30 minute running time) than half a dozen other full length films. And all this is done without lecturing or preaching and a chillingly detached tone from the central future 'human' ( if one can call them that). This was by far the best film but given its Hobbesian bleakness ( Steve Patriarca I trust I have used the term correctly...but you will have to see the film to judge!) I fear it is unlikely. And the animation techniques are not audience-friendly either. There is very little crowd appeal to this film but it ought to be seen by as many people as possible. Stunning.
Prologue
This was very short ( barely 5 minutes) and focused on a very bloody fight between 4 Greek and Spartan warriors. It was beautifully drawn in pencil with only some vivid red, in increasing amounts, as the battle took place. There was not really a story and to be honest it looked more like something that had been produced as an exercise...but what an exercise and what superb technique. Vivid, eye-opening and unusual.
A great selection here. Be fascinating to see who wins.