WSFF 2009 Shorts For Shorties Kids' Animation
CFC Showcase With Wallace and Gromit, Jungle Beat, Black and White
Jun 24, 2009
Animation isn't just for kids. That said, there's no reason why kids' animation shouldn't be appreciated by adults as well. That's the hidden message behind the Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival's screening of Shorts for Shorties on June 20th at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The set, featuring animated shorts from around the world, is a compendium of cartoons the whole family can truly enjoy.
Jon Izen's Black and White: Craaazy!
March Entertainment's Jon Izen (Yam Roll) showcased eight 1-minute shorts featuring Steven (a black tile) and David (a white tile). These shorts are fast, funny and about as deep as a kiddie pool (according to Izen, that was the entire point). That said, there's a surprisingly sophisticated sensibility at work here, with Izen and his gang of loonies tossing the rules of reality in the rubbish bin to drive their surreal shorts.
Despite the threadbare concept (Steven and David get together, do something "craaazy," joke, then extra joke at the end), the Black and White shorts keep enough surprises in their stick sleeves that they never wear out their welcome.
"Just Another Floor Kids Battle": Jonathan Ng's Day-Glo Dance Off
Jonathan Ng showcased his short "Just Another Floor Kids Battle," featuring music by Kid Koala. In this short, a disabled street dancer takes on his rival in a winner-takes-all competition.
Despite the PC-friendly concept, "Just Another Floor Kids Battle" doesn't patronize its handicapped hero and the constantly shifting, brightly-coloured backgrounds keep the visual interest high. Although the animation initially appears crude, the characters' movements are fluid and Ng clearly knows the vocabulary of street-dancing. Nicely done.
"Oktapodi": Julien Bocabeille and François-Xavier Chanioux's Oscar Nominated Short Returns
A favourite at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival, and a candidate at this year's Oscar ceremony, Julien Bocabeille and François-Xavier Chanioux's hilarious short still thrilled. The tale of young octopi in love trying to outwit an evil fishmonger in a small Greek village is a tightly-plotted, thrill-a-second ride with laughs-o-plenty, and it doesn't lose its magic with repeated viewings.
The fact that "Oktapodi" was animated by students at Gobelins Art School only underlines what a stunning achievement this short is. Hunt this short down. Now. Right now.
"Building World Peace": Beth Cloutier's Flag Formations
Talk about home-baked: New York-based filmmaker literally put her stop-motion short "Building World Peace" together in her kitchen.
In her short, various plasticine flags of the world interact and combine, ultimately joining together to form a famous symbol (one the Woodstock Generation will swiftly recognize). The piece's heart is certainly in the right place, and the animation is impressive, but it may not be a short you'll want to watch again and again.
Jungle Beat: African Insanity
South Africa's Jungle Beat series of animated shorts feature various animals in comic situations
Wayne Thornley's "I Believe I can Fly" features a baby ostrich who tries to get off the ground in increasingly riotous ways, while Brent Dawes' "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" shows a hapless springbok's attempts to woo a comely gazelle.
The animation isn't as strong as in other shorts (several images feature the plastic gloss of cheap CGI), but that's easily forgivable when the scripts are this tight and funny. The fact that both directors concentrate on making indelible characters helps take this series above and beyond the usual "animals getting bashed about" fare. Well done.
"Border": Bastiaan Van Rooden's Short Falls Flat
One almost felt sorry for Bastiaan Van Rooden's short "Border". The tale of a goblin battling an automated border crossing was clearly the weakest entry in this program.
There were a lot of issues: the CGI animation was glossy and stiff and the goblin's character design was unappealing. It didn't help that the script needed a lot of tweaking and the jokes didn't particularly work. Yes, it's a student animation, but other student pieces like "Oktapodi" have set the bar extremely high. "Border" didn't get a lot of love from the audience and it's easy to see why.
Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death: 'Nuff Said
The biggest applause of the show went to Aardman Animation's Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death. And the love is well-deserved: Nick Park's 4th adventure featuring the cheese-loving inventor and his genius dog is wicked fun.
Wallace (Peter Sallis) and Gromit have started (yet another) a new business: their Dough to Door baked goods delivery service. Wallace also has a new love interest: Piella Bakewell (Sally Lindsay), the former Bake-o-Lite girl who Wallace saves from a nasty accident involving a crocodile. Meanwhile, Gromit, suspicious of Piella's intentions towards his smitten human, has discovered that local bakers are dying under mysterious circumstances. Who is murdering bread-makers, and is Wallace next on the list?
Okay, there's not much of a mystery here: you can figure out who the killer is right from the get-go. However, that's not the point.
A Matter of Loaf and Death is worth watching simply for the clever script, stunning stop-motion animation and visual gags that pop up out of nowhere. If you're already a fan of Wallace and Gromit (guilty!) then there's plenty to love in this new short and if you aren't, it's a great place to start.
Fun Fact: Look for exclusive interviews with animators Beth Cloutier ("Building World Peace") and Jon Izen (Black and White) coming soon to Suite 101.
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