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It's been some time since I've posted anything for children, but this simple and effective story and animation based on the Un monde en couleurs series of books illustrated by Mathieu Roussel and written by Nathalie Tousnakhoff is a charming diversion. See it HERE.
Links:
Lamiedezoe.com
Kilowatt Editions (the book)
MAKE Visual
Matt Roussel
This is a refreshing animation from Bilbao-based animator Ritxi Ostáriz with original music from Voltaire. See it HERE or below in low-quality flash video.
One of the first films from this year's Cannes to cause a stir is Ari Folman's animated feature Waltz with Bashir.
The synopsis from the official site:
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari Folman about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life.
Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images …
This video was a little confection in an otherwise bitter day. EDIT: Lorcan has removed the video from his Vimeo page. Here's the YouTube version:
Hiyao Miyazake's animated masterpiece, My Neighbour Totoro has a very special place in my household. We've all been taken by its mixture of fantasy and reality. In particular, my 4 year-old son has taken it to heart.
But this post isn't about introducing you to the film, but to comment on a change made to the western version which is unnecessary and unsuccessful. There have been two releases in English. The first was released in 1993 from Fox and it is pitch perfect albeit with unknown actors. In 2004, the rights expired and two years later, Disney released a new version featuring Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle.
I have a lot of respect for Dakota Fanning as a young actress, but she just doesn't seem to be capable of expressing wide-eyed, childhood exhubrance and innocence. The rest of the cast are equally inferior. The Fox cast are more relaxed and seem to take a leed from the animation, gelling better with their animated selves. Still, the new cast are not horrible, they are trying but somehow the effort works against them coming across as less natural and more self-conscious.
You can see both versions below. The one on the left is the new Disney version which also presents the film in widescreen format. On the right is the Fox dub which is presented in cropped full screen.
It is really unfortunate particularly for this film as it is enjoyed so much by younger viewers who aren't quite ready for subtitles. This film really doesn't need a star's name to sell it. It stands on its own. The real tragedy is that the existing dub is superior.
So my recommendation is that if you can get one of the last few copies of the Fox version, do so. The picture isn't as good, but the performances are a real treat.
Links:
Hiyao Miyazake wiki
Nausicaa.net
Studio Ghibli (Japanese)
Miyazake interview (Guardian)
Tokyo Plastic will soon be premiering their new short, The Electric Koi soon. If you haven't seen their work or recently explored their site, I highly recommend that you do so. The studio was founded by Sam Lanyon Jones and Drew Cope and excels in the innovative and odd.
Despite many of their animations being available on YouTube, the interactive element involved is so vital to the effect that I've simply left them out of this post with the exception of what you see below. Click on any of the pictures or the link below to visit and explore their site.
Working on their 17-minute stop motion short Madame Tutli-Putli for five years, filmmakers Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski have created a masterpiece in their first professional film. Described as an "existential journey", it is set in an exquisite, lovingly crafted and animated world which is both beautiful and beastly. It is ripe with meaning and full of heart.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, Lavis and Szerbowski's Clyde Henry Productions created the film with Jason Walker(special visual effects), Laurie Maher(choreography/costume design), David Bryant(musical direction/sound design), and Jean-Frédéric Messier(musical director). The film has won a string of awards and was nominated for an Oscar.
Ideally suited to a big screen, screening schedules as well as the DVD are available on the official site.
From journalists Mick Bunnage and Jon Link, Modern Toss is a Channel 4 series adapted from their independent comic and website. Making use of both live action and animation, it's one of the best British comedy sketch shows to appear in years.
Don Hertzfeldt's irreverent and funny animations have been met with unprecedented acclaim and popularity for an independent animator. The following Oscar-nominated animation, Rejected, is a sharp pastiche on television, advertising, and artists' sometimes troubled relationship with capitalism.
The BBC have announced an adaptation of Jamie Hewlett's Get the Freebies strip he did for Face magazine entitled "Phoo Action". It will be interesting to see how Hewlett's vision is brought to life particularly after the success of his operatic collaboration with Damon Albarn, "Monkey: Journey to the West".
From the BBC press release:
British actress Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood) will team up with America's Carl Weathers (Rocky, Predator) and Eddie Shin (ER) in Phoo Action, a kung-fu action drama for
BBC Three based on comic characters created by Jamie Hewlett.
Jaime, daughter of acclaimed actor Ray Winstone, takes on the colourful role of Whitey Action, an unruly teenage heroine who joins together with hapless Buddhist kung-fu cop Terry Phoo (played by Eddie Shin) to form an unlikely, but effective, crime-fighting team.
The year is 2012 and London is in the grip of mutant criminals. Only Terry Phoo and Whitey Action can save the nation, uniting to create chaos and comedy, mischief and mayhem to become heroes for a future generation. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the wonderfully warped world of Phoo Action.
This short from Blu takes his signature grafitti canvas and brings it to life through animation with interesting results. Also see the trailer below for the upcoming film on Blu, Megunica.
Sara Pocock is a young animator who received considerable attention for her animated film Ballvaughan Story(see below). With the amount of Flash-based vector animation around, her hand crafted work is refreshing and reminiscent of Yuri Norstein's work. I hope to see the spark of her talent fully take flame in future.
How did Ballyvaughan Story come about? What was your interest in this period of history and how did you settle on using charcoal for its creation?
Well, the film came about as a result of direct contact with the real village of Ballyvaughan, Ireland. While I was studying animation as an undergraduate, I decided to take a semester off to study abroad and work on my own film. I don’t know what drew me to Ireland, but it seemed like the best possible place to go for inspiration. Ballyvaughan is located in a part of Western Ireland that’s dubbed “The Burren.” The landscape is incredible and almost otherworldly in nature.
Having only recently graduated in animation at MOME in 2005, Hungarian Éva Magyarósi's film Hanne which was submitted as part of her thesis was awarded at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. Her collection of work is full of beguiling imagery which is generously showcased on her homepage. The animation below is Szerelemhús (Flesh of Love), created by Éva in 2003 (courtesy of Daazo, the European Short Film Centre.)
Recycling a CG flower which he created for an advert, Julius Ragaishi developed this short animation making use of rich colours and textures combined with fluid, organic movement. Here is the Flash version; higher quality Quicktime files are available at the links below.
The directorial debut of Paul Gondry has appeared online. Much more raw than the work of his father Michel or uncle Olivier, this animated music video for The Willowz is a promising start.
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